Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

Vinny in Vancouver

Members
  • Posts

    2,349
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Vinny in Vancouver

  1. Reinhart I agree with, but are you referring to Dylan Strome? Has he done anything in the NHL or in International competition? I follow some Coyotes forums, and some of them are already starting to give up on him ever being a top 6 forward.
  2. From the Combine, Elias Pettersson's body type reminds me of Nikolaj Ehlers. At the time, Ehlers was 160 lbs and now, he is at 172 lbs. So it's not impossible for Elias to gain weight (currently at 164 lbs), but I'm not sure if he has the frame to reach 185 lbs. Some people like to compare him to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was also pretty light during his Combine, 171 lbs, and is now at 196 lbs, but from the images, it looked like Nuge had a bigger frame than Pettersson.
  3. "He (Tolvanen) can really finish". Was Benning trying to be punny? Get it, finish...Finnish.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Brad Marchand

      Brad Marchand

      Even when being Czeched, he isn't Russian to Finnish his scoring chances.

    3. Roger Neilsons Towel

      Roger Neilsons Towel

      @Brad Marchand He needs to play more Hungary out there and Polish up his game. 

    4. Nuxfanabroad

      Nuxfanabroad

      U guys is funny

  4. For those of you still wondering who Benning is targeting, the following may be a clue. A few weeks ago, Benning said that he is looking for a playmaking center or a defenseman who can run the powerplay. On the Canucks' Twitter account, Benning goes through the potential prospects, and the only centers where he mentioned anything similar to playmaking are: Nolan Patrick - "makes players around him better" Cody Glass - "he's a playmaking center iceman" There's no mention at all about playmaking for any of Hischier or Vilardi or Mittelstadt or Pettersson or Rasmussen. Of the three D-men they profiled (Hieskanen, Makar, Liljegren), the only one where he mentioned powerplay is: Liljegren - "shot from the blueline on the powerplay"
  5. Cody Glass was supposed to visit Vancouver, but has it happened yet? If not, perhaps he already has a promise to get drafted higher than 5?

    1. Show previous comments  5 more
    2. Bigturk8

      Bigturk8

      He's supposed to be interviewed on 1040 in 15 minutes (11:45). Probably find out more then.

    3. Bigturk8

      Bigturk8

      Update: Nothing was learned, they didn't touch on him visiting the city.

    4. Vinny in Vancouver

      Vinny in Vancouver

      Canucks probably trying to hide their extreme interest in Cody. Last year, they wanted PLD and ended up being too obvious about it and may have gotten Columbus very interested in him too...

  6. Clearly, Bob McKenzie didn't read the memo because he had Cody Glass ranked 8th overall. Me personally, I'll be very happy with any of: Patrick, Hischier, Makar, Glass. I'll be happy with: Vilardi, Liljegren, Mittelstadt. I probably won't be disappointed with: Pettersson, Necas, Tippett, Suzuki. That's just how close I think the draft is.
  7. Great article on Cody Glass' roots - talks about his modest upbringing, how he was raised by his father after the divorce, his intelligent brother, his work ethic (from http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/theyre-a-team-why-family-means-everything-to-top-nhl-draft-prospect-cody-glass): WINNIPEG — On the surface, this is a story about a young hockey player who is about to fulfil his dream of getting drafted into the NHL. Deep down, it’s a story about a father’s love, dedication and perseverance. It’s about two sons, who showed the same qualities through hard times. It’s about the reward for this unlikely trio — the postal worker, the aspiring doctor and the probable NHL first-round draft pick. Cody Glass, an 18-year-old star with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, is ranked among the top-10 prospects for the June 23-24 NHL draft in Chicago. But you can’t talk about Cody Glass without mentioning his father, Jeff, and his older brother Matthew. “They’re a team,” says Cody’s uncle David Glass, calling them a support network for one another, in good times and bad. “They’re very tight. It’s a them-against-the-world attitude with those three.” They’ll be together to experience some joy later this month, with Cody expected to be picked early in the first round at the United Centre. “I can’t wait to see their faces when I get drafted,” Cody says. “I just want to show there’s a payoff to all the hard work and all the stuff they’ve dedicated to me. It’s just a little thing I can do to pay them back.” *** Jeff Glass must be doing something right with Matthew and Cody. Matthew, 21, is a top student at the University of Winnipeg, who will write his Medical College Admission Test this summer and hopes to work toward becoming a doctor at the University of Manitoba. Cody led the Winterhawks in scoring this season with 32 goals and 94 points in 69 games. The centre’s efforts have him ranked sixth among North American prospects for the NHL draft, his 200-foot game drawing the most attention from the scouts. But it hasn’t been easy for anyone in the Glass family. Jeff has been raising the boys on his own in West Kildonan since he and his wife divorced in 2010. Well, not entirely on his own. Until last year, Jeff and the boys lived with his mother, Judy. “My mom supported us a lot, helped us through it all,” Jeff says. “Me and my boys moved in with my mom after my dad passed away so we could help her out, too. We helped each other out. She helped me keep the kids in hockey. “It was tough, especially with Cody playing the highest level. It was tough trying to keep up with the registration and all that.” Judy passed away last August. Cody was trying out for Team Canada, hoping to play in the Ivan Hlinka tournament in the Czech Republic last summer, and his grandmother went into the hospital when he was away. Cody was devastated when he was cut from the team, but it gave him a chance to come home and say goodbye. “So, in a way, it was a blessing that he got cut because he was home when she passed,” Jeff says. “If he had been at Ivan Hlinka, he would not have been here.” Getting cut from the Ivan Hlinka team was not a sign of things to come for Cody. Since that time, he’s done nothing but blow away scouts, who are impressed with his hockey IQ, soft hands, great vision and excellent puck skills. He rose to sixth in the final NHL Central Scouting Bureau rankings from eighth at mid-term and has been ranked as high as third by some prognosticators. “If you would have said that last summer with everything that happened …” David says. “To be mentioned in the top-five now is just unbelievable.” Wherever Cody goes, the team selecting him will be getting a man of character. “He doesn’t get handed a lot,” Jeff says. “I can only put him into certain camps that I can afford. For him to accomplish what he’s accomplished on the means that we had for him, it means a lot and it shows how much he really wanted it. “It’ll probably be the proudest day of my life, seeing what he’s accomplished.” Cody remembers his dad taking him to the outdoor rink at the age of three and teaching him how to skate. He recalls how his dad had to push him a bit to get him started in hockey at age four, even though it didn’t seem to be his thing. “There were times when I was scared of going on the ice and I would cry a couple of times, but crying made me learn how to love it,” Cody says. “I’m really thankful for my dad pushing me that hard, because hockey now is my life and it’s something I love doing every day.” Jeff remembers all of that differently. He credits Matthew, three years older than Cody, with being the driving force. “He always wanted to go with his brother to the rink, so that got him more into it,” Jeff says. “He wanted to learn and he wanted to catch up to his brother, so I think that helped a lot.” *** Matthew played hockey until he was 18, but quit after suffering a concussion. He turned his attention to his studies and racked up a 4.0 grade point average as an undergraduate at the University of Winnipeg. Jeff says the brothers were always tight, but “with the separation, divorce, it made those two guys even closer … They’re not like regular brothers. I have two brothers and we fought all the time. These guys are totally different. I’ve never seen them have a fight like I’ve had with my brothers.” “They’re fantastic kids,” adds David, who works as a nurse anesthetist in Florida. “They’re protective of each other and Cody’s very protective of his dad, which is good, because they’ve been through a lot.” As much as his dad and brother deserve some credit for the player Cody has become, he has to get most of the credit himself. “He’s done it all on his own,” Jeff says. “He’s got talent, but I think he has pushed himself as hard as anybody can push himself to want something. “You’re trying to keep up with everybody. They keep going into all these camps and you think your kid will fall behind if they don’t go in it. We picked one camp during the summer time and I’d usually talk to Cody about what he wanted to do — whether it was work on skating or shooting or whatever. “He had his mind set years ago that he was going to be an NHL player. I never said, ‘you’re not going to be able to do it.’ I just said it’s going to take a lot of work to get there, and he put his heart to it, so I’m just happy to see how he pushed himself.” If that work ethic sounds familiar to Winnipeg hockey fans, it should. For years, Cody has seen Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele as a player to emulate both on and off the ice. Scheifele was a lanky 175-pound kid when he was first drafted by the Jets in 2011 but has grown into a dominant 6-foot-3, 207-pound centre. Scheifele, who had 32 goals and 82 points in 2016-17, gives much of the credit to his off-season training regimen with hockey fitness guru Gary Roberts. “You can tell with Mark Scheifele that he just works so hard and is so dedicated to hockey,” says Cody, who is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. “He’s a great hockey player and someone who I look up to in the NHL.” Cody has been with NRG Athletes in Winnipeg for the last four years, and believes his off-season work has been the difference in making him an elite NHL prospect. “I’ve wanted to be one of the best players at my age, and I’ve just pushed myself every day at the gym and on the ice, too,” Cody says. “My work ethic and my compete level have always been with me since I was younger, and that really shows now. “What you do in the off-season obviously shows during the season. Most players, you can tell if they didn’t train that hard in the off-season. Most players who have a good start to the year, you can tell they did have a good summer.” April Rogers, who is Matthew’s godmother, says the work ethic can be traced back to Jeff. “He’s a pretty determined fellow,” she says. “Does this man ever stop giving?” Jeff played hockey himself until he was about 13, then focused on soccer, playing until he was 42 in the Manitoba Major Soccer League’s premier division. He coached both of his boys in soccer and did what he could to keep Cody playing hockey at the highest level. “People knew that I was having a tough time, but I wouldn’t take money from friends,” Jeff says. “I just didn’t feel right doing that. I had a couple of friends who offered, but I just didn’t ever want to get to that point.” He doesn’t see himself as the hero in all this, anyway. “I have two amazing kids,” he says. “They’d do anything. If I couldn’t afford something, they wouldn’t cry. They understood. They were very supportive, as well, and I couldn’t be happier with them.” *** Cody’s dad and brother, his girlfriend, his billets from Portland, and about 20 other family members and friends will be on hand at the NHL draft. They’ll be there to support a player who has grown under the coaching of Mike Johnston in Portland. “They had a lot of faith in my ability to play hockey,” Cody says of the Winterhawks. “I’ve always been proud of getting drafted in the first round (of the WHL draft) by Portland, and the year I had this year, they were a huge part of it. They are such a great organization and I can’t thank them enough.” Cody says Johnston taught him to play a two-way game, to use his offensive talent without sacrificing the defensive responsibilities. “I really take pride in that, and it’s something to really take into the next level,” Cody says. “One thing I’m a little bit better at is being offensive-minded and just slowing the game down.” It’s going to be an emotional moment for the Glass family when Cody’s name gets called. They’ve just been through so much together. It would be fitting if they could all go up on stage. “Ever since I was a little kid, I have always dreamed of this moment, so now that it’s getting closer every day, it’s just amazing,” Cody says. “It’s a once-in-lifetime opportunity knowing that I’m going to get a chance to walk up on stage and knowing that I’m so close to having that day come true. “It’s something we’ve all been looking forward to our whole lives.”
  8. Which Makar absolutely dominated like an A1 Rep player playing against a House player. So we're then left to go try to find other sources: he captained Team Canada West in the World Junior A Hockey Championship and had 4 goals and 4 assists in 4 games. He got to play against the best forward in next year's draft: Andrei Svechnikov. he was one of the top performers in the NHL Combine
  9. Imho, that's very much wishful thinking. Liljegren is easily one of the most talented players in this draft, and he's playing such a prime position.
  10. For me, Dahlin's much better for sure, but I like Merkley and Makar just the same. But next year, for the center position, it's actually arguably more stacked than this year with Svechnikov (who some think will ultimately play center) or Veleno or Brady Tkachuk (who can play both center and wing).
  11. That "generational center" you mentioned could go down as one of the top 5 best players in the league. Just imagine if I compared Bobby Orr's impact with the other All-Star centers of his time - guess who'd win the comparison. Generational players should never be included in comparisons.
  12. Cody Glass and Elias Pettersson were supposed to visit Vancouver this week. So far, I haven't heard anything about Glass' visit? Anybody heard anything?

  13. Here are more resemblances in both game styles and looks: Gabriel Vilardi - John Tavares: Casey Mittelstadt - William Nylander:
  14. I've only watched both on TV. I think Vilardi's game doesn't look sexy at all (and that's putting it nicely), but the thing that he has that is so unique is that he seems to have a "spidey sense" of both the puck and the pressure. I'm watching him, and I go, "how the heck did he know to put his stick there just where the rebound is going to be?" or "(with him near the boards with the puck) how did he just escape being pinned by the D-man who was approaching him at the right angle?" That happens way too frequently that I can't attribute it to luck any more. That's why his puck possession numbers are so insane.
  15. Watching the shift by shift of Pettersson scares me. He is easily pushed off the puck. He is currently not that fast. His turns are quite choppy for that level. People think that he can easily add twenty pounds and also get faster. I hope you're right, but all I know is that when I was 5'4", I can touch the basketball rim and now that I'm close to 6', I can't barely touch the backboard. When is Glass visiting Vancouver? Vilardi > Mittelstadt > Glass > Pettersson.
  16. The Canucks could trade down or potentially draft a D at #5 (Makar or Liljegren or Heiskanen) and then trade D-man+picks for whoever ends up drafting Pettersson.
  17. Combine results be damned! Re-watching the videos, and I'm back to wanting Mittelstadt over Glass and Petersson.

  18. Rasmussen rhymes with Virtanen (and Vaananen) and rumours are there's a Toronto offer for Tanev in exchange for Kapanen, etc. We can have a rhyming team: Virtanen-Kapanen-Rasmussen Sedin-Sedin Boeser-Sutter-Miller-Stecher-Edler Boucher-Grenier Ericksson-Gudranson-Hutton Goldobin-Tryamkin (if only) Biega-Sbisa-Cramarossa-Megna It's a nice day outside and I'm stuck in the office...
  19. Don't forget making them play NHL 17 against each other playing their real-life positions.
  20. Alf, I'm mostly with you on this one as far as trying to get both Vilardi and Makar, but I am concerned about fairness. I actually think there are going to be some potentially high-reward but high-risk choices at 33. If it's an option, I prefer keeping our 33 and just taking Niemi from their hands.
  21. Tough one. Does RNH have what it takes to be a first-line center in our division?
  22. Did you do the complete training that they're doing or just one specific part? Most of the kids have different training - one for endurance, one for upper-body, one for lower-body, one for explosiveness, one for cardio, etc. Even if the training didn't focus on specifically bench presses or pull-ups, I'm sure there was some upper-body training that focuses on the body parts associated with doing pull-ups and bench presses.
  23. So the type of tests that's going to happen at the Combine going to need to do is unexpected to you??? O-K then.
  24. So I actually like the kid. I had my C rankings as follows pre-combine: Hischier - Positives: shot, very fast skating, speed, skill, creativity, IQ, plays both ends of the ice well, work ethic. Negatives: pre-combine, size and overall athletic ability (NOTE: post-combine: none). Patrick - Positives: shot, leadership, skill, strength, IQ, physicality, plays both end of the ice very well, work ethic, puck protection, height, mean. Negatives: boring style, injury concerns, more improvement on skating. Mittelstadt - Positives: skating, speed, skill, creativity, shot, work ethic, loyalty to teammates. Negatives: pre-combine: level of competition. Vilardi - Positives: strength (can't be moved), skill, IQ (has a spider sense of the whole ice puck, players on offense), work ethic, shot, puck protection. Negatives: skating, speed. Glass - Positives: skating, some creativity, height, height, work ethic, mean, skill. Negatives: easy to knock off the puck, passes seem to get intercepted a lot, doesn't always anticipate the next play Pettersson - Positives: skill, shot, height, skating (I think it's good enough), IQ. Negatives: size, easy to push around Post-combine, I think Vilardi's now a solid 3 on my list, and it's a toss-up for the rest.
×
×
  • Create New...