6th Pick: 2014 NHL Entry Draft

[Kooner91]

Only way I see us having Reinhard and Virtanen together is if we trade Kes for #10, Ana first and other pieces.

Trade #6, Gaunce, Corrado, and #36 to Fla for #1.

Then move #10 and 2015 2nd to Toronto for #8.

Draft Reinhard with #1, and Virtanen with #8.

Next year lineup:

Sedin-Sedin-Jensen

Burrows-Reinhart-Kassian

Higgins-Horvat-Matthias

Sestito-Richardson-Hansen

If we sign Santo, have him play Lw on the 4th, with special teams time.

[Standing_Tall#37]

I garentee if none of the top 5 drop, we take Virtanen at 6. Fits what Linden was talking about earlier and get a hometown boy.

I'd sh*t bricks if we somehow got Reinhart and Virtanen in the draft together. Rebuild complete like that.

Shinkaruk-Reinhart-Virtanen

Jensen-Horvat-Kassian

One can dream eh...

If those are our top 2 lines next year, I think it'll only be a 3 year rebuild...if not 7-8+....

[Kooner91]

Not our lines for next year, for the future. Slowly add in 1-2 prospects per year, let go of veterans over time. ^^

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

I love how Virtanen is the only guy in the new draft video the Canucks have up that gets mentioned after 6. Subliminal messages that he is our guy!

It was more so because they Virtanen is a BC boy.

They also mentioned Sam Reinhart...

Lawrence Gilman talked about them two only because Joey Kenward asked about both BC players and his take on each.

Not really anything but trying to advertise two BC players

[Absent Canuck]

Draisaitl has more potential than Virtanen or Ehlers.

The guy put up 105 points (as many as Reinhart) in a tough WHL league.

He could easily be available if one of the top 5 teams have more interest in Ritchie or Ehlers.

You would think that is the case but times are changing.

The WHL produced 5 players who scored 100 or more points. Two of them are draft eligible. Reinhart and Drasaitl.

The OHL produced 3 players who scored 100. None were draft eligible . However it should be noted 1 guy got 99 points and he isnt even eligible until 2015.

The QMJHL also produced 5 players who scored 100 plus points. Ehlers is the only draftee.

[DeNiro]

You would think that is the case but times are changing.

The WHL produced 5 players who scored 100 or more points. Two of them are draft eligible. Reinhart and Drasaitl.

The OHL produced 3 players who scored 100. None were draft eligible . However it should be noted 1 guy got 99 points and he isnt even eligible until 2015.

The QMJHL also produced 5 players who scored 100 plus points. Ehlers is the only draftee.

Scoring over 100 points in the WHL as a 17/18 year old is much more impressive than doing it in the OHL or QMJHL.

The OHL and QMJHL are higher scoring leagues. Most of the tough rugged D-men come out of the WHL too.

So to simply compare points across leagues doesn't always paint an accurate picture.

[elvis15]

It was more so because they Virtanen is a BC boy.

They also mentioned Sam Reinhart...

Lawrence Gilman talked about them two only because Joey Kenward asked about both BC players and his take on each.

Not really anything but trying to advertise two BC players

Yeah, I didn't read anything more into it than that.

Lots of good players that could fall to us though. Talking about Bennett, Draisaitl, Dal Colle, Reinhart all in the top 5 that could end up available at 6th. Nylander, Ritchie, Virtanen, Ehlers, Kapanen all as players perhaps at 6th or later. There's no one at the MacKinnon level who I could see having success right away (or potentially even the long term success I think he'll have) but still some very good players there.

Someone mentioned something earlier about people overrating draft picks, but I think drafts in general are overrated. I just said there are good players even in this draft, and that's true, but the chances of most of these players panning out isn't that great. It's fun to gauge their potential, but there's a big step from a high draft pick to a quality NHL'er.

[Horvat]

Man the 2015 draft thread is going to be awsome

[asian player]

Man the 2015 draft thread is going to be awsome

Team's probably gonna fall middle of the pack

[Horvat]

Team's probably gonna fall middle of the pack

Hopefully we make a trade to go top 7

[Gstank29]

i highly doubt the canucks will be in the top 15 (hopefully we make the playoffs) but If we aren't in a playoff spot by game 60-70 I think we should give all are young players some games, and try to get a higher draft pick

[Horvat]

i highly doubt the canucks will be in the top 15 (hopefully we make the playoffs) but If we aren't in a playoff spot by game 60-70 I think we should give all are young players some games, and try to get a higher draft pick

Oliver kylington here we come...

[Nuxfanabroad]

i highly doubt the canucks will be in the top 15 (hopefully we make the playoffs) but If we aren't in a playoff spot by game 60-70 I think we should give all are young players some games, and try to get a higher draft pick

Strategy for the BOTTOM-TWENTY teams, come March 2015??

[Plum]

Trade down to the #11-16 area and pick either Fabbri or Fiala and be able to pick up a top 6 forward.

[Absent Canuck]

Scoring over 100 points in the WHL as a 17/18 year old is much more impressive than doing it in the OHL or QMJHL.

The OHL and QMJHL are higher scoring leagues. Most of the tough rugged D-men come out of the WHL too.

So to simply compare points across leagues doesn't always paint an accurate picture.

The information I was given is it is not so much anymore.

Even if it is , you claim its MUCH more impressive ? What are we talking? They score twice as many goals per game in the OHL and QMJHL ?

So I went and looked it up.

OHL =6.9

QMJHL = 6.8

WHL = 6.6

If you want to split hairs I guess you could argue Reinharts 105 is worth 107 or 108 in the other two Or Ehlers is worth 102 or 101 in the WHL . That would be pretty tough to quantify though. They are virtually identical.

I chalk it up to having 1 more excellent prospect in the WHL this year.

[Smashian Kassian]

Everyone seems pretty apprehensive to take him over most others ranked 5-10. He is probably the highest risk to bust of all of them, plus we have Kassian. It seems like everyone is hoping Dal Colle or Draisaitl fall to us, and after that no one can agree. Personally, I hope the scouts like Ehlers enough to take him, cause that kid's got some snazzy moves. I'm definitely not a good enough judge of the prospects to tell who's the better choice, but I hope Ehlers is the best choice in the eyes of our scouts.

I don't agree that he's the biggest risk to bust, I think its Nylander myself, But I agree with the rest of your post.

We haven't had a high octane, pure skill player like Ehlers for a very long time. On a team that struggles to score but has some size and defensive awareness, this is the kind of guy we should be taking a chance on.

Agreed. This is exactly how I feel.

We've seen flashy players taken in the top 5-10 time and time again. Most of them never pan out.

That's the only reason I'd be hesitant to take Ehlers. There's no question the reward could be huge with this guy, but so is the risk unfortunately.

Ehhh, I'm not so sure about that.

Care to back this up? (Within a reasonable time frame, say 2005, when the NHL changed)

And better yet, can you bring ones up comparable to Ehlers. I bet that's gunna be hard to find.

Then on top of that, you also have to consider how they were developed, cause in some cases that's what has caused them to bust IMO. (Take Brule in CBJ for example)

If anything, its the big players taken in the first round that alot of times don't pan out.

I can understand this worry in theory, but you have to look deeper into it. It's like me saying I'm concerned about Ritchie because teams have reached for bigger players in the past and they haven't turned out. Which is not the case I really like Ritchie.

Sure we did; Jordan Schroeder...

Eh, not a good comparable at all. Schroeder is undersized, & doesn't play a similar game to Ehlers.

And with Hunter Shinkaruk.

I think we got lucky getting a player like him when we did. He was ranked closer to 15 than where we took him. Which is about where Ehlers is ranked.

Another reason I'd be hesitant to take a player like him. I think we need an elite playmaker before we take another pure goal scorer.

Ehlers is a good playmaker & a good goal scorer, runs the PP like Kessel.

Its an interesting point though, and its one that really if its something we are really thinking about, probably lessens our chances of taking Virtanen. Ritchie aswell is more of a goal scorer, though with him & Ehlers I think they are adept in both playmaking & scoring.

If you were looking for an elite pure playmaker, Nylander would probably be the guy to go with.

[RealCanuckBoss]

Canucks need the pure goal scorer , we can't score worth a damn all we do is generate our scoring chances are through dump and chase and cycling the puck , ya it would be ideal to get a playmaker but than who the he'll is gonna finish we need a patty Kane type of player on our team that player being shinkaruk He's unreal snipe, and taking virtanen would jus add to scoring or Ritchie but I don't think our team is gonna be solid enough to make a stanley cup run until these prospects get older and develop their skills individually and as team mates, hopefully till than we bomb the Draft year where McDavid is eligible and grip him that would be unreallll

[Derp...]

Smaller fast playmakers have a place in the NHL especially if they have excellent speed, IQ and work ethic.

If Ehlers only gained 5 pounds and half an inch he could still be an effective player because his core strength is good and will improve further.

People seem hung up on size, but last time I checked the stick still puts the majority of goals in the net, not the body.

I really don't mind us picking Ehlers or Virtanen or Ritchie, but as a fan I want to see Ehlers play.

I really hope we end up with any of the top 5 though.

[Gstank29]

here a list in order i want vancouver to draft

1. Ekblad

2. Rienhart

3. Drasilti

4. Bennett

5. MDC

6. Virtanen

7. Ehlers

8. Nylander

9. Richie

honestly i would rather the canucks take a "safe' pick than someone like nylander, richie, ehlers. I label these guys Boom/Bust player because they play style ( specially Richie) because lots of players with similar style are busts or they are lacking the "IT' factor. Which is basically a gut feeling but it's been right before.(I thought that that Saad, and Mantha would be a good player and that Gibson would be a NHL starter during there draft year. I have no concrete evidence to prove this but it seems to be right more than it's wrong so...

edit: grammar

[Piggy Bank]

here a list in order i want vancouver to draft

1. Ekblad

2. Rieihart

3. Drasilti

4. Bennett

5. MDC

6. Virtanen

7. Ehlers

8. Nylander

9. Richie

honestly i would rather the canucks take a "safe' pick than someone like nylander, richie, ehlers. I label these guys Boom/Bust player because they play style ( specially Richie) because lots of players with similar style are busts or they are lacking the "IT' factor. Which is basically a gut feeling but it's been right before.(I thought that that Saad, and Mantha would be a good player and that Gibson would be a NHL starter during there draft year. I have no concrete evidence to prove this but it seems to be right more than it's wrong so...

edit: grammar

flip virtanen with nylander and i agree