Canucks1219 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Comparing Virtanen to Kesler is outright ridiculous. Kes has 3 times the hockey IQ that Virtanen has. Edit : Here is someone who was also drafted very high and had the same skillset as Virtanen http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=42312 You can put a number to that, can you? That's awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herberts Vasiljevs Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) I'm guessing your a Nylander fan Boy If you were around CDC often enough from April to late June, you would've seen that he would literally throw a fit anytime anybody (legitimate posters, not trolls) didn't agree that Ehlers was the right pick for the Canucks to make at pick six. It was absolutely mental... Edited January 6, 2015 by Herberts Vasiljevs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vantbl Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I'm guessing your a Nylander fan Boy Comparing Virtanen to Kesler is outright ridiculous. Kes has 3 times the hockey IQ that Virtanen has. Edit : Here is someone who was also drafted very high and had the same skillset as Virtanen http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=42312 You listen to Craig Button to much if you believe Jake will turn out to be Torres. Torres is a very good player and if your right and he does turn out to Be like Torres that's okay. Torres was very important to us in our cup run and was one of the most feared nhł players. You always have to keep your head up with Torres on the ice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimp C Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 If you were around CDC often enough from April to late June, you would've seen that he would literally throw a fit anytime anybody (legitimate posters, not trolls) didn't agree that Ehlers was the right pick for the Canucks to make at pick six. It was absolutely mental... That's hilarious. I had Ehlers rated slightly better than Virtanen but I warmed up to the guy that's the fastest player in the draft, has a lazer beam of a shot, has excellent hands, and will be throwing devasting checks on Flames and Oilers for the next 10 plus years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanuckinEdm Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) I already knew what that link was going to be before I even clicked it. Yeah Virtanen plays kind of like Raffi Torres sometimes. Except he has much better hands. And a much better shot. And he's much faster. And he's bigger. And he's smarter. Nice try though. Its honestly not that far off Raffi Torres was well on his way to being a 30 goal guy before he decided that partying was a higher priority then hockey and he didn't realize this till later in his career where he became a great role player. When you say Virtanen is bigger if you mean 1" and 5 lbs less yes he is... and if you watched Torres when he was youngerhe had a great shot and was a very fast player. One thing that i can say after watching the WJC is he doesn't have the killer instinct coming back on D you watch him and hes usually the first guy back but hes not picking up anyone or hassling the puck carrier coming in the zone, but luckily that is something that can be taught. Edited January 6, 2015 by CanuckinEdm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vantbl Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 If you were around CDC often enough from April to late June, you would've seen that he would literally throw a fit anytime anybody (legitimate posters, not trolls) didn't agree that Ehlers was the right pick for the Canucks to make at pick six. It was absolutely mental... Lol I actually think Ehlers will be a real good nhłer. He impressed me a lot in this tourney and unlike king Nylander he actually tries to play defence and goes to the boards to battle. The Jets have really good prospects and if they dont mess up they will be a powerhouse for Many years to come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tearloch7 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 If Jake ever see's this 'Thread', he is going to ask for a trade .. already people are 'analyzing' his every shift .. poor kid .. he'll probably end up in Florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) Allow me to quote you on this one. There's really no debating this. Virtanen already has better puck-handling skills, shot, and offensive instinct at the same age. Kesler was drafted as a defensive specialist with "offensive potential". He has but once scored more than 26 goals in a season and but once had more than 33 assists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7xTbDHT5Yg Edited January 6, 2015 by swift4grizz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester13 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Before the kid gets judged to death by some it is important to consider a few things... 1. Outside the lockout years this is arguably the most dominant junior team Canada has put together in the past 20 years...and Jake made the roster. This was a stacked team...this experience will serve him well. 2. Max Domi did not make the team the year he was drafted...one year later he returns and dominates the tournament. That one extra year Domi got in junior plus some nhl exposure made a big difference. virtanen will get similar exposure for another year...exposure that should mould him in the type of player that we will want to see at the nhl level. 3. Jake had his best game vs the Russians despite being juggled around in the bottom 6... Russia was the biggest team they faced so far..I'd take a kid like jake vs some of our current and past prospects like Vey and Schroeder simply because he is built like a truck and can skate .... This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimp C Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Its honestly not that far off Raffi Torres was well on his way to being a 30 goal guy before he decided that partying was a higher priority then hockey and he didn't realize this till later in his career where he became a great role player. When you say Virtanen is bigger if you mean 1" and 5 lbs less yes he is... and if you watched Torres when he was youngerhe had a great shot and was a very fast player. One thing that i can say after watching the WJC is he doesn't have the killer instinct coming back on D you watch him and hes usually the first guy back but hes not picking up anyone or hassling the puck carrier coming in the zone, but luckily that is something that can be taught. Torres simply doesn't have the offensive skill that Virtanen has. His hands are much worse, his shot is worse, he's not as fast, and he's not as dynamic. Now about the size thing. He's only 18, he has a lot of room to grow more muscle. Maybe even grow taller. His dad looks like he's 6'3 or 6'4 and a lot of people grow between 18-21 so he could grow taller. Might be a bit of a long shot though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdad Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Liked him before. Like him even more now. The kid is a force. Opposing players bounce off him. Even incidental contact seems vicious when he gives it out. How often do you find a kid that strong, with a shot that good, who also happens to be the fastest skater in the rink? Excited for this kid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdad Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 PS his backhand is sick. Might be my favourite skill of his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimp C Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Liked him before. Like him even more now. The kid is a force. Opposing players bounce off him. Even incidental contact seems vicious when he gives it out. How often do you find a kid that strong, with a shot that good, who also happens to be the fastest skater in the rink? Excited for this kid The answer is you don't see players like that very often. His skills are highly translatable to the NHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentine Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Lol I actually think Ehlers will be a real good nhłer. He impressed me a lot in this tourney and unlike king Nylander he actually tries to play defence and goes to the boards to battle. The Jets have really good prospects and if they dont mess up they will be a powerhouse for Many years to come Of all the players I coveted in this tourney Morissey topped my list. Winnipeg not only had the most prospects in the tourney, they had some of the best of them too. There are some good years ahead for Winnipeg fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Buzzsaw* Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 First time to have a chance to see Virtanen playing against opposition which comes close to what he'll face in the NHL. Gotta say I am really impressed with this kid's offensive skills. He hits like a freight train. He scates like the wind. He's got a mean streak. He's got a wicked shot and release, but he's not one dimensional, he also knows how to dish the puck and he's not selfish. Defensively he needs a LOT of work. He was lazy on one of the Russian goals, he didn't pick up his check. I watched him do that a couple times... And of course he was sitting in the penalty box when they scored another. In the closing 5 minutes of the 3rd period he sat on the bench, the coach was not going to take a chance on putting him out there. The good news is defense can be taught, you can't teach someone the skills he has offensively. Of all the guys I watched in the tournament, have to say Sam Reinhart was the guy who impressed me the most... great leadership, amazing ability to see the ice, very mature for his age... have to wonder if someday he will Captain a Stanley Cup team... To me he is more of a complete player than McDavid... would love to see Vancouver find a way to pry him loose from Buffalo. Probably never happen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steen Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Loved how sturdy he was, making kids bounce off him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiboynux4lifee******* Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 lol great thread buzzsaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Now about the size thing. He's only 18, he has a lot of room to grow more muscle. Maybe even grow taller. His dad looks like he's 6'3 or 6'4 and a lot of people grow between 18-21 so he could grow taller. Might be a bit of a long shot though. Jake certainly plays bigger than his specs read. Kesler was drafted a year older at 6'1 and 195, and is listed now at 6'2 and 208, which is the same weight and an inch taller as barely-18 Jake is now. He'll likely gain another 10-15 lbs in the next couple years and if he grows another inch or two, more than that. if he maintains the same footspeed... look out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outsiders Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 he's got a lot of work a head of him if he wants to make the team next year. But the potential is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Of all the players I coveted in this tourney Morissey topped my list. Winnipeg not only had the most prospects in the tourney, they had some of the best of them too. There are some good years ahead for Winnipeg fans. They have some good ones, but the top ones are on the very smallish side (Petan, De Leo, Ehlers). We saw what having a mobile and puck-moving D does for a team... and I'm sure JimB has, too. Expecting that to be at or near the top of his priorities right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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