Blömqvist

I like Liljegren as well, but Makar's combine results have brought him up in my personal rankings. Makar must be a machine in the gym and his preparation top notch for him to rank so well in so many different combine tests. Yes, there is risk with Makar as he was playing in the AJHL (which IMO is nothing compared to the Liiga or SHL), but his skillset is undeniable. Another thing that Makar has going for him is that he will play in the NCAA where he will get lots of time in the gym to bulk up and get more strength. Furthermore, and probably most importantly, his head coach at UMass-Amherst was an assistant coach in the NHL for 7 seasons. Greg Carvel was the assistant under Mike Babcock in Anaheim for one year before Carvel went over to Ottawa as an assistant coach. He then coached Erik Karlsson for two years in 2009.10 and 2010.11, before going to the NCAA where he was voted best head coach by his peers in the ECAC conference in 2014.15. Makar might not have played in the best league his draft year (in fact, far from it) but his skillset, work ethic and preparation are undeniable. He will be going into a program that is the best for him to develop physically and will have top-notch coaching for his skillset and playing style to get him to that next level.

Definitely starting to look like the 3rd overall pick is available. If it really is, Benning should be all over it as it looks like the price could be for Tanev and a cap dump(s) coming back our way. Of the available RHD out there, Tanev seems like the best choice for the Stars. Barrie would be redundant on a team with Klingberg and Honka on the right side. Trouba could be a good fit as well but does not have as good of a shutdown game as Tanev does. Trouba does provide more points, but the issue with Dallas is not scoring but defending. Should the Canucks land the 3rd overall pick, we should consider getting a defenseman with one of our high picks and a centre with the other. 3rd: Vilardi or Heiskanen 5th: Makar or Pettersson This gives us a potential 1st line playmaking centre and a potential 1st pairing offensive defenseman in our system, two of the hardest positions to fill.

Guys guys guys, in a year we will all refer to him as "19-year old Casey Mittelstadt" and be amazed at how good he is.

To say that Juolevi has regressed or hasn't improved is absurd. Especially looking at his statistics but not looking at the context. The context here being #1) Tkachuk, Marner, and Dvorak graduated into the NHL, and #2) Juolevi is used primarily as the main shutdown guy. Last season, the London Knights scored 319 goals as a team. Juolevi was in on 42 of those goals, meaning that he contributed 13.17% of his team's total offense. This year the Knights scored 289 goals as a team and Juolevi was in on 42 of them. He contributed 14.53% of his team's total offense. We can see clearly that -- despite Tkachuk, Marner, and Dvorak graduating into the NHL -- Juolevi's offense did improve. The increase in percentage points doesn't look like much, but keep in mind if Juolevi was in on 8 more goals (50 points total for the 2016.17 season) he would have contributed 17.30% of his team's total offense. IIRC, Juolevi was used primarily as the main shutdown guy. The most recent example of this was during the OHL playoffs, where he was consistently matched up against Gabe Vilardi. That series the London Knights eliminated the Windsor Spitfires from the OHL playoffs and Juolevi and co. held Vilardi to 6 points (2 goals and 4 assists) in 7 games, with a plus 1 rating. Currently, at the Memorial Cup Vilardi has exploded offensively in his most recent game. In 3 games Vilardi has 5 points (0 goals and 5 assists) with a plus 3 rating. Small sample size I know but Juolevi was a beast defensively in his OHL Playoff series against Vilardi and the Spitfires. tl;dr Considering the context of his season, Juolevi was put into a more defensive role handling top shutdown duties this season yet still managed to increase his offensive contribution; Juolevi had a good developmental season. Getting back to the other draft prospects... I have no idea who I want. There's so many good prospects where we are. Glass, Vilardi, Mittelstadt, and even Necas or Pettersson have an outside shot of sneaking into the top-5. On the defensive end of things Heiskanen might be the top defenseman but don't sleep on Liljegren because of his mono and Makar because of him playing in the AJHL. I hope Benning can get another pick in the top-10 so we can draft a playmaking centre and a puck-moving pp quarterback defenseman. Make the rebuild go by that much faster.

If we get the 2nd round pick from Columbus this year, I would look into combining that with our 2nd round pick to trade up into the last 1/3 of the first round, hopefully closer to pick 20. Could get a guy like Foote or Vesalainen or a smaller high skilled player like Suzuki or Brannstrom there. I'm actually pretty high on Brannstrom. He's a smaller defenseman at 5'10" and 179 lbs but he's a very late birthday for this draft. If he was born two weeks later he would be in the 2018 draft. Brannstrom is a smooth skating puck-moving defenseman who can quarterback the powerplay and unload one-timers from the point. He was running the powerplay alongside Liljegren on the U18s. He's playing against men in the SHL as a 17 year old and by some accounts is very strong and can hold his own despite his smaller frame. Some people say if he was an inch or two taller he'd be a top-5 pick this year, and with him having a late birthday he might be able to grow an inch or two taller and add on 15-20 pounds by the time he makes the jump to the NHL. Because of his size he's rated all over the place... Corey Pronman from ESPN has him as the 11th best prospect. Jeff Marek from Sportsnet has him at 14. On the other side of the scale, ISS has him unranked (i.e. not in their top 31) and Craig Button has him at 45. Brannstrom might be like Stecher with much higher offensive upside. Solid puck moving top-4 defenseman who can quarterback the first-unit powerplay is good value for a late first round selection.

Not sure if this has been posted already, but here is a shift-by-shift video of Cody Glass (#8 in WHITE) against the Kamloops Blazers. He gets off to a fast start but by all means watch and judge for yourself the things he's good at and things he needs to work on. EDIT: WOOT 2,000th post!! But more importantly 1,000th reputation upvote!!! Thanks for liking my content CDC! Been on the forum since October 2009... what a roller coaster ride it's been for us Canucks fans ehh?? lol

I can see the Canucks management wanting Glass. After all, our new head coach Travis Green has ties to the Portland Winterhawks organization so we could get the inside scoop on Glass and "influence" his development in the next few years in Junior. Glass is a good prospect and hopefully he'll be able to grow an inch or two more to 6'3" or 6"4" and play at 200+ lbs. At that size, with his speed, skillset, hockey IQ and determination, he would be a deadly offensive threat. If we have speed and size down the middle with Glass and Horvat and have a deep defense core led by Juolevi that is mobile and can move the puck then we should stay competitive with Edmonton and all their of 1st overall picks.

double post my bad bruh

There was a tier of similar players after the top 5 and Jake would have been right at that next pick of BPA according to Bob McKenzie, who surveys multiple scouts to make a "consensus" list. I would argue that McKenzie's list would be the true BPA as he does survey multiple scouts and ranks accordingly. Therefore, according to McKenzie Virtanen was the "consensus" seventh best player of that draft. 1. Ekblad 2. Reinhart 3. Bennett 4. Draisaitl 5. Dal Colle 6. Ritchie 7. Virtanen 8. Fleury 9. Nylander 10. Ehlers 11. Kapanen 12. Larkin http://www.mynhldraft.com/2014-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings/ In regards to Juolevi, I'm glad he will be working out here in Vancouver with their trainers. Judging by his comments, he'll be here just for a little while before going back to Finland. At least he'll get specific direction on workout and nutrition. Also a bonus getting coached and mentored by Sami Salo! Salo was probably the most underrated defenseman of the Sedin era... he was rock-solid defensively, could move the puck up with simple passes, and had enough offensive prowess to be out there on the powerplay and fire his cannon of a shot. Hopefully Juolevi can learn not just how to shoot better and harder but also insight on what it takes to be a pro and how to handle the position and physicality of the game.

I am a huge supporter of Heiskanen and I think he will make a very good top pairing defenseman. He is a puck moving defenseman who can distribute the puck on the powerplay while playing excellent defensively. He can avoid the forecheck with his quick skating or making quick heads up plays and join the rush with ease. Although this in itself makes for a very good defenseman, we already have Juolevi who is of a similar mould. Liljegren on the other hand can move the puck as effectively as Heiskanen but the difference between them lies in their offensive and defensive capabilities. I feel that, with good two-way defensemen already in the system like Juolevi, Hutton, and Stecher and shutdown specialists in Gudbranson and possibly even Brisebois, that future defense core needs a high-offense guy like Liljegren. Further, Liljegren has an added dimension in his offense with his shot, where he can unload a slapper or snipe a wrister. Heiskanen -- in the limited games that I've seen him play on TV -- seems to defer to other guys a lot and doesn't often threaten offensively with his shot. Liljegren isn't exactly trigger happy but he does have that added dimension to his game which he utilizes well, and that gives him a much higher offensive ceiling. There are things that Liljegren can improve on but it's easier to coach defensive responsibilities and to play with a sense of urgency and a more "hard-nosed" game. Just look at Baertschi's transformation in play over the past two years. Although I do believe that Heiskanen will be the better overall defenseman, the Canucks need Liljegren's offensive game. In regards to Playmaking #1C vs Offensive Top2D, it is easier to trade for a Playmaking #1C than it is for an Offensive Top2D. Seguin was traded by Boston. Sam Reinhart may be on the block. RNH may be on the block as well. Tavares may become a UFA. There is no chance a team trades a Karlsson or Klingberg unless they absolutely have to. Draft Liljegren. Trade Tanev for an offensive centreman. Draft a dynamic offensive forward in the top 5 or top 10 next year. Develop. Sign complementary UFAs. Rebuild complete. Continue to draft BPA and develop further.

I personally would prefer Liljegren or Mittelstadt at our pick. I think their ceilings are very high and they both have a good base of talent, athleticism, size, and hockey IQ to have high floors as well. Further, Liljegren was supposed to challenge for the number one spot before he got sick with mono. As others have said, if his fall and decline in play can be directly and is solely related to him being sick with mono then theoretically he should be right up there or right behind Patrick and Hischier as the third best prospect of the draft. In regards to Mittelstadt, I believe that if he had played the full year in the USHL he would be, like Liljegren, right up there or right behind Patrick and Hischier. He was one of the leading scorers of the USHL at the beginning of the year before he left for his high school team, and if he had stayed I do believe he would still score at a competitive rate and be among the very top USHL players.

There were a couple of segments about Cale Makar on TSN1040 today. I think it was the Penticton Vees head coach. Sekeres and Price were talking to him about the team and going to the RBC Cup and facing Makar and the Brooks Bandits. He said that Makar has elite skating ability -- particularly his lateral movement and how he uses it. He said Makar's skating reminds him of a young Duncan Keith. Obviously Cale Makar has a long way to go to get to Keith's level but his skating is consistently lauded by scouts. Then on the midday show with Don Taylor and the Moj they had the GM/Head Coach of Brooks Bandits. He again praised Makar's skating ability and his offense and stick skills. He has a quiet kind of leadership and let's his work ethic both on and off the ice do the talking for him. He also said he had to "get used to" being a top player with all the extra hacks and slashes and cross checks and attention that comes to it. Says he needs to work on gap control and positioning like all young defensemen, especially when moving to higher levels. Believes that the NCAA route is good for Makar as at UMASS he will be coached by a former NHL coach who was in the coaching staff under Mike Babcock and who also worked with -- yep you guessed it Erik Karlsson. Thinks Makar will get a lot of time in the gym and on-ice coaching due to the scheduling of NCAA games. I'll put up the links when they become available. IMO from the information I've heard today I would put Makar right there with Heiskanen. He's 5'11" and at most ~180lbs but if he can get another inch or two and play at 200 lbs and skate and think the way he does out there... boy you'd have quite the player. He'll get the time in the gym to get bigger and get NHL quality coaching in the next year or two he spends in the NCAA. Could jump straight into the NHL like Stecher did this year and Hutton the year before.

A part of me hopes that Heiskanen falls to us at 5 and Jimbo sprints up to the podium to draft him, then a few days later holds a press conference to announce that they traded Tanev+ for Reinhart. Potential #1C and a #1D to pair with fellow Finn Juolevi, but too bad the Stars are high on Heiskanen.

Euro prospects definitely have the advantage of being able to fast-track their development by jumping from a men's league into the AHL when they are ready, unlike CHL prospects where it's NHL or junior until they hit 20 years old. This advantage should be taken into consideration, much like how Benning highly regards NCAA prospect development and NHL readiness. However, with prospects like a Necas and Pettersson and even Heiskanen I wouldn't fully want them in the AHL next season. The AHL is a men's league and a physical one at that. Necas and Pettersson are undersized by all accounts and with Heiskanen I would be wary having him take an AHL forecheck with the likes of a Sestito or someone coming at him at top speed. I could see the top-end Euros have a have a 2-year development time, one year in their respective Euro league and another year in the AHL, and make it into the NHL in their draft+3 season. This timeline itself is already very quick and possibly even a year or two quicker than CHL prospect development time. Similar story for NCAA-bound prospects like Mittelstadt and Makar. They might even be a year faster than their European-league counterparts and play just one season in the NCAA like Keller and then make it to the NHL as early as their draft+2 season.

I dunno though... as of right now there is no clear-cut BPA for the top 10 after Patrick and Hischier. Vilardi is consistently ranked in the top-5 but even then there is so much variance in rankings suggesting the prospects are almost equal. Because of that, I could see both Dallas and Colorado draft one of the high profile defensemen, leaving our choice of forward at the #5 spot. That said, Vilardi might play very well at the Memorial Cup and make a case for himself as the clear cut next best prospect after Patrick and Hischier.

The thing I like about Glass is that, basing off the story that his dad had to work two jobs for him to play hockey, he is in all likelihood a high-character player like Boeser. Character and drive go a long way in sports, and luckily enough Glass is also blessed with the skillset and size to be a high end offensive player. Glass is 6'2" and may very well end up playing at 6'3" or 6'4" and 200+lbs. He skates well and plays with a constant motor. He has good vision and good playmaking skills and can find a way to score in any situation. Most notably, scouts like his high hockey IQ. A potential 6'3" or 6'4" 200+lb right-handed centre with that skillset and drive and character is worth a top-5 selection. How he compares to Mittelstadt.. well for starters I think Mittelstadt has a much higher offensive ceiling. I see Mittelstadt as a playmaking winger with good size and skating who can put up around a point per game or more in his prime. Mittelstadt can be a creative playmaker on a line or he can be a goal scorer. That in itself is very valuable. IIRC I read somewhere that Mittelstadt gets a lot of points on the powerplay? I can't remember for sure though, so don't quote me on it. Honestly, I think they are very close but I prefer Glass and give him a slight edge because of the potential for added size, being a right-handed centre, and him being able to score 5 on 5 on a consistent basis. I see Glass being a 60-80 point centreman, and Mittelstadt being a 70-80+ point winger. You can't go wrong with either one.

Imagine, in the hypothetical scenario, that we drop to #5 this year and take the BPA regardless of team need. And imagine if we had done that in 2014 and 2016 as well. With Benning talking about a top 5 including playmaking centers and a powerplay defenseman it looks like Heiskanen/Liljegren/Makar might be in that #5 spot. 2014: Nylander 2015: Boeser 2016: Tkachuk 2017: Heiskanen/Liljegren Anyways, not making it about what we should've done in previous drafts, but moving forward Benning should take the BPA for his 1st round pick. I am really looking forward to this draft as we will either get a speedy playmaking centre (Hischier/Mittelstadt), a powerful playmaking centre (Patrick/Vilardi/Glass), or a top flight defenseman who can quarterback a powerplay (Heiskanen/Liljegren). Coincidentally, both the playmaking centre ice man and powerplay defenseman are team needs so I don't think Benning can go wrong with his selection as long as he picks the best player available. There are still games to be played for some prospects as well as the draft combine and interviews for Benning and Co. to rank them. Even then, in a few years from now we can still trade from a position of strength to a position of weakness, like how Columbus and Nashville traded Johansen for Jones. To be honest, I'd be happy with any one of: 1. Patrick 1. Hischier 3. Vilardi 4. Glass 5. Heiskanen 5. Mittelstadt 5. Liljegren We could have a power combo of Patrick/Vilardi/Glass & Horvat down the middle. Or we could have an offense that can attack with speed and skill or with power with a combo of Hischier/Mittelstadt & Horvat. Or we could have an elite defense and puck-movement galore on the back-end with Juolevi and Heiskanen/Liljegren leading the charge. It's exciting times to be a Canucks fan but even more if we added another top10 pick lol

I think you may be referring to Nicolas Hague (6'6" and 214 lbs, 46 points in 65 OHL games with the Mississauga Steelheads) or Callan Foote (6'3" and 209 lbs, 57 points in 71 WHL games with the Kelowna Rockets). The only other defenseman with size that's rated in the middle of the first round is Juuso Valimaki, 6'2" and 201 lbs, 61 points in 60 WHL games with the Tri-City Americans.

I find the write up on Glass to be intriguing. 45% of his point totals come on the road, suggesting that he is a very consistent scorer and being in the opposition's barn doesn't phase him. Also, with 70% of his points coming 5-on-5 that equates to about 66 even-strength points, which is more points than Vilardi has for the year (granted, higher offensive team and more games). The size part is also interesting, suggesting that he might grow a couple more inches and fill out to 200+ lbs. I've heard the Mark Schiefele comparable and if he turns into that we'd have tough centres to match up against with Glass, Horvat, and Gaudette. To me, it's still a toss-up between Glass, Mittelstadt, and Vilardi. I feel as though Vilardi might solidify himself as #3 with a good performance at the Memorial Cup in the coming weeks.

I think Benning puts a lot of thought into tournament performance. I think that's what gave Juolevi the edge over Sergachev and Chychrun. IIRC Juolevi set a record at the World Juniors as a 17 year old defenseman and followed that up with an excellent OHL Playoff and Memorial Cup performance.

That's the most positivity I've seen all day! I like it!! (Much better than the doom and gloom I heard all morning on TSN1040)