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The September Camp Thread,list of invitees, cuts etc updated daily

Primal Optimist

By Primal Optimist
in Canucks Talk

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VegasCanuck Canucks Star

VegasCanuck

Posted
Posted

Just saw this post by the way from one of the HockeyBuzz.com writers for starting line up tonight:

Here are the Canucks lines - credit to Ben Kuzma and Cam Tucker - as well as some thoughts on what we may see tonight.

Alex Burrows - Ryan Kesler - Hunter Shinkaruk

Nicklas Jensen - Brendan Gaunce - Pascal Pelltier

Tom Sestito - Bo Horvat - Dale Weise

Darren Archinald - Kellan Lain - Zach Hamill

Dan Hamhuis - Frankie Corrado

Yannick Weber - Henrik Tommernes

Alex Biega - Andrew Alberts

Eddie Lack

Joe Cannata

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mancaesar Abbotsford Prospect

mancaesar

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This is fantastic. Thanks so much for all the effort you guys put into updating this thread. Living in Taiwan makes it hard for me to keep track of what's going on. I haven't seen any live action this preseason yet, so any opinions I have are based on highlights and extensive reading. So far, the majority of my information seems to be leading to a few key conclusions.

A) Gaunce needs more seasoning at lower levels to work on skating and physicality. Thankfully those are things that can be taught. He already has demonstrated the ability to dominate at lower levels, as well as good leadership. Plus you can't teach NHL size. He's a teenager at his first NHL camp, so I'm not ready to throw him under the bus just yet. However the conclusion that I've drawn from the majority of the information available to me is that he is not an NHL player yet.

B ) Shroeder is more experienced, stronger, healthier and more confident than ever. The article about his shoulder was very enlightening. The rehabbing he pushed through shows the guy has the right kind of heart and grit. I loved the speed line last year, and see Higgins as an upgrade over Raymond. I don't see why Higgins, Hansen and Shroeder couldn't produce great results. That said, it also seems reasonable to try him as a winger on the 2nd line with Kesler. Has this actually been happening at camp so far or is it just prognostications from the masses on CDC?

C) Kassian seems to be fitter and in a better mental space than last year. Good news for all. He seems to be following the stereotypical power forward slow development track. Don't know why anyone is surprised. Isn't this how things are supposed to go? Even if he sucks this year and then puts it all together next year, that'll still be ahead of the curve compared to many other power forwards. He seems like a wildcard that could go from golden boy to coach's doghouse and back overnight. It's hard to get a read on him yet but things seem to be headed in the right direction, from everything I read.

D) Lain. There's a lot of contradiction going on about this guy. Scouting reports have him great at faceoffs and a good skater. Not merely a good skater for his size, but a legitimate skating ability. Yet fans seem split on this, with several people reporting that he looks slow, while just as many are saying they're impressed with his skating. Which is it? It seems his faceoffs haven't been that glowing so far. Time will tell, but he's a guy I have high hopes for (and by "high hopes", I mean I hope he can stick on the 4th line and play a responsible, physically dominant game).

E) It seems pretty universally accepted that Sestito...who needs him?

F) Alberts has really elevated his game by all reports. Yet most fans don't have him in their lineups at all, or at best, relegated to the press box. Is it just a case of people stuck on preconceived notions? Or are guys like Weber and Corrado really outperforming him? Don't we need a huge, physical defenseman that doesn't make mistakes and hits like a moose on PCP? The fact that he isn't being noticed by most is actually encouraging to me. Historically when I've noticed him, it's usually been for all the wrong reasons.

G) Goaltending will be an issue this year, like it or not. I'm not so worried about Luongo ever since he learned how to act like a pro, but I'd be lying if I said my spidey-sense wasn't tingling a bit. Stuff gets stuck in people's heads and it's hard to ignore when you feel you've been wronged. I get it that he'll be pushing for an Olympic starting job, and that's great and all, but what about after the Olympics? Will there be a letdown? What if he doesn't get picked as the starter? All those hits to the ego add up. But isn't the most obvious concern that he's using the Olympics as his motivation instead of winning a Stanley Cup for his team? Yes, he's saying all the right things to avoid controversy, but that doesn't at all mean any of it is genuine. He's being a little too cool for my taste.

As for the backup job, people seem to be generally favourable about Lack's preseason performance so far, aside from possible lateral movement issues which may or may not be related to his hip surgery. Hip injuries have a way of nagging, and I'm worried about Lack's durability. It seems like both he and Eriksson are letting in too many softies. Preseason rust? I sure hope so.

H) Coaching. Wow, the Tortorella bandwagon sure filled up in a hurry. I have to admit, I'm probably over-optimistic myself and trying to temper that with real-life reasoning. Is he Mike Keenan 2.0? There are some unhappy comparisons. But like with Alberts, I believe in the possibility of constant growth and improvement. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt, but with both eyes open. I don't know enough about Gulutzan, Williams and Sullivan's coaching styles and abilities to have an opinion. I guess we'll see how the defense and special teams perform to get a good read on them.

I) And finally, Shinkorvat. No. Not yet. I don't care how decent their prospect camp was or how they showed some chemistry with Hansen in scrimmages. The odds of ruining a teenager by rushing him to the NHL are astronomically high. When you play against the odds too long, you will, by definition, lose. What possible logical reason does anyone have right now for justifying more than the 9 game peek-a-boo for these two? It's like when you buy a lottery ticket you actually believe you have a chance and feel excitement when the numbers are being drawn. And then after you inevitably don't win, you start to realize that you threw away your money for nothing. Right now, these guys are shiny new toys. Let's not break them right away.

Yikes, this is getting epic. I bet nobody will read it all, but it's therapeutic for me to gather my thoughts in one place nonetheless. Here's to a great season!

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Maniwaki Canuck Canucks Third-Line

Maniwaki Canuck

Posted
Posted

Just saw this post by the way from one of the HockeyBuzz.com writers for starting line up tonight:

Here are the Canucks lines - credit to Ben Kuzma and Cam Tucker - as well as some thoughts on what we may see tonight.

Alex Burrows - Ryan Kesler - Hunter Shinkaruk

Nicklas Jensen - Brendan Gaunce - Pascal Pelltier

Tom Sestito - Bo Horvat - Dale Weise

Darren Archinald - Kellan Lain - Zach Hamill

Dan Hamhuis - Frankie Corrado

Yannick Weber - Henrik Tommernes

Alex Biega - Andrew Alberts

Eddie Lack

Joe Cannata

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DeltaSierra Junior Prospect

DeltaSierra

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@Mancaesar - I think you are on the money with most of your points. Yes I did read it all!

I want to touch on the coaching topic. One thing that will be interesting to see is how the PP looks. We all knew exactly what would happen for three years in a row... Drop pass at the redline to a streaking player.... I am interested to see how much of that was the players decision or a tactic the coaches wanted deployed. Also, who will be at the point? I would like to see Garrison and Corrado on the top line. Corrado gets his shots through, I don't know how many times I saw Edler miss on the point, or shoot right at the shins of a defender....

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Blue & Green Canucks Prospect

Blue & Green

Posted
Posted

Just saw this post by the way from one of the HockeyBuzz.com writers for starting line up tonight:

Here are the Canucks lines - credit to Ben Kuzma and Cam Tucker - as well as some thoughts on what we may see tonight.

Alex Burrows - Ryan Kesler - Hunter Shinkaruk

Nicklas Jensen - Brendan Gaunce - Pascal Pelltier

Tom Sestito - Bo Horvat - Dale Weise

Darren Archinald - Kellan Lain - Zach Hamill

Dan Hamhuis - Frankie Corrado

Yannick Weber - Henrik Tommernes

Alex Biega - Andrew Alberts

Eddie Lack

Joe Cannata

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Plum Canucks Star

Plum

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It's the pre-season and the Sharks lineup will also be full of plugs. In the regular season, who Bo plays with should definitely make a difference. In the preseason, when the talented is dilluted, a player like Bo should be able to have success with 4th line regulars.

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wshdrvvn Canucks Regular

wshdrvvn

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it looks to me like each of the big four prospects (shinkaruk, jensen, gaunce, horvat) are all put into positions where they can display the lesser touted sides of their game, save for jensen maybe. its like they want to see if shinkaruk can play with intensity in both ends like kes and burr, if gaunce can show some offensive flare with some good finishers on his side, and if horvat can anchor a gritty line without a lot of finish. i like where they have those 4 in the line up for this one.

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Bananas Canucks Regular

Bananas

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it looks to me like each of the big four prospects (shinkaruk, jensen, gaunce, horvat) are all put into positions where they can display the lesser touted sides of their game, save for jensen maybe. its like they want to see if shinkaruk can play with intensity in both ends like kes and burr, if gaunce can show some offensive flare with some good finishers on his side, and if horvat can anchor a gritty line without a lot of finish. i like where they have those 4 in the line up for this one.

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