Edler's Mind Tricks Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 The Canucks signed Ķēniņš today to a two year deal. The first year will be played, on loan, with his original club, Zurich. He impressed at prospects camp, and had a strong showing last playoffs with 8 points in 12 games. His stats aren't exceptionally strong, 17 points in 45 games, but aren't bad for the top Swiss league. He is fast and uses his body, and I hope to see him on the Canucks one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grapefruits Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Big kid, but I doubt he ever plays a game in the NHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoolander Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I think because he's one of the better players to come out of Latvia he'll get a TON of playing time at the international level. He's only 22 so with all the experience he's getting in Europe I could see him becoming a great hard-nosed, reliable 3rd liner by the time he's 26. That's just my projection anyways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psycho_Path Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Seems a reasonable projection. Was definitely happy with the way he played during the prospects scrimmage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wshdrvvn Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 does anyone know if he is going to latvias olympic team camp? he's represented them pretty well in international play before, i hope he gets an opportunity. i mean, how far down the latvian depth chart could he be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossi Vaananen Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Yay! I really liked him at development camp, and if memory serves me correctly, he played well on a line with Gaunce and Jensen - which should also demonstrate the vote of confidence he got playing with those two. Always good to add to our prospects pool, and I like this selection much more than our recent years of drafting College projects in later rounds. Another young gun to keep an eye on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostViking Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Isn't Latvia going to be in Sochi 2014? If so, it would make for an interesting opportunity for the Canucks. Kenins would likely have a big role on the Olympic team, and if he has a standout performance (albeit against the weaker teams) in the Olympics he would make a good tradeable asset. There are always a couple guys who play well in the Olympics and put themselves on the map by doing so, and usually there are a few NHL teams who think their game can translate to the NHL. Better to nab this one early and perhaps we can get something out of it even if he never comes to North America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeak Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Isn't Latvia going to be in Sochi 2014? If so, it would make for an interesting opportunity for the Canucks. Kenins would likely have a big role on the Olympic team, and if he has a standout performance (albeit against the weaker teams) in the Olympics he would make a good tradeable asset. There are always a couple guys who play well in the Olympics and put themselves on the map by doing so, and usually there are a few NHL teams who think their game can translate to the NHL. Better to nab this one early and perhaps we can get something out of it even if he never comes to North America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theo5789 Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 If that's how his name will be on his jersey, I will buy one for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasSkywalker Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I wonder if we should be pronouncing the name Ronalds Ķēniņš as Ronalds Keninsh. There have been some other really good Latvian players over the years including Helmuts Balderis, Sandis Ozoliņš, Sergejs Žoltoks, and Kārlis Skrastiņš. Balderis and Žoltoks are probably the best forwards from Latvia so far. Offensive defenceman Sandis Ozoliņš (a seven-time NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup champion, and Norris Trophy finalist) spelled his name Sandis Ozolinsh in North America. I suppose that Ronalds Ķēniņš must have made more of an impression at prospects camp than Miks Indrašis although just a couple of games is a small sample size upon which to make a decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniwaki Canuck Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I like this signing, but suspect a 3rd line ceiling for this guy too. But his style would also make him okay on a 4th line at the NHL level, so there's more than one way this could work out. We're not lacking prospects who play a power game any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB5 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 This was on Hockeybuzz morning and explaining that the Canucks connection came through Canuck scout Eric Crawford who's brother Marc coached him in the Swiss league last year. The Crawfords think he will be in the NHL in two years.Edit: my apologies to Esplen, I got my sources mixed up and previosuly gave credit to SiriusXM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamJamIam Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I like this signing, but suspect a 3rd line ceiling for this guy too. But his style would also make him okay on a 4th line at the NHL level, so there's more than one way this could work out. We're not lacking prospects who play a power game any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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