SamJamIam

Good think we don't live in Washington then

That's hilarious. RWD cars in snow are such a gong show. For $&!#s and giggles a few buddies and I did a road trip through northern BC in December in an old V8 Crown Vic police car complete with push bumper. Even with snow tires we were drifting constantly. I don't think the car had its back wheels behind it during a single corner of that trip. It was awesome.

I remember it being regularly called the best draft since 2003. Scouts were excited and rightfully so. As for Horvat being underestimated, agreed but I would have agreed on draft day too. They were calling him a 3C on draft day and it was clear how clueless the media were about this kid.

Sure there was. He was an epic prospect in a very deep draft (WAY deeper than Jake's). He would have gone Top 3 in most drafts. Lots of people who watched junior hockey knew that this 18 year old built like a bull who led his team to a Memorial Cup was going to be a big deal. Not our fault you can't see talent.

Stepan is a great call on play style. I certainly wouldn't say he's Ryan Kesler. Not nearly physical, north-south or antagonistic enough but then I never liked the last 2 qualities of Kesler.

I'm sure others can come up with better comparables but in terms of his game, he reads as above average at everything except his offensive IQ which is very high. Above average is not a bad thing, in fact there isn't a crack anywhere in his game, but he is not the fastest skater, hardest shooter or slickest passer. He just does everything at a high level and seems to have a top-down view of the ice at all times. He's always opening up new shooting and passing lanes for himself and his teammates using his stickhandling and speed. He's a tenacious forechecker and creates turnovers because of it but also translates the opposition's mistakes into goals because of his vision. If there is a play to be made, he'll make it and if there isn't one, he can protect the puck, skate and stickhandle until there is one. He also has good finish (again, above average in the shooting department) and has surprisingly good hands in tight which allows him to get shots off or get a tip while battling in front of the net. It's rare to see a guy who can be both the net front presence on the PP and the triggerman for a cross ice one timer but he does both as well as playing PK. Simply put, Northeastern would have been nowhere near the Frozen Four without Gaudette. What you're seeing this year with his second big jump in production in his college career is that he finally has another player able to hang with him in terms of offensive creativity: Dylan Sikura. Both can play keep away, score off the transition and the Huskies' offense runs through the duo. Sadly they are all NU has this year so their record is not great. The good news for Canucks fans is that this hasn't hurt Gaudette's game and actually suggests he's made a greater jump in his game than even his gaudy points total implies.

He played both and was relied on for faceoffs.

If I was LL and I knew I was trading away a 2 way 1C that can do anything and everything including captain a team, I'd have asked for a hell of a lot more than Schneider. Gillis got a screaming deal. Stop parroting some idiots from the Province and TSN

Not worried, he needs to figure out how to play as a pro. He never did last year and got to play in the NHL which allowed him think he'd made it. Once he sees he's going to have to work even in the AHL , he'll take a good look at his game and realize he's got all the tools to do really well. He just needs to see that dream slip away a little bit by sitting in Utica but he'll get there.

Definitely seemed like they were not jiving (mostly because Jost is just too young to take on that sort of role). Putting Boeser with people he knows who he can be offensively creative with was always the right answer.

Sorry, must have already used it for TP.

I would already take Boeser over more than half of those guys.

Agreed. I'm so damn tired of this "catch em all" approach to rosters. It's not Pokemon. The team is not better because it has the full set of Staals, or some line that played in junior. Jost is great but Boeser put the line on his back last year and he'll do it again. I didn't want Caggiula and I don't have any interest in Jost at the moment.

There's a damn good reason Utica led the AHL in shorthanded goals last year. When Gaunce makes the Canucks this year, you can be sure they won't repeat.

*cough* Hobey Baker finalist *cough* Lots of folks knew he was going to be impressive. Same guys who watched Boeser and couldn't ignore Stecher. Come by the prospects board some time.

Adding Guddy lightens the load for everyone. You can see how much it helps everyone's play on the backend. But particularly happy to see Edler with a bit more swagger

Also a Soviet tank!

I've been saying for a while, he should be T-88.

They said Horvat was slow too... Last I checked Burns could skate just fine.

Haha so true. My ears tell me when Stecher is on the ice long before my eyes.

One day someone who is actually semi-decent with advanced stats will come up with a "goals prevented" metric for defensemen. When that happens, people will realize that Tanev's value to the team is akin to many of the best forwards in the league.

Of the gazillion players that went to the NCAA, you found 3 players. Meanwhile I can think of twice as many players who have signed from our NCAA player pool since 2010 alone (Hutton, Demko, Labate, Beattie, McNally, Cannata).

Thatcher just might be the funniest Canuck!

There is a difference between persistent forechecking, winning board battles, puck retrieval, etc. and throwing hits. You seem to think if the glass doesn't wobble, the player isn't doing anything. Gaunce does everything a bottom 6 forward is required to do and more. If anything he could be our most tenacious forechecker. Not to mention a 1st rounder not being a top 6 player is hardly news. It's frankly expected for late 1st rounders.

And none of that rare company had as good a freshman season.