avelanch Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) I feel like Virtanen has more physical traits but Kesler leaves him in the dust when it comes to IQ, which is really what sets the top players apart from the rest. when i think of kesler, hockey IQ doesn't really come to mind... Edited January 8, 2015 by avelanch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I feel like Virtanen has more physical traits but Kesler leaves him in the dust when it comes to IQ, which is really what sets the top players apart from the rest. Actually most of what sets top players apart besides sheer natural talent is nothing more than a LOT of real, hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollieo Del Fuego Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 when i think of kesler, hockey IQ doesn't really come to mind... Maybe it's Kesler's smirk and aloof attitude that makes him look like he has hockey IQ that has the poster fooled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robongo Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) when i think of kesler, hockey IQ doesn't really come to mind... Really? People tend to confuse vision with hockey IQ far too often. He certainly lacks offensive vision, but I don't know how you can question his hockey IQ..He anticipates the play well defensively and his positioning and on ice awareness are excellent. Edited January 8, 2015 by Robongo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstewboy Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Oh man, how sweet it would be to see Virty in a Rockets sweater... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiznak Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) I'm pretty sure Corey Perry has always been a smart player.. His knock in Junior and in his early prospect years was that he was not the fastest skater or agile. But his ability to find open ice and hockey IQ has made him into an elite player. I've been following Perry since his junior days, and he wasn't the smartest player out there. It's true he also had issues with his skating, but hockey smarts was another problem of his. Often took bad penalties, was unreliable in his own end. It wasn't until his 5th year in the pros that he learn from his flaws. Edited January 9, 2015 by shiznak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I feel like Virtanen has more physical traits but Kesler leaves him in the dust when it comes to IQ, which is really what sets the top players apart from the rest. This is probably the first time i've seen somebody on cdc claim that Kesler had a high hockey iq. That that I don't agree, but it's the first time that i've seen it here as opposed to Kesler having tunnel vision, isn't a playmaker, etc., which was of course false. At the end of the day, hockey iq has become a very overused, misused and/or overrated term here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Just saw his his PP goal from last night (in the highlights on the WHL site) and it was literally identical to the one he scored against Moose Jaw in early December. Virtanen on his off side on the PP, Sanheim, from the point, slides the puck over to him, Jake takes the slapper, puck's in the net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashian Kassian Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Or it's a legitimate concern that is evident from watching him and has nothing to do with Nylander/Ehlers.. Wait you don't think every part of Virtanen's game is elite?? Must be a Nylander lover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snizzle_ Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Imagine on the PP: Forsling and Virtanen passing it back and worth on the umbrella! No one knows who's going to shoot the 1 timer but whoever it is... watch out 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herberts Vasiljevs Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Or it's a legitimate concern that is evident from watching him and has nothing to do with Nylander/Ehlers.. I was being about 50% sarcastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guntrix Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 when i think of kesler, hockey IQ doesn't really come to mind... This is probably the first time i've seen somebody on cdc claim that Kesler had a high hockey iq. That that I don't agree, but it's the first time that i've seen it here as opposed to Kesler having tunnel vision, isn't a playmaker, etc., which was of course false. At the end of the day, hockey iq has become a very overused, misused and/or overrated term here. I know I'm in the minority but I do think Kesler has a good amount of hockey IQ. Of course, his vision leaves a lot to be desired but the guy knows how to play and is one of the best 2-way centres in the league. Many forwards just think about attacking. IMO, it takes a little extra something to be able to acknowledge when to attack and defend appropriately, something Kesler is well known for. Forwards who play the 200 foot game are smarter than the 100 footers IMO. They acknowledge the responsibilities they have at both ends of the ice. If only Virtanen could one day play like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outsiders Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I know I'm in the minority but I do think Kesler has a good amount of hockey IQ. Of course, his vision leaves a lot to be desired but the guy knows how to play and is one of the best 2-way centres in the league. Many forwards just think about attacking. IMO, it takes a little extra something to be able to acknowledge when to attack and defend appropriately, something Kesler is well known for. Forwards who play the 200 foot game are smarter than the 100 footers IMO. They acknowledge the responsibilities they have at both ends of the ice. If only Virtanen could one day play like that... Kesler has hockey IQ, as like Virtanen does. They just both have a shoot first mentality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) I know I'm in the minority but I do think Kesler has a good amount of hockey IQ. Of course, his vision leaves a lot to be desired but the guy knows how to play and is one of the best 2-way centres in the league. Many forwards just think about attacking. IMO, it takes a little extra something to be able to acknowledge when to attack and defend appropriately, something Kesler is well known for. Forwards who play the 200 foot game are smarter than the 100 footers IMO. They acknowledge the responsibilities they have at both ends of the ice. If only Virtanen could one day play like that... I agree that Kesler is a smart player. He is a selfish one that would like to shoot 99 times out of 100 but he is not stupid. How anyone can call a two-way centre -- let alone one of the league's better ones -- an unintelligent player is beyond me. In any case, I have no idea why a physical scoring winger is being compared to a two-way centreman. EDIT: Never mind, nobody is necessarily calling him stupid. Still, he is a smart hockey player. Edited January 9, 2015 by Canucks1219 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tystick Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) Virtanen is fine, he's our sniper, he knows where to go. We just need a play maker to complement him in the NHL. Oh man, how sweet it would be to see Virty in a Rockets sweater... I would buy seasons tickets Edited January 9, 2015 by Tystick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakrami Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 when i think of kesler, hockey IQ doesn't really come to mind... You do realize points and hockey IQ come hand in hand? So Kesler does have a high hockey IQ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snizzle_ Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) You do realize points and hockey IQ come hand in hand? So Kesler does have a high hockey IQ. Now that's just naive. Just like shooting, passing, skating and puck skills are all attributes of players, not one by itself is an indeterminate result to points produced. So saying just because you have Hockey IQ, doesn't mean you're going to have lots of points. Sam Reinhart might be the smartest player I've seen go through the draft in the last decade but do I think he's going to be an excellent point producer in the NHL? Not necessarily, his skating is below average and his shot isn't the hardest. We all know how "smart" Cody Hodgson was and he has 6 pts in 41 games; on pace for 12 points... Edited January 9, 2015 by junglesniper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberz21 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 You do realize points and hockey IQ come hand in hand? So Kesler does have a high hockey IQ.Ovechkin's IQ is not that high. He has unbelievable skills, one of the best shot in hockey, great skater, but he's much more an instinctive player that rely on his talent rather than being a smart player. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) Really? People tend to confuse vision with hockey IQ far too often. He certainly lacks offensive vision, but I don't know how you can question his hockey IQ..He anticipates the play well defensively and his positioning and on ice awareness are excellent. yeah, he has defensive awareness... but he takes way too many low percentage shots/ tries to do way too much by himself to have a high hockey IQ. i'm not saying he has none, but high? you'd have to be to think he does. he certainly doesn't leave Virtanen in the dust in the hockey IQ category. I'd say they are fairly close, but neither are near the top of the top of the barrel. But that's fine, everything that isn't natural skill can be taught, and Jake already has shown signs of improvement. Edited January 9, 2015 by avelanch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 That call was made obviously because the refs hate the Canucks.... .... right? I think it was more the refs trying to settle the game down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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