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JE14

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People put too many limits on guys.

I admit a Nylander with elite skills and athleticism is more likely to be a ''1C?'' Or McDavid. Its not really admitting. It obvious. Its not the be all, and end all though.

Those guys don't always reach their ceiling. See Lecavalier, see Patrick Stefan, see Yakupov...

And guys, see Giroux, see Getzlaf, see Corey Perry become MVP candidates without such a pedigree. In particular, see Boston winning the cup with David Krecji as 1C. Without anybody of such pedigree. Hell, they traded Joe Thornton and Phil Kessell. Two of their ''cant miss'' superstars.

Krecji? You know, last pick in the second round David Krecji. David Krecji who had about the same size, speed, hockey skills and hype as a comparably aged Cassels when he was ready to break into the NHL. And a feisty, competitive (arguably less so than Cassels) two way game as his signature...

Its not just whether we have a ''1C." Its how you build and develop your players. Its whether or not you then form these players into a team.

We can win a cup without drafting McDavid.

This is precisely what I was trying to get across in the CT thread re: building a team of fairly "equal" players (vs a team of stars and scrubs/grinders).

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The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Vancouver Canucks prospect Cole Cassels of the OHL Champion Oshawa Generals is the Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week for the playoff week ending May 17 scoring three goals and six assists for nine points in three games.

Cassels helped the Generals capture their record 13th Robertson Cup title and first since 1997 in a five-game series win over the Erie Otters in the 2015 Rogers OHL Championship Series. Cassels recorded points in all five games against the Otters highlighted by three-straight multi-point performances to end the series. He earned third star honours with two goals in Game 3 of the series last Monday night in Erie despite a 4-3 loss, then helped the Generals take a 3-1 series lead back to Oshawa scoring the overtime winner plus two assists as first star of a 6-5 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday. He finished the series by matching a career-high with four assists as part of the 6-2 victory in Game 5 on Friday night securing a berth in the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup for the Generals who open the championship on Saturday May 23 against the Rimouski Oceanic.

Cassels, a 20-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, played all four of his OHL seasons with the Generals who selected him in the first round of the 2011 OHL Priority Selection. A third round pick of the Canucks in the 2013 NHL Draft, Cassels tied for second in OHL playoff scoring with 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points in 21 games after recording a career-high 81 points in 54 games during the regular season.

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People put too many limits on guys.

I admit a Nylander with elite skills and athleticism is more likely to be a ''1C?'' Or McDavid. Its not really admitting. It obvious. Its not the be all, and end all though.

Those guys don't always reach their ceiling. See Lecavalier, see Patrick Stefan, see Yakupov...

And guys, see Giroux, see Getzlaf, see Corey Perry become MVP candidates without such a pedigree. In particular, see Boston winning the cup with David Krecji as 1C. Without anybody of such pedigree. Hell, they traded Joe Thornton and Phil Kessell. Two of their ''cant miss'' superstars.

Krecji? You know, last pick in the second round David Krecji. David Krecji who had about the same size, speed, hockey skills and hype as a comparably aged Cassels when he was ready to break into the NHL. And a feisty, competitive (arguably less so than Cassels) two way game as his signature...

Its not just whether we have a ''1C." Its how you build and develop your players. Its whether or not you then form these players into a team.

We can win a cup without drafting McDavid.

did u just say lecavalier didnt reach his ceiling?!? Wtf
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did u just say lecavalier didnt reach his ceiling?!? Wtf

Not to mention Nylander will likely end up a playmaking winger.

But I agree with the overall point in that the Canucks are pretty decent with center prospects now. No 'can't miss' superstar, (like Nylander, pfft), but solid. At least in theory. Who knows if McCann and Cassels will have their games translate. They are both aways away.

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Not to mention Nylander will likely end up a playmaking winger.

But I agree with the overall point in that the Canucks are pretty decent with center prospects now. No 'can't miss' superstar, (like Nylander, pfft), but solid. At least in theory. Who knows if McCann and Cassels will have their games translate. They are both aways away.

If you still count horvat as a prospect, I'd say he is pretty close to can miss superstar!

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It would be a huge silver lining if we can win the Calder cup and the Memorial cup. Would make this off season way easier to take.

Combined probability to win both cups is 6.25% right now. I would not put my expectations that high but win at least one trophy would be awesome.

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It would be a huge silver lining if we can win the Calder cup and the Memorial cup. Would make this off season way easier to take.

Winning both would be a huge boost of confidence to our prospects.

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Here are some comments from Oshawa coach DJ Smith heading into the Memorial Cup:

"I really entered this year thinking we had one of the better teams in the league," Smith continued. "Last year I think we overachieved a little bit and wound up getting swept. This year we had a lot of guys returning who know how to play the game the right way. Our success is a result of a strong core of veterans in our dressing room and the addition of some character guys by General Manager Roger Hunt over the course of this season."

Smith was quick to praise current Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week Cole Cassels for his often unsung contributions to the team's success. Cassels, who had four goals and eight assists in the Rogers OHL Championship Series, finished tied for the lead in Generals playoff scoring with 10 goals, 21 assists and 31 points.

"Cole doesn't get a lot of credit because he isn't a pure offensive guy," Smith said. "When you look at hockey and NHL calibre guys, any NHL coach would see a guy like Cole and like him. He's probably more NHL-ready than a lot of guys out there. He's a 200-foot player that does the little things for us. He wins a lot of faceoffs and battles hard."

Cassels and a supporting offensive cast that includes New York Islanders first round pick Michael Dal Colle and hulking wingers Michael McCarron and Hunter Smith will be up against the QMJHL Champion Rimouski Océanic when the puck drops on Saturday at 4:30pm on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.

In the article Cassels was the only player Smith mentioned by name. It is pretty obvious he regards Cassels as the team's MVP. And note the reference to Dal Colle as part of a "supporting cast".

Cole has had an amazing season. Let's hope he can finish it off with a Memorial Cup. One thing for sure -- he will be out against the team's top center in every game. It will be interesting to see if he can make life as tough for them as he did for McDavid.

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That picture of Cassels in Canuck jersey, on the ice, during a national anthem while a PeeWee has to go down in Canuck lore. The good thing was that his Dad had to go east to finish is career for family

reasons. If Cole had been raised in Van the Canucks wouldn`t have drafted him.

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