MJDDawg Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I watched a bit of the game last night and thought that early on, Jake was doing a lot of the same things he's been doing...trying to fly past a defenceman then skating behind the net only to lose the puck time and again. Also saw a lot of the same periphery game when he wouldn't really muck it up and battle for pucks but rather hang outside the scrums waiting for loose pucks. But again this may be coaching. But I definitely thought he started to become more prominent as the game went on and in the third period I was impressed by his forechecking tenacity and his ability to make things happen when he had the puck. He might have been the best player on the ice for the last half of the game. It was his best game so far IMO and hopefully he can carry that on into the next round. I'm actually excited to see how he performs. Btw, are the Shaw games available in HD at all? Standard Def is just so 15 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatetomatoes Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I watched a bit of the game last night and thought that early on, Jake was doing a lot of the same things he's been doing...trying to fly past a defenceman then skating behind the net only to lose the puck time and again. Also saw a lot of the same periphery game when he wouldn't really muck it up and battle for pucks but rather hang outside the scrums waiting for loose pucks. But again this may be coaching. But I definitely thought he started to become more prominent as the game went on and in the third period I was impressed by his forechecking tenacity and his ability to make things happen when he had the puck. He might have been the best player on the ice for the last half of the game. It was his best game so far IMO and hopefully he can carry that on into the next round. I'm actually excited to see how he performs. Btw, are the Shaw games available in HD at all? Standard Def is just so 15 years ago. I agree, his offensive game is fairly predictable. Skate fast and try and go around defender, often enough he gets stripped of the puck and turns it over leading to a rush in the other direction. I thought he made a few great plays along to boards that led to goals for Calgary. I really think Jakes defensive game is underated. For a winger his role defensively in his own zone isn't that important but he does a lot of good things, plus he is a beast on the back check and forecheck when hounding guys with the puck using his speed and size. I'm not really sold on his offensive game translating well to the NHL, skate fast shoot hard doesn't really fly that well in the NHL but his speed size and willingness to do what it takes on the defensive side of the game will serve him well going forward. Hopefully he can find a way keep getting better and progressing on the offensive side of the game and bring it come time in the bigs and be a solid 2nd line guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Please tell me you were being sarcastic... Doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Please tell me you were being sarcastic...That was a 9/10 on the sarcasmometer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messier's_elbow Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 The hit men have a legitimate chance at the WHL championship. Similarly, both the Oshawa Generals and the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds have a legitimate chance at the OHL championship. We have three prospects with a legit chance at winning their championship. If we could have two of our guys in the memorial cup, that would be huge! Id love to see Jake vs McCann in the MC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snizzle_ Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 The hit men have a legitimate chance at the WHL championship. Similarly, both the Oshawa Generals and the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds have a legitimate chance at the OHL championship. We have three prospects with a legit chance at winning their championship. If we could have two of our guys in the memorial cup, that would be huge! Kelowna... Brandon...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thought Virtanen had a solid game. For those concerned about his goal scoring he had a couple of big league blasts that were stopped that could have gone in. He does have shifts where he stands out big time. Like most big players when he gets his speed up with the puck he is pretty imposing. The biggest risk with physical layers from junior is that tougher NHL opposition kills their confidence as what worked in junior usually does not in the NHL. Fans will simply have to wait to see how Virtanen deals with that. IMO another year in junior on a top line is what he needs along with a solid WJC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_19 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 He plays identically to David Booth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 He plays identically to David Booth. Not really. At times he reminds me of Cam Neely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herberts Vasiljevs Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 He plays identically to David Booth. Nope. Absolutely not. Stylistically, he reminds me of a cross of Jeff Carter and Cal Clutterbuck. Carter because of the way they both skate the puck up the ice and rip the puck, and Clutterbuck because of the thundering hits and the intimidation factor. (Same can be said about Raffi Torres, but it's a bit of of a lazy comparison) Virtanen is a unique talent. He doesn't really remind me of anyone specifically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I literately laughed out loud. Whether he was sarcastic or not, the ignorance in his comment gave me a good laugh. I also laughed and assumed sarcasm/irony but you never know with "travella"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uselessstats Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Nope. Absolutely not. Stylistically, he reminds me of a cross of Jeff Carter and Cal Clutterbuck. Carter because of the way they both skate the puck up the ice and rip the puck, and Clutterbuck because of the thundering hits and the intimidation factor. (Same can be said about Raffi Torres, but it's a bit of of a lazy comparison) Virtanen is a unique talent. He doesn't really remind me of anyone specifically. Good call on the Carter comp, as I was watching last nights game and thinking the exact same thing. Granted Carter doesn't spend nearly as much time trying to blow up the other team with big hits but in terms of his offensive tendencies I see a lot of similarities, especially in the "straight ahead" way Carter plays as well. Like Jake he isn't a very "elusive" player and prefers to go through or around defenders with speed and a wide wingspan. Jake doesn't have Carter's wingspan but probably has better speed. And of course both like to shoot on net (first) or make fairly simple, direct plays (second). Think Carter is a blueprint for how Jake's game *could* translate at the NHL level, though he does have some work to do still to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messier's_elbow Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Nope. Absolutely not. Stylistically, he reminds me of a cross of Jeff Carter and Cal Clutterbuck. Carter because of the way they both skate the puck up the ice and rip the puck, and Clutterbuck because of the thundering hits and the intimidation factor. (Same can be said about Raffi Torres, but it's a bit of of a lazy comparison) Virtanen is a unique talent. He doesn't really remind me of anyone specifically. Krieder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sting Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 ^^^ works for Jeff Carter. It seems a lot of posters think that Jake should be doing button hooks tight turns and skating east west darting through players threading sauce all over. Jake is a NorthSouth power forward.......no? His speed, shot and size and strength are 100% NHL transferable. He won't have a problem getting to the net where most goals in the NHL are scored. He's the compliment to a skilled center and a much more desirable player than an undersized skilled euro IMO. He must improve his puck protection if he wants to be a top 6 NHLer. I would rather say that than....he's gotta get a lot stronger to get to the scoring areas or improve his skating enough to be effective. I would caution against comparing junior production to NHL production. Or judging a junior player on a few weeks or few games of play.....it's a fools game. Bo Horvat was being picked apart last year (based on a disappointing finish to his season and World Juniors) How is Mitch Holmberg's pro career going or Dane Fox or Hodgson or Filatov If you look at Virtanen's accomplishments it's actually very impressive....was Canada's best forward at the u18's, Drafted 6th overall, recovered from shoulder surgery, came back with an attention to better defensive play and puck distribution. Had an impressive performance as one of the youngest players at the World Juniors. Gold Medal.....physically dominant, huge bone crushing hits, blowing past defenseman and catching players with ease on the back check. I like the pick and would do it today if we had a re draft. Glad to have Benning. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Monahan Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 ^^, well said sting Am I wrong in saying that his offensive game is somewhat similar to Kesler's? Admittedly that's a bit of a lazy comparison to just use a former Canuck, but to me it holds some weight. They're both a good size, skate well, have great shots, play very much north-south, etc etc. Jake seems to be more pass-oriented now, and I like his hands better than Kes' at the same age. If he could end up like a more offensively-dynamic Kesler, I'd be thrilled. And yes, I'm well aware that Kes is a center while Jake plays midfield or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossi Vaananen Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 The hit men have a legitimate chance at the WHL championship. Similarly, both the Oshawa Generals and the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds have a legitimate chance at the OHL championship. We have three prospects with a legit chance at winning their championship. If we could have two of our guys in the memorial cup, that would be huge! I don't think any team in the WHL is going to beat out Brandon. They're just beastly, with guys like Klimchuk, Hawrlychuk, Quenneville brothers up front and, Ryan Pilon and Ivan Provorov on D. . The Rockets as well are pretty stacked with Draisaitl, Merkley, and Bowey. I don't think the Hitmen can beat out either team for the championship, and that's without mentioning the perennial champions in the Winterhawks. As for the OHL, the Generals and Hounds likely meet in the final. I'd personally put money on the Generals (7 forwards with 20+ goals and all 12 above 10). I don't think the Q has a shot this year. I mean maybe Halifax, but they're going to game 7 in the first round, and the host QC might be gone as of tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Monahan Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I don't think the Q has a shot this year. I mean maybe Halifax, but they're going to game 7 in the first round, and the host QC might be gone as of tonight. Halifax was a .500 team this year that lost Drouin, traded Fucale, and finished 25 points behind their division's leader. Quebec, Moncton, Rimouski, etc have better chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guntrix Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 A decent-sized forward who can skate, likes to snipe, can throw the body, and has been criticized of sketchy defending and dry scoring spurts? That's Booth to me. If y'all are reaching to compare him to Carter, it's also appropriate to relate him to the not-so-attractive option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stawns Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I don't think any team in the WHL is going to beat out Brandon. They're just beastly, with guys like Klimchuk, Hawrlychuk, Quenneville brothers up front and, Ryan Pilon and Ivan Provorov on D. . The Rockets as well are pretty stacked with Draisaitl, Merkley, and Bowey. I don't think the Hitmen can beat out either team for the championship, and that's without mentioning the perennial champions in the Winterhawks. As for the OHL, the Generals and Hounds likely meet in the final. I'd personally put money on the Generals (7 forwards with 20+ goals and all 12 above 10). I don't think the Q has a shot this year. I mean maybe Halifax, but they're going to game 7 in the first round, and the host QC might be gone as of tonight. The hometown Rockets are my pick, but they have to get through the Royals first and for some reason Vic has their number. It will be a tough battle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stawns Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 A decent-sized forward who can skate, likes to snipe, can throw the body, and has been criticized of sketchy defending and dry scoring spurts? That's Booth to me. If y'all are reaching to compare him to Carter, it's also appropriate to relate him to the not-so-attractive option. pre-concussions, Booth was a pretty dominating player and an emerging elite scorer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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