Bigturk8
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Green’s NHL experiences can help Virtanen flourish with Canucks
0:0Bo Horvat and Brandon Sutter understood the importance of an intense skate, but new coach Travis Green really didn't think it was that bad.
Iain MacIntyreSeptember 15, 2017, 4:51 PMTravis Green was going to be a star. Anyone who remembers him piling up points for the Spokane Chiefs at the end of the 1980s would have sworn it.
Green was a strong, rangy centre. Besides his size, the boy from Castlegar, B.C., had terrific hands and enough toughness to survive. It was only Green’s average skating that dropped him to the second round of the NHL draft in 1989, when the New York Islanders chose him 23rd overall — two picks after the first round in the “original” 21-team league.
That season, when he was 18, Green had 51 goals and 102 points in 72 games. The next season, 1989-90, Green amassed 60 goals and 128 points.
Then he went off to conquer the NHL. Except he didn’t.
Despite all that offensive talent, Green spent the next two and a half seasons in the American Hockey League, unable to crack a mediocre Islanders’ lineup.
And when he finally made the NHL, it wasn’t as an offensive dynamo but as a dependable, two-way centre who spent most of his career doing little things well somewhere in the middle of the lineup.
Green changed NHL teams six times. But by the time he finished with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2007, Green had logged 14 seasons and 970 games. He finished with 455 points, eclipsing 35 points only once in his last eight years.
It was a great career, but not the one for which Green was projected when he was drafted. As a young pro, he had to adapt or perish. Eventually, he flourished.
Green’s NHL tale is hardly unique, but it’s vitally important these days when talking about the trajectory of Vancouver Canuck sixth-overall draft pick Jake Virtanen. And there is ceaseless talk about Virtanen.
The kid from Abbotsford played in the NHL at 19, then played his way into the AHL at 20. He spent the final 65 games of last season in upstate New York, where Virtanen, a fast power forward who is supposed to be a scorer, managed only nine goals and 19 points.
This meagre total was greeted largely with alarm in Vancouver. In choosing Virtanen sixth in the 2014 draft, Canucks general manager Jim Benning passed on William Nylander (Maple Leafs), Nick Ehlers (Winnipeg Jets), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings), Robby Fabbri (St. Louis Blues) and David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins). The other bruising power forward near the top of that draft, Nick Ritchie, went 10th to the Anaheim Ducks.
Compared to these players, Virtanen has been a disappointment so far.
Like Green, Virtanen may have to adapt. The advantage he has is that Green, who mentored Virtanen last season in Utica, is now his coach with the Canucks as the 21-year-old tries to regain entry to the NHL.
As much as anyone can, Green understands what Virtanen is going through.
“Thinking you’re ready for the league (and) you’re not,” Green says of his own mindset as a young player. “Looking back, you weren’t even close. I know as a young guy, I thought I was ready for the league right away. And looking back, if I would have played earlier, I’d have never played in the NHL.”
This is the over-riding message Green has been preaching to Virtanen. Learn the details of the game. Eat right, sleep right, train right, and be prepared. And don’t worry about trying to be a star; start with just trying to be an NHL player.
“When I was in Utica, he sat down with me every other day,” Virtanen says. “He talked to me lots. I heard a lot of stories about when he played.
“Being sent down there and learning from him, I think that was good for me. It was kind of similar to my situation, really. I learned a lot from him. I think that has transferred over in camp so far. I’ve had really good focus, a new mindset coming into camp. The goal is to make the team. Whatever it takes.”
Truly, the best thing Virtanen has going for him is Green, who agreed that his experiences as a player helps his relationship with Virtanen.
This is a player the Canucks’ must develop. Whether Virtanen turns into the brawny 30-goal scorer Benning hoped for, or develops into a third-line player who contributes 15 goals, kills penalties and provides a physical presence, no NHL team can afford to miss entirely on a sixth-overall pick.
Former coach Willie Desjardins had thinly-veiled criticism of Virtanen’s conditioning last fall. He reported to training camp at 229 pounds, which shouldn’t have surprised the Canucks because he trained under their watch all summer. But he also spent that summer in downtown Vancouver.
This summer, Virtanen lived close to home in the Fraser Valley. He hired a personal trainer and worked out in Chilliwack, where the real excitement happens only when the sweet corn comes in.
Virtanen is down to 215 pounds. He looks noticeably leaner and has been quick on his skates this week. He made a couple of strong moves to the net with the puck during the only scrimmage of training camp, on Thursday.
“Some guys on our team, they’re pretty skinny,” he says. “And some guys like me, I can just walk by a hotdog stand and gain five pounds. It’s really just diet and working out. You learn your body when you get older. When I was 18 or 19, I was like: ‘I’m still young, I’ll burn it off (whatever I eat), no problem.’”
Sounds like a sportswriter, except for the young part.
“Really, when I was growing up, I was always the go-to guy,” he says. “(Hockey) was easy for me. And then I had that adversity and it was different for me. I’d never been through that before.
“Being sent down wasn’t the worst thing. I got lots of minutes and learned from a great coach.”
Who knows exactly what Virtanen is going through.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/greens-nhl-experience-can-help-virtanen-flourish-canucks/
Sorry for the wonky formatting.
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Juolevi interview on 1040.
http://ckstam.streamon.fm/listen-pl-2777?smc=10-
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Google translates to:Petrus Palmu is injured due to injury from 2 to 4 weeks." -
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18 minutes ago, alfstonker said:
Thats strange given what they say in above tweets about "finding each other" on the ice.
I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at.
Edit: I think it might be a misunderstanding. I meant that Dahlen and Gadjovich might not be a good paring of wingers for Pettersson. I didn't meant that Dahlen wouldn't be a good winger with Pettersson (I think it's already established that he is), but since both him and Gadjovich are left wingers, it's unlikely that they'll both play wing with Pettersson at the same time. -
10 minutes ago, Hutton Wink said:
I understand that, and it wasn't the point. It was a straight-up asset-to-asset comparison. The rest is speculation.
I guess. I suppose I would argue that Burrows, in your comparison, is speculation considering that the right side is after the TDL so the left side should be as well. It just seems misleading to me to compare assets when you can't determine the value due to one of them being a variable, and comparing them at different points in time can lead to big misconceptions.
Even as a straight up asset-to-asset comparison, I think it's an unfair picture to paint as it isn't an accurate representation of value (good or bad).
I'm not trying to call you out but rather suggest that people should base their opinions of the Gudbranson trade on that comparison. If you weren't trying to use it as an argument for it, then I apologize. That's just how it came across to me. -
1 minute ago, Hutton Wink said:
We'd either have Burrows (re-signed), whatever he got us at the TDL, or he'd be gone as a UFA.
My point is that if he gets us someone else of Dahlens quality at the TDL, that lineup on the left looks a lot better, so it's hard to judge the difference when we can't see the result. With that in mind, if Burrows doesn't get traded and walks in free agency, it looks a lot worse.
I like Gudbranson and still make the trade, I just don't thing that a fair comparison can be made on that, even if we select Dahlen at 33 -
1 minute ago, Hutton Wink said:
Perhaps Dahlen (42) is who they would have taken with the pick (33) traded to Florida in the Gudbranson deal.
McCann + Dahlen + Burrows or Gudbranson + Dahlen
This suggests that we wouldn't have gotten anything for Burrows at the TDL. It's possible Ottawa trades us another piece, but I wouldn't begin to speculate what.
I'm happy with where we are, but that's not the full picture.-
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Not sure who this guy is so take it for what it's worth.
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13 minutes ago, J.R. said:
Dahlen will already be on a pro contract if he plays here or the AHL. Games played doesn't matter. If he goes to the SHL, I believe his contract slides (though someone ccan correct me if I'm wrong there).
the 9 game/ELC rule only applies for players who otherwise would be going back to junior hockey.
Gotcha. Thanks, I always have trouble with the finer points of these rules.
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Just now, J.R. said:
9 and that only applies to junior players.
The 10th game activates the ELC right? I'm not very clear on this rule, are ELC's automatically activated for players overseas?
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2 minutes ago, 73 Percent said:
I say shl but I'd like to see him with Utica.
I think both are excellent options. On one hand, the SHL is a highly skilled mens league where he could get a chance to play with and develop further chemistry with his potential future center in Pettersson. On the other hand, he could start to learn the Canucks system in the AHL, acclimatize to the smaller ice and develop chemistry with the other Canuck prospects. I'd be happy either way.
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2 hours ago, alfstonker said:
Man, I just hope if these two are to carry our first line hopes we get a good 3rd man capable of destroying anyone who takes liberties.
We don't want history repeating itself. We have had nearly 15 years of being fore-warned and to ignore the past mistakes and worse still repeat them is incompetent.
Maybe Jonah Gadjovich is up to the task, who knows, but we better have someone lined up and soon.
I think Jonah could very well be the guy. He played along side a similar, high skilled centeman in Nick Suzuki and thrived there. He also seems super motivated, with an excellent work ethic. Obviously, there are a ton of variables that could derail this, but there is reason to believe that he could rise to the occasion.
Edit: Just had a look and realized that both Dahlen and Gadjovich are LW's, so it may not be an ideal pairing. That is unless one of them is fine playing off wing. I know some players can do it without missing a beat but I don't know enough about these guys to know if they're capable. -
Just now, BI3KSALLENT said:
He flew in yesterday so he's here for the on ice stuff only
Nice. Thanks for the reply!
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16 minutes ago, R3aL said:
Yea had no idea.. can't agree more
Just to follow up, I found the source from back in May.
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8 minutes ago, R3aL said:
Wow had no idea he packed on some serious weight..
Hopefully its mostly LBM.
That plus Salo being there to coach and evaluate he could actually potentially make the team.. I scoffed at it this morning when I heard on radio but now with this info maybe he can.
I seem to remember him saying that he was training with Salo earlier this offseason as well. If I'm remembering correctly, that can only mean good things. Nothing wrong with some advice from a quality long term NHL'er and fellow countryman.
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8 minutes ago, Fanuck said:
Entitlement vs humbleness, is there a clearer example? Let's hope it's just youthful exuberance overwhelming Goldy for now as entitlement is literally rampant in all the kids
I personally know and interact with these days.
Are players invited to prospect camp after a full year in the AHL (pro)? I can't remember if the likes of Gaunce, Subban, Cassels and others went after theirs.
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On 6/30/2017 at 2:36 PM, Hutton Wink said:
So Boeser at age 20 wants to be a leader for the younger guys, while Goldobin at 21 wants to buy another new car.
...but Goldobin knows more about what it takes to be a professional.
I haven't seen him in any of the group pictures from the weekend. I wonder if he's shied away from them or if he didn't take part in that bit of prospect camp and is only around for the on ice stuff.
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1 hour ago, Camel Toe Drag said:
Excited for GB to be THE MAN down in Utica this year. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people this year and become one of our best prospects.
I think the added structure of a professional league might really help him thrive. A pairing of him and Subban could be fun.
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1 minute ago, J.R. said:
Harrumph.. man we seem to have trouble actually getting talent to Utica. They either head straight to the NHL or are in Europe, college etc.
I was excited to see him in the A this year. It looks like we`ll have a small window at the end of his KHL contract to negotiate with him before he becomes a UFA. If he continues to develop, I hope we don`t lose him entirely. Definitely not an enviable position for the Canucks though.
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Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW
in Alumni
Posted · Edited by Bigturk8
Virtanen Barging His Way onto Canucks Roster
The Vancouver Canucks have faced a lot of questions stemming from the 2014 NHL Entry Draft when they selected Jake Virtanen sixth overall in the first round. Since then, players chosen after Virtanen like the Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, the Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers and the Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin have established themselves as quality top-line NHL players.
Jake Virtanen, sixth overall pick, 2014 NHL Draft (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
He is the first British Columbian selected by the Canucks in the first round since Cam Neely in 1983 – no pressure kid. And now just three years later, some question if Virtanen has a future with the Canucks.
Virtanen spent the majority of the 2016-17 season in the American Hockey League with the Utica Comets after making the Canucks as a 19-year-old in 2015-16. In my roster prediction prior to training camp, I had Virtanen as a candidate for the Canucks 14th forward, and that was before the team signed unrestricted free agent Thomas Vanek. The addition of another veteran forward, albeit one who plays the opposite wing, didn’t bode well for Virtanen’s chances on cracking the Canucks opening night roster.
That said, the 21-year-old from Abbotsford may have the inside track on claiming a regular roster spot on the Canucks.
The Benefits of NHL experience
Although Virtanen spent most of last season in the minors, he already has one NHL regular season under his belt. He endeared himself big time to Canucks fans in his rookie year, scoring some highlight reel goals and throwing some big checks.
After putting up seven goals and leading the team in Corsi-for percentage, it looked like he had arrived and was ready to take the mantle as the next star power forward for the Canucks like Trevor Linden, Todd Bertuzzi and others before him. The year of NHL experience in 2015-16 was invaluable for Virtanen, despite not getting plum ice time assignments for a player with his combination of speed, size and skill.
Anything that could go wrong did at the start of last season – whether the missteps were Virtanen’s doing or not. He showed up at training camp at a hulking 231 pounds, got hurt during the pre-season and only played ten games with the Canucks before being sent to the AHL. With a new coaching staff for the Canucks, Virtanen has a bit of a chance to start with a clean slate.
Familiar with New Coaching Staff
One thing attractive to the Canucks in promoting Travis Green from the Comets was the fact that he was familiar with a number of players coming up through the team’s prospect pool — Virtanen is one of those prize prospects. He had a disappointing season in 2016-17 with the Comets, only putting up 19 points in 65 games and finishing minus-11.
(Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports)
However, for Virtanen to be encouraged about his career path thus far, he only needs to look at Green’s playing career. Green was a 51 goal scorer in the Western Hockey League during his draft year, but ended up carving out a 14-year NHL career as a versatile, defensively-responsible forward. He also had a career high of 70 points in 1995-96 with the New York Islanders.
Green and new Canucks assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner were very positive influences on Virtanen last season. They helped show him the little things a player needs to do to be a successful everyday NHL player. Green and Baumgartner’s familiarity with Virtanen should benefit him, but so should his familiarity with them.
At times in the past, it seemed that now-former Canucks coach Willie Desjardins wasn’t sure how to handle Virtanen’s development. He was a healthy scratch for stretches at a time and didn’t get the opportunity to skate with players that complemented Virtanen’s skill set.
When he did play with complementary players, he showed the flashes that made him such a high draft pick. The line of Virtanen, Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi was excellent at times during in the 2015-16 season and looked ready to terrorize the opposition. It’s up to Green to find a similar fit for Virtanen now that he’s promoted to Canucks bench boss. It’s also up to Virtanen to show that his play last season was an anomaly.
Sven Baertschi formed a potent line for the Canucks with Virtanen and Bo Horvat in 2015-16 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Virtanen Simply Looks Ready
It’s early, sure, but through training camp and into the first two games of the pre-season, Virtanen looks ready to shove his way onto the Canucks roster. He kept fans updated on social media during the summer that he spent the off-season focussed on eating right and working out in preparation for 2017-18. Virtanen showed up 16 pounds lighter than last year and talked about wanting to be a game changer for the Canucks.
In the Canucks two pre-season games thus far, Virtanen has definitely been noticeable. In the first game against the Kings on Saturday, he led the team with five hits and scored a goal in the second period as the Canucks won 4-3 in overtime. His solid play was rewarded by Green as Virtanen was tapped to start overtime on Horvat’s wing.
Sunday’s 9-4 loss to the Golden Knights was no masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but Virtanen managed to make his mark once again. He had a role in two of the Canucks four goals, creating havoc in front of the Golden Knights net on Boeser’s second marker of the game and screened VGK goalie Dylan Ferguson on Philip Holm’s goal. Virtanen had an assist, his four shots was second only to Boeser and his two takeaways tied with Anton Rodin for the most on the team.
My colleague Trevor Beggs has Virtanen as a candidate for the Canucks fourth line. It’s possible, and if his play continues like it has so far this preseason, he may force the Canucks into making room for him higher in the lineup.
Boeser has shown that he’s the top of the Canucks prospect’s crop, but Virtanen is definitely knocking on the door. If they both push out some veteran players and are on the roster opening night, it’s proof the Canucks rebuild is on course – and the fan base will take a sigh of relief.
https://thehockeywriters.com/vancouver-canucks-jake-virtanen-roster/