6th Pick: 2014 NHL Entry Draft

[Gyllenhaal]

If anyone has looked at Craig Button's mock draft he predicted we take Virtanen, but I think he meant Nylander because on his Draft Rankings he has Virtanen ranked 41 and Nylander is ranked 13. He also listed Virtanen as playing for Modo(SWE) which is the team Nylander plays for.

If we draft one of Ritchie, Ehlers, Nylander, or Kapanen I would be happy.

[thad]

Ritchie is high risk high reward and Virtanen is more of a project. I think Perlini may be the safest pick out of the three.

I would go for Virtanen out of these three. He's one of the fastest and youngest players in the draft and he is also right handed which is a plus. Virtanen is a bit of a risk though.

If you really think about it, there's a risk around all of the players listed in our range. Virtanen could be bobby Ryan or he could be raffi Torres. Ritchie could be Milan Lucic or he could be tom Sestito. Ehlers could be Gaborik or he could be relegated to the Swiss league.

Every one of them has a risk at 18yrs old, there is no safe picks. The only way to play it safe is take a guy with enough size that can crack the bottom six should he not reach his potential.

[Junkyard Dog]

I would argue that all three are safe picks because of their size they can still be a good checker. However we need an offensive juggernaut badly right now that it would make more sense to gamble (Ehlers) because we have enough of those "safe" players (Gaunce, Horvat, Kassian, Matthias)

I would really like to hear your argument about how Virtanen and Ritchie are "safe" picks.

[baumerman77]

The nice thing about Virtanen is that he shoots right. Horvat, Shinakruk, Gaunce, Fox, and Jensen all shoot left. Ritchie, Perlini and Ehlers all shoot left...

[Horvat]

Well if a first round talent drops then them of course..

Realistic guys who could slide to our second pick are:

Karlsson (doubt he would be available)

Brandon Lemeuix (Possible, I would pounce on it)

Eric Cornel (Ritchie Cornel combo would be decent)

John Quenneville (I really really like him)

Honka (if available here gotta take him)

Jack Glover (Favourite US dman in draft)

Jack Dougherty (second favourite US dman in draft, would like to see his skating improve though)

Vladislav Kamenev (he is best russian in draft not in CHL

Jayce Hawryluk (LOVE Hawryluks game, and I think Linden would too!)

Alexis Vanier (Really dislike his skating/ mobility)

Would not take Hunter Smith until late 3rd or 4th round, not convinced yet, he could be just pulling the equivalent of a Bryan Bickell.

Open to later picks on these two:

Rourke Chartier

Alexis Pepin

If deffenetly thinking we should take an under rated euro with our 2nd

[baumerman77]

Well if a first round talent drops then them of course..

Realistic guys who could slide to our second pick are:

Karlsson (doubt he would be available)

Brandon Lemeuix (Possible, I would pounce on it)

Eric Cornel (Ritchie Cornel combo would be decent)

John Quenneville (I really really like him)

Honka (if available here gotta take him)

Jack Glover (Favourite US dman in draft)

Jack Dougherty (second favourite US dman in draft, would like to see his skating improve though)

Vladislav Kamenev (he is best russian in draft not in CHL

Jayce Hawryluk (LOVE Hawryluks game, and I think Linden would too!)

Alexis Vanier (Really dislike his skating/ mobility)

Would not take Hunter Smith until late 3rd or 4th round, not convinced yet, he could be just pulling the equivalent of a Bryan Bickell.

Open to later picks on these two:

Rourke Chartier

Alexis Pepin

What do you think about Brett Pollock?

[PowerAids]

Why? Because you like impish euros?

I'm not a huge fan of Ritchie, but I'd take him in a heartbeat over those buttery-soft preseason flash players.

Canucks fans confuse me. They want this team to be able to compete with the big boys, but then they fall in love with ridiculously undersized prospects. Hey, I'd be more impressed with that idea if these smallish guys were legit stars, but they're not.

That being said if it came down to Ritchie or Virtanen, i'd lean towards Virtanen. That kid can SKATE. He's faster than Nylander and Kapanen and just as fast as Ehlers while coming with other valueable intangibles. Only problem is that he doesn't get enough assists. Oh noes.

5 11" is ridiculously undersized? Really?

I understand he's light at only 165ish, but he only just turned 18. Guaranteed he puts on 15 lbs at least in the next couple years, and then he's 5 11 maybe 6' if he grows an inch, 180lbs, incredibly skilled with 10/10 skating.... I think he's worth the risk.

I think a guy like Ritchie is way more likely to be an NHL forward, but his ceiling is 3rd or 2nd line winger... We have enough of those guys, we need a true first line player.

[thad]

Well if a first round talent drops then them of course..

Realistic guys who could slide to our second pick are:

Karlsson (doubt he would be available)

Brandon Lemeuix (Possible, I would pounce on it)

Eric Cornel (Ritchie Cornel combo would be decent)

John Quenneville (I really really like him)

Honka (if available here gotta take him)

Jack Glover (Favourite US dman in draft)

Jack Dougherty (second favourite US dman in draft, would like to see his skating improve though)

Vladislav Kamenev (he is best russian in draft not in CHL

Jayce Hawryluk (LOVE Hawryluks game, and I think Linden would too!)

Alexis Vanier (Really dislike his skating/ mobility)

Would not take Hunter Smith until late 3rd or 4th round, not convinced yet, he could be just pulling the equivalent of a Bryan Bickell.

Open to later picks on these two:

Rourke Chartier

Alexis Pepin

If hunter smith turns into a bickell I'd consider that a win

[PowerAids]

I would really like to hear your argument about how Virtanen and Ritchie are "safe" picks.

I agree they are much safer picks, because with their size and skating they will at least turn into 4th line grinders Or 3rd line checkers.

[Junkyard Dog]

I agree they are much safer picks, because with their size and skating they will at least turn into 4th line grinders Or 3rd line checkers.

I consider that a bust at 6th overall.

[R3aL]

What do you think about Brett Pollock?

I like him, but I see him more as a mid 3rd rounder, he has been sheltered on a very deep team, the oil kings are a very deep strong squad.

He has improved drastically this year though, and I would expect him to really define his value next year when he is a team leader and takes on a larger responsibility, like cole cassels did this year with Oshawa you know, or he could disappoint.

[DeNiro]

The nice thing about Virtanen is that he shoots right. Horvat, Shinakruk, Gaunce, Fox, and Jensen all shoot left. Ritchie, Perlini and Ehlers all shoot left...

They won't be drafting based on a right or left shot.

[R3aL]

If hunter smith turns into a bickell I'd consider that a win

I dont meen he is like Bickell or will be like him, i am just comparing the incredible playoff run statistically you know

[PowerAids]

I consider that a bust at 6th overall.

Agreed,

They are safe in the fact they will play in the NHL. But very risky if you expect these guys to be scorers at the NHL level.

[asian player]

Ritchie

- skating is not a problem. He skates well for someone his size

- physicality is not a problem. He uses his body well when he needs to.

- his hands are not a problem. Good passing ability, decent shot

- shows he has decent hockey IQ

If he can wrap that all up, man oh man

[MRAY]

I think we should get Jake Virtanen, hes fast and can shoot and he could play on line with horvat and shinkaruk in the future. He was also regarded as one of the best skaters in the draft.

[thad]

I dont meen he is like Bickell or will be like him, i am just comparing the incredible playoff run statistically you know

Sign me up haha

[theminister]

Ritchie

- skating is not a problem. He skates well for someone his size

- physicality is not a problem. He uses his body well when he needs to.

- his hands are not a problem. Good passing ability, decent shot

- shows he has decent hockey IQ

If he can wrap that all up, man oh man

[PowerAids]

I think we should get Jake Virtanen, hes fast and can shoot and he could play on line with horvat and shinkaruk in the future. He was also regarded as one of the best skaters in the draft.

I really liked Virtanen earlier in the year when we were around 8-12... But lately I've been seduced by the pure offensive skills of Ehlers and nylander etc.

Ehlers especially, he doesn't just use his speed to drive wide on the rush, he seems very good at passing the puck of and darting into open ice for good chances.

Nylander reminds of karlsson with the way he skates and the balance and agility he has though.

Either way we are looking at a very good young player coming into the prospect pool.

Hopefully more than one of the scouting staff does their job in the later rounds.

[Plum]

Who does everyone want the Canucks to take with our second round pick?

Well here's a few:

Eric Cornel makes alot of sense if we draft Richie as they are teammates and even without drafting Ritchie, Cornel is still a reliable two-way forward who has a good balance of scoring goals and setting up players. Watched him quite a bit too. 6'2 185 pounds

Cornel is a big rangy centre who skates well with strong balance, a powerful stride and good overall mobility. He is not afraid to use his size to push his way into scoring areas as well as protect the puck. The two-way playmaking centre has strong hands and a rocket shot.

Eliteprospects.

Some players that we know who might fall are

Fabbri

Karlsson

Kevin Fiala is someone I'm hoping we can get since the beginning of the year, he also has more points than the popular William Nylander playing in the same league, this says it all:

Kevin Fiala is an offensive forward with game-breaking potential. He is a respectable and shifty skater with quick legs and explosive acceleration. Fiala owns a slick skill-set with soft hands, good stickhandling and brilliant puck-control. Not known for his defensive play, as he still needs to learn what it means to stick to a game-plan or doing exactly what the coach has told him. Fiala is not very big or strong yet, but his quickness and agility lets him avoid getting hit or held back along the boards. Has a wealthy arsenal of shooting tools which, combined with his creativity and finishing abilities, makes him the player you turn to if you need a goal.

Eliteprospects.com

Jack Glover is a kid we could use:

Glover is an impressive two-way defenseman who has good overall mobility. He's always aware in all three zones and defends with a physical edge, using his frame to separate pucks and size to clear the crease. He moves the puck well and has a good outlet pass

Warren Foegele is another guy I would look at, he doesn't play in the CHL but lights up college. 6'1 183 pounds center, there is a chance he might be available in the 3rd round.

There is a good chance we could find someone who was projected to be drafted around 25-30 in the 2nd round for us.

Look at the USHL for some players, Euros.

Look for Lucas Wallmark to drop.

Wallmark has first-class hockey sense and vision. Very smart player and a highly skilled playmaker. Has good puck control and will also battle hard for the puck. Good defensive game and face-off skills. Major concern is his skating ability, as he lacks speed and acceleration.

A Czech skilled player, Ondrej Kase is also very high skilled. I want to look at these skilled players because you can't teach hockey IQ, vision and hands, defense can be taught.

Kase is a slick, driven, speedy winger who sees the ice well and understands how to impact the game. A natural playmaker who handles the puck well in tight spaces. Has very acute hockey sense and willingness to go to battle with much larger opponents. Size is only ongoing issue.

6'0 165 pounds.