6th Pick: 2014 NHL Entry Draft

[Absent Canuck]

is this the video? If not can you post it?

I'm sure any player would go down when they receive the butt end of a stick or a fist to the neck/head area from a player moving that fast.

The guy butt ended him in the head. I am certain Duncan Keith would be proud.

Ehlers should have stood his ground , had the guys stick and fist crumble into dust so that the insecure boys on here can rave about how tough he is.

[Absent Canuck]

That is a terrible scoring of the players attributes! Ritchie with the worst shot and same shot strength of ehlers haha just ridiculous.

He made it up. That scoring is not a 'pro scouts' or he would have included the source.

Give him credit for at least trying to water down some of Virtanens skills so it wouldnt be so obvious.

[Absent Canuck]

Ritchie actually has very good acceleration. His shot is much better than what you give him. How is Ehlers a 0 for faceoff? Ritchie's competitiveness should be higher. This list is just way too biased..

Yes because he made it up . He thinks nobody will notice the glaring errors in it.

[asian player]

Yes because he made it up . He thinks nobody will notice the glaring errors in it.

The funniest part was physical presence

Virtanen - 9

Ritchie - 8

[Absent Canuck]

Here is BANTSNs report he got from a 'pro scout'

Virtanen magically has this amazing conclusion that is noticeably better than the others.

The only reason why I saw this piece of comedy is because you guys captioned it. The stats all are conviently in favor of his home boy too. It cracks me up. Some of the stats are outright disingenuous as well.

Conclusions:

Ehlers is a skilled forward.
He is very fast, scores and distributes the puck well.
He needs to work on his strength, competitiveness, physical play and defensive play.

Virtanen is a power forward.
He is very fast, very strong, very competitive, supremely confident and has a very good shot.
He needs to work on his conditioning, consistency and perhaps maturity level. Perhaps 'too confident.'

Ritchie is a power forward.
He is very strong, distributes the puck well and has a good shot.
He needs to work on his discipline, competitiveness, conditioning and consistency. Previous injuries are a concern.

Nylander is a skilled forward.
He is fast, has a good shot and distributes the puck well.
He needs to work on his strength, competitiveness, physical play and maturity level.

Virtane

[Smashian Kassian]

That list BanTSN put forth is horrendous.

Ehlers competitiveness is a concern? His mobility is only a 7?

Virtanen better physically than Ritchie?

Ritchie's shot release the lowest ranked?

Exc.

Yeah I definitely don't see alot of what he said to be accurate.

[JiffyPB]

Here's a pro scouting checklist on some players around our selection range.

(ratings 0-10, 10 being excellent):

Ehlers - Virtanen - Ritchie - Nylander

Skating:

Acceleration - 9 - 9 - 6 - 8

Speed - 9 - 9 - 6 - 8

Balance - 4 - 8 - 8 - 7

Mobility - 7 - 7 - 6 - 7

Backward skating - 6 - 9 - 5 - 6

Puck skills:

Shot accuracy - 8 - 8 - 7 - 7

Shot strength - 7 - 9 - 7 - 7

Shot release - 7 - 7 - 5 - 6

Possess multiple shot types - 6 - 7 - 5 - 7

Stickhandling ability - 8 - 7 - 6 - 8

Puck protection (ability to adjust body position & balance to keep or acquire puck) - 5 - 9 - 8 - 5

Faceoffs - 0 - 4 - 4 - 5

Giving a pass - 8 - 6 - 7 - 9

Receiving a pass - 8 - 7 - 6 - 9

Scoring touch (can he score several ways, smart around the net, has a nose for the net)- 7 - 9 - 6 - 7

Competitiveness:

Scoring drive (willing to battle, go to the net, pay the price to score) - 3 - 8 - 5 - 4

Work Ethic (overall effort, works and completes every shift regardless of score or venue) - 5 - 7 - 7 - 7

Attitude (level of maturity: well developed or 'a ways to go') - 7 - 5 - 4 - 4

Consistency - 7 - 5 - 4 - 7

Forechecking (puck pursuit, fights through checks) - 3 - 9 - 6 - 4

Physical play:

Board & Corner play (battles for loose pucks, willing to pay the price) - 3 - 8 - 6 - 3

Physical presence (size and strength used as an asset, tough to play against, punishes opponents) - 2 - 9 - 8 - 2

Conditioning - 7 - 6 - 3 - 7

Hitting (takes the body, effectively separates the opponent from the puck, willing to take a hit) - 3 - 9 - 8 - 2

Fighting (willing to fight and is capable) - 2 - 7 - 7 - 1

Hockey sense:

Playmaking (vision, offensive imagination, sets up teammates for scoring chances) - 7 - 6 - 6 - 8

Anticipation - 8 - 6 - 5 - 9

Discipline (avoids bad penalties, accepts a bad call, not drawn into retaliation) - 7 - 5 - 3 - 6

Decision making (ability to sort out options and make the right choices) - 6 - 6 - 5 - 6

Play under pressure (ability to make right decisions above while forechecked or in key situation) - 4 - 6 - 6 - 4

Versatility (able to play different positions, roles, special teams) - 4 - 6 - 5 - 4

Defensive play:

Defensive anticipation (reads play, gap control) - 4 - 7 - 6 - 5

Positioning (angles opponents, active away from puck) - 3 - 7 - 5 - 5

Backchecking (picks up the man, returns hard to defensive zone) - 3 - 8 - 5 - 5

Defensive reliability (used in critical situations) - 4 - 5 - 6 - 6

Psychological factors:

Leadership - 5 - 5 - 6 - 7

Communication (witnessed in-game examples of constructive discussions with teammates and coaches) - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5

Confidence - 7 - 9 - 6 - 7

Conclusions:

Ehlers is a skilled forward.

He is very fast, scores and distributes the puck well.

He needs to work on his strength, competitiveness, physical play and defensive play.

Virtanen is a power forward.

He is very fast, very strong, very competitive, supremely confident and has a very good shot.

He needs to work on his conditioning, consistency and perhaps maturity level. Perhaps 'too confident.'

Ritchie is a power forward.

He is very strong, distributes the puck well and has a good shot.

He needs to work on his discipline, competitiveness, conditioning and consistency. Previous injuries are a concern.

Nylander is a skilled forward.

He is fast, has a good shot and distributes the puck well.

He needs to work on his strength, competitiveness, physical play and maturity level.

Overall:

While Ehlers and Nylander are very fast and skilled, their competitiveness is a concern, as well as their lack of physical play. Paying attention to defense can be coached, yes, but can battle level? Will they pay the price? Even if they do grow? Not so sure. This is what's keeping them out of my top rankings.

Ritchie and Virtanen are big, skilled physical specimens that the Canucks may need more of. Virtanen's a bit faster and more skilled while Ritchie is definitely bigger. What concerns me of Ritchie is his injury history as well as his discipline. He also appears to be out of shape. The concern I have about Virtanen is that he's a bit arrogant, but I think I'm willing to roll the dice on the kid based on the tools at his disposal. He'll mature and if he's just this cocky SOB like Corey Perry, then so be it. I think the Canucks could definitely use that kinda swagger.

Looking at all the factors above, there is no doubt who the best overall player at around 6th is. It's Jake The Snake Virtanen.

I'm not even a Ritchie supporter (I believe the Canucks should pick either Ehlers or Virtanen) but it seems your ranking of him is just utter defamation of this prospect just because you have a raging boner for just one player in the draft.

1) Anyone who has seen this kid play KNOWS he has an excellent shot and an excellent release or nobody would even bother thinking he was worth taking at 6th overall yet alone in the top 10.

2) As for Virtanen SOMEHOW in all physical categories tying or BEATING Ritchie is a joke. Saying Virtanen is more of a physical presence and a better hitter than Ritchie is just as stupid as saying Jannik Hansen is more of a physical force than Milan Lucic because he works hard along the boards and throws an occasional hit. You would be laughed off the forum for saying something as silly as that. Everyone and their mother can tell you Ritchie is more of a physical player than Virtanen, but I guess your personal bias prevents you from seeing this.

3) Virtanen in the playoffs turtled with a measly 4 points in 6 games (also a -2 yet he is excellent defensively ) as Sam Reinhart absolutely schooled him and showed everyone what a highly talented, well-rounded prospect looks like in big games. Meanwhile Nick Ritchie stares down highly touted prospect Sam Bennett and a 3-0 series deficit and manages to overcome both as he carried his team to a victory with him being the best player in the series. Again, Virtanen somehow only one point lower than Ritchie in leadership skills

Overall what I see in this list is when it comes to Virtanen this is your opinion:

...and your opinion on any other prospect is this:

It's one thing to support a certain player and make a case for why we should take him but what makes your bias towards Virtanen utterly pathetic is the fact you have to constantly troll the entire forum and make utterly retarded slanderous statements about other prospects such as Ehlers being a perimeter player and the fact players like him make up a team like the sharks and that's why we should stay away from him.

[R3aL]

I'm not even a Ritchie supporter (I believe the Canucks should pick either Ehlers or Virtanen) but it seems your ranking of him is just utter defamation of this prospect just because you have a raging boner for just one player in the draft.

1) Anyone who has seen this kid play KNOWS he has an excellent shot and an excellent release or nobody would even bother thinking he was worth taking at 6th overall yet alone in the top 10.

2) As for Virtanen SOMEHOW in all physical categories tying or BEATING Ritchie is a joke. Saying Virtanen is more of a physical presence and a better hitter than Ritchie is just as stupid as saying Jannik Hansen is more of a physical force than Milan Lucic because he works hard along the boards and throws an occasional hit. You would be laughed off the forum for saying something as silly as that. Everyone and their mother can tell you Ritchie is more of a physical player than Virtanen, but I guess your personal bias prevents you from seeing this.

3) Virtanen in the playoffs turtled with a measly 4 points in 6 games (also a -2 yet he is excellent defensively ) as Sam Reinhart absolutely schooled him and showed everyone what a highly talented, well-rounded prospect looks like in big games. Meanwhile Nick Ritchie stares down highly touted prospect Sam Bennett and a 3-0 series deficit and manages to overcome both as he carried his team to a victory with him being the best player in the series. Again, Virtanen somehow only one point lower than Ritchie in leadership skills

Overall what I see in this list is when it comes to Virtanen this is your opinion:

...and your opinion on any other prospect is this:

It's one thing to support a certain player and make a case for why we should take him but what makes your bias towards Virtanen utterly pathetic is the fact you have to constantly troll the entire forum and make utterly retarded slanderous statements about other prospects such as Ehlers being a perimeter player and the fact players like him make up a team like the sharks and that's why we should stay away from him.

I enjoyed your post, and not just for the awesome Mr Bean GIF aha

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

I'm not even a Ritchie supporter (I believe the Canucks should pick either Ehlers or Virtanen) but it seems your ranking of him is just utter defamation of this prospect just because you have a raging boner for just one player in the draft.

1) Anyone who has seen this kid play KNOWS he has an excellent shot and an excellent release or nobody would even bother thinking he was worth taking at 6th overall yet alone in the top 10.

2) As for Virtanen SOMEHOW in all physical categories tying or BEATING Ritchie is a joke. Saying Virtanen is more of a physical presence and a better hitter than Ritchie is just as stupid as saying Jannik Hansen is more of a physical force than Milan Lucic because he works hard along the boards and throws an occasional hit. You would be laughed off the forum for saying something as silly as that. Everyone and their mother can tell you Ritchie is more of a physical player than Virtanen, but I guess your personal bias prevents you from seeing this.

3) Virtanen in the playoffs turtled with a measly 4 points in 6 games (also a -2 yet he is excellent defensively ) as Sam Reinhart absolutely schooled him and showed everyone what a highly talented, well-rounded prospect looks like in big games. Meanwhile Nick Ritchie stares down highly touted prospect Sam Bennett and a 3-0 series deficit and manages to overcome both as he carried his team to a victory with him being the best player in the series. Again, Virtanen somehow only one point lower than Ritchie in leadership skills

Overall what I see in this list is when it comes to Virtanen this is your opinion:

...and your opinion on any other prospect is this:

It's one thing to support a certain player and make a case for why we should take him but what makes your bias towards Virtanen utterly pathetic is the fact you have to constantly troll the entire forum and make utterly retarded slanderous statements about other prospects such as Ehlers being a perimeter player and the fact players like him make up a team like the sharks and that's why we should stay away from him.

The best post I have seen in this topic.

You sure have earned a +1

[Absent Canuck]

That list BanTSN put forth is horrendous.

Ehlers competitiveness is a concern? His mobility is only a 7?

Virtanen better physically than Ritchie?

Ritchie's shot release the lowest ranked?

Exc.

Yeah I definitely don't see alot of what he said to be accurate.

Ritchie's wrister release is the best in Junior hockey.

Nylander can twist and turn on a dime his mobility is so high and Ehlers is right behind him

You could probably line up Virtanen Ehlers and Nylander in a row and Ritchie would bowl them all over at the same time.

I would put Ehlers Ritchie and Virtanens compete level as high while Nylander is a little more laid back. However it will soon rise as the competition gets tougher.

I could go on but I think we have all made the point.

[Bure_Pavel]

As far as im concerned either way we end up with a really good prospect, one of ehlers, nylander, Virtanen, and Ritchie. My preference is probably Ritchie but they all bring different strengths to the table:

Ehlers is a fast and elusive offensive weapon especially on the powerplay, he plays an exciting style and has done extremely well in his first season of north American hockey. He plays with droiun which can be considered a negative but it can also be a positive as he is bound to learn a thing or too from playing with an elite player.

Nylander has been highly touted for a while and had a monster U18 tournament. He is extremely skilled with great skating and a high potential as a first liners. He plays with Modo in a league with grown men, on a team that either naslund and or Forsberg are a part of not too sure. Sedins would be very good mentors for him as well.

Virtanen is fast and strong and has a very good powerful shot both forehand and backhand. He is very strong on his skates and is able to move forward and backwards very quickly. He is one of the youngest players in the draft, and is a hometown kid with could help motivate him even more and may lead to better contracts down the road.

Ritchie is a bullish player that can lay punishing hits and has a NHL caliber shot as it has a very quick release and very heavy. He is very good at protecting the puck and taking it to the dirty areas. He uses his big frame to provide screens and has a good set of hands to score deflections, put it away in tight, and can make nice passes. He showed great leadership in the seven game playoff series and scored the game seven OT winner.

[Ihatetomatoes]

very single one of the left over big 4 has a glaring weakness that could make or break their NHL careers. It's up to the Canucks scouting staff to basically guess which prospect is most likely to overcome this weakness.

Virtanen - all the tools but does he have the tool box for the next level?

Ritchie - is he just another big guy that dominates juniors?

Ehlers - so small and not much room to fill in

Nylander - Is he just another soft skilled perimeter playing Euro?

I wouldn't want to be the guy making the choice, all have the skills and potential to be elite yet all have the potential to be almost complete busts.

[70seven]

I disagree, I think our RW is stronger than LW, on RW we have Kassian & Jensen to fill up the top 6 spots as you said, then Grenier who could have 2nd/3rd tweener (Higgins/Hansen/Raymond) type upside. All natural RW's. While on the left side only really having Shinkaruk as a natural LW. If we had Jensen/Kass & Virtanen on the RW, then someone would be left out of the top 6.

But I don't think LW or RW should be a determining factor, Jensen can play RW or LW, as can Ehlers, as can Shinkaruk I'm sure, then we have centers like Horvat/Gaunce/Cassels/Fox who can play wing. Aswell Wingers can usually play both sides.

I also don't agree we can get a skilled player as good as Ehlers next year with a later pick. There's more depth next year but the quality in this draft is still high quality.

I dont think Virtanen is dynamic as Iginla, as far as playmaking. Kane is closer, but Kane had alot better numbers in junior and doesn't play the perimeter like Virtanen does. Neal is more of a trigger man that you get the puck to in good spots, Virtanen does it all himself, (tries to get himself in to spots to shoot).

I'm not saying that to be negative, I just don't think they are good comparisons, I think a better comparison is pre-concussion David Booth (and he was a pretty good player) except with a better shot & better hands. When you consider Booth had a 30 goal year, and was a consistent 20 goal guy, and that Virtanen is like him but with some better offensive tools, its certainly not a bad player.

I just think this pick should be about going with who we think as the highest upside. I think Ehlers, Ritchie, Nylander & even Kapanen all have higher upside than Virtanen which is why I prefer them, not to knock Virtanen who I think will be a very good player.

Nylander is really risky though, so I'm not sure I would take him, leaving the other 3 as my main preferred options. But its all opinion as you said, and we have our own.

And yes BanTSN, I have seen both Virtanen & Ehlers play.

Thats the exact way I feel about Virtanen as well. He's got top 6 power forward upside. I also think hes got a much better defensive game than Booth. Its that north south physical drive the net, which he himself compares to Rick Nash...lol, I too see Pre-concussion David Booth+, and think he can be a 30 goal scorer. He isnt a player that you need a play maker for the goals to come... He gets it and goes.... Which is fine for a winger.... Its the center that you want to at least have the ability and ambition to be more creative with the play. Keslers biggest flaw, and why Torts sees him as more of a winger.

[Tangerines]

IMO is think the top 10 will go as follows barring any movement:

1. Ekblad- BPA, Florida needs a top line defender who can eat up mins. This guy should be a tank.

2. Sam Reinhart- Buff needs a future top line centerman. I think they go with this Sam instead.

3. Draisaitl- Edmonton needs size up the middle and rumour has it that they have a stiffy for this guy.

4. Dal Colle- Burke and Calgary's new gm mentioned they want SIZE and truculence in their lineup. Yes Ritchie is available, but if they pick Nick at #4 over MDC then I'll be very surprised, and better for us!

5. Ehlers- I have a feeling NYI will choose him. They are good with centers(Tavares,Strome,Bailey) for the forseeable future. They need a young speedy sniper, and I think he would fit well in NY.

6. Sam Bennet- Boom! We have our future #1 centerman. Sometimes these guys fall in the draft. This guy has the potential to be Gilmour/Toews 2. The thought of that has me drooling uncontrolably.

7. Ritchie- Carolina needs size and grit on the wings. Perfect guy for them.

8. Nylander- T.O. Theres no denying that the Laffs need a top centerman in the pipeline. They haven't had one since Sundin 100 years ago.

9. Virtanen- BPA at this point and I think Winnipeg jumps all over him.

10. Perlini- Great fit for the Ducks, I thnk he'll flourish over there. No hurry to insert him in the line up either.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Here's a pro scouting checklist on some players around our selection range.

(ratings 0-10, 10 being excellent):

Ehlers - Virtanen - Ritchie - Nylander

Skating:

Acceleration - 9 - 9 - 6 - 8

Speed - 9 - 9 - 6 - 8

Balance - 4 - 8 - 8 - 7

Mobility - 7 - 7 - 6 - 7

Backward skating - 6 - 9 - 5 - 6

Puck skills:

Shot accuracy - 8 - 8 - 7 - 7

Shot strength - 7 - 9 - 7 - 7

Shot release - 7 - 7 - 5 - 6

Possess multiple shot types - 6 - 7 - 5 - 7

Stickhandling ability - 8 - 7 - 6 - 8

Puck protection (ability to adjust body position & balance to keep or acquire puck) - 5 - 9 - 8 - 5

Faceoffs - 0 - 4 - 4 - 5

Giving a pass - 8 - 6 - 7 - 9

Receiving a pass - 8 - 7 - 6 - 9

Scoring touch (can he score several ways, smart around the net, has a nose for the net)- 7 - 9 - 6 - 7

Competitiveness:

Scoring drive (willing to battle, go to the net, pay the price to score) - 3 - 8 - 5 - 4

Work Ethic (overall effort, works and completes every shift regardless of score or venue) - 5 - 7 - 7 - 7

Attitude (level of maturity: well developed or 'a ways to go') - 7 - 5 - 4 - 4

Consistency - 7 - 5 - 4 - 7

Forechecking (puck pursuit, fights through checks) - 3 - 9 - 6 - 4

Physical play:

Board & Corner play (battles for loose pucks, willing to pay the price) - 3 - 8 - 6 - 3

Physical presence (size and strength used as an asset, tough to play against, punishes opponents) - 2 - 9 - 8 - 2

Conditioning - 7 - 6 - 3 - 7

Hitting (takes the body, effectively separates the opponent from the puck, willing to take a hit) - 3 - 9 - 8 - 2

Fighting (willing to fight and is capable) - 2 - 7 - 7 - 1

Hockey sense:

Playmaking (vision, offensive imagination, sets up teammates for scoring chances) - 7 - 6 - 6 - 8

Anticipation - 8 - 6 - 5 - 9

Discipline (avoids bad penalties, accepts a bad call, not drawn into retaliation) - 7 - 5 - 3 - 6

Decision making (ability to sort out options and make the right choices) - 6 - 6 - 5 - 6

Play under pressure (ability to make right decisions above while forechecked or in key situation) - 4 - 6 - 6 - 4

Versatility (able to play different positions, roles, special teams) - 4 - 6 - 5 - 4

Defensive play:

Defensive anticipation (reads play, gap control) - 4 - 7 - 6 - 5

Positioning (angles opponents, active away from puck) - 3 - 7 - 5 - 5

Backchecking (picks up the man, returns hard to defensive zone) - 3 - 8 - 5 - 5

Defensive reliability (used in critical situations) - 4 - 5 - 6 - 6

Psychological factors:

Leadership - 5 - 5 - 6 - 7

Communication (witnessed in-game examples of constructive discussions with teammates and coaches) - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5

Confidence - 7 - 9 - 6 - 7

Conclusions:

Ehlers is a skilled forward.

He is very fast, scores and distributes the puck well.

He needs to work on his strength, competitiveness, physical play and defensive play.

Virtanen is a power forward.

He is very fast, very strong, very competitive, supremely confident and has a very good shot.

He needs to work on his conditioning, consistency and perhaps maturity level. Perhaps 'too confident.'

Ritchie is a power forward.

He is very strong, distributes the puck well and has a good shot.

He needs to work on his discipline, competitiveness, conditioning and consistency. Previous injuries are a concern.

Nylander is a skilled forward.

He is fast, has a good shot and distributes the puck well.

He needs to work on his strength, competitiveness, physical play and maturity level.

Overall:

While Ehlers and Nylander are very fast and skilled, their competitiveness is a concern, as well as their lack of physical play. Paying attention to defense can be coached, yes, but can battle level? Will they pay the price? Even if they do grow? Not so sure. This is what's keeping them out of my top rankings.

Ritchie and Virtanen are big, skilled physical specimens that the Canucks may need more of. Virtanen's a bit faster and more skilled while Ritchie is definitely bigger. What concerns me of Ritchie is his injury history as well as his discipline. He also appears to be out of shape. The concern I have about Virtanen is that he's a bit arrogant, but I think I'm willing to roll the dice on the kid based on the tools at his disposal. He'll mature and if he's just this cocky SOB like Corey Perry, then so be it. I think the Canucks could definitely use that kinda swagger.

Looking at all the factors above, there is no doubt who the best overall player at around 6th is. It's Jake The Snake Virtanen.

Wow. This rankings list is ridiculously long and detailed. But are you a scout or just pretending to be one? Thinking with a name like BanTSN and with your posting history, it's the latter. Although I like your posts. 'BAN those fools!' etc.

I see a lot of accuracies in the list, but some of it looks subjective. Then again, I have no idea what you've actually seen or where in the hell this report even came from.

I concur with the overalls though. Virtanen's a potential horse, but you can't find him in some games. He's certainly one cocky guy though. Ehlers and Nylander aren't exactly dominant physical specimens. Never will be. But they got flash. As for the Canucks, it really depends on what kind of player they want. Since we're shy on natural RWers, i'd probably go Virtanen. There's also the prospect of having one of the top-5 fall. You notice all of them a bit more. Not sold on Ritchie for some reason.

[Tangerines]

Wow. This rankings list is ridiculously long and detailed. But are you a scout or just pretending to be one? Thinking with a name like BanTSN and with your posting history, it's the latter. Although I like your posts. 'BAN those fools!' etc.

I see a lot of accuracies in the list, but some of it looks subjective. Then again, I have no idea what you've actually seen or where in the hell this report even came from.

I concur with the overalls though. Virtanen's a potential horse, but you can't find him in some games. He's certainly one cocky guy though. Ehlers and Nylander aren't exactly dominant physical specimens. Never will be. But they got flash. As for the Canucks, it really depends on what kind of player they want. Since we're shy on natural RWers, i'd probably go Virtanen. There's also the prospect of having one of the top-5 fall. You notice all of them a bit more. Not sold on Ritchie for some reason.

Me neither. He would be my last choice. I like Virtanen over him all day long.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Sam Bennet- Boom! We have our future #1 centerman.

Boom! But is Bennett even a centerman? Doesn't matter since we have a lot already, but he's more like a LW/C i thought.

[theminister]

Wow. This rankings list is ridiculously long and detailed. But are you a scout or just pretending to be one? Thinking with a name like BanTSN and with your posting history, it's the latter. Although I like your posts. 'BAN those fools!' etc.

I see a lot of accuracies in the list, but some of it looks subjective. Then again, I have no idea what you've actually seen or where in the hell this report even came from.

I concur with the overalls though. Virtanen's a potential horse, but you can't find him in some games. He's certainly one cocky guy though. Ehlers and Nylander aren't exactly dominant physical specimens. Never will be. But they got flash. As for the Canucks, it really depends on what kind of player they want. Since we're shy on natural RWers, i'd probably go Virtanen. There's also the prospect of having one of the top-5 fall. You notice all of them a bit more. Not sold on Ritchie for some reason.

It's all subjective by nature.

The question is always in the ability of the viewer to make a suitable evaluation.

The ratings provided don't speak well to me. Very different than my own so, subjectively, I will completely disregard it.

[TOMapleLaughs]

2) As for Virtanen SOMEHOW in all physical categories tying or BEATING Ritchie is a joke. Saying Virtanen is more of a physical presence and a better hitter than Ritchie is just as stupid as saying Jannik Hansen is more of a physical force than Milan Lucic because he works hard along the boards and throws an occasional hit. You would be laughed off the forum for saying something as silly as that. Everyone and their mother can tell you Ritchie is more of a physical player than Virtanen, but I guess your personal bias prevents you from seeing this.

Gee, I hope you don't expect Ritchie to be the next Lucic. He's big, but not near as intimidating.

What exactly is Ritchie's injury history anyway? I've read shoulder and concussion issues. If these carry over, then there's no way in hell he's the next Lucic. But lol at the gifs.

[Tangerines]

Boom! But is Bennett even a centerman? Doesn't matter since we have a lot already, but he's more like a LW/C i thought.

Yeah I think he plays both. I wouldn't mind him as a LW either.