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Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW


avelanch

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The problem with Jake is he skates in a straight line and that will be easily shut down in the NHL. If he doesn't learn to cut to the middle and use his speed, this guy will be a career 3rd or 2nd liner who will be a hitter and with some skill. However, if he can learn to cut to the middle using his speed, rather then skating in a straight line then you might have something special because his NHL speed is there.

If he starts skating into the middle with the puck, he will create more penalties with his speed. Instead, he chooses to skate in a straight line, which is easily shut down in the NHL. No way in hell the defence give you a straight line, you have to cut to the middle and challenge the defence.

Can Willie teach him this? Or should he go back to junior and work on his scoring before coming into the NHL. For me it's going back to the juniors and working on his scoring before joining the NHL.

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The problem with Jake is he skates in a straight line and that will be easily shut down in the NHL. If he doesn't learn to cut to the middle and use his speed, this guy will be a career 3rd or 2nd liner who will be a hitter and with some skill. However, if he can learn to cut to the middle using his speed, rather then skating in a straight line then you might have something special because his NHL speed is there.

If he starts skating into the middle with the puck, he will create more penalties with his speed. Instead, he chooses to skate in a straight line, which is easily shut down in the NHL. No way in hell the defence give you a straight line, you have to cut to the middle and challenge the defence.

Can Willie teach him this? Or should he go back to junior and work on his scoring before coming into the NHL. For me it's going back to the juniors and working on his scoring before joining the NHL.

Agreed that he needs to change it up a bit, but I think he does. It's just the highlights that feature him putting 210lb men on their butts with reverse hits along the boards. Considering he's only 18 and has yet to fill out fully, that's a decent reason to get excited about the power aspect to his game.

Cutting to the middle has it's share of risks. Namely, knee injuries.

Anyway, he's a bulldozer. We can make new strategies that revolve around that zone entry technique until the league shuts it down with a vague reverse hitting rule that would apply only to Virtanen. Seen it before with Bertuzzi's push-off. However, that was a bit more of a cheat because it led to some cheap power play goals. Zone entries are hardly going to directly lead to goals.

Good to know that more people are starting to realize how good he is defensively now. Been saying that for awhile.

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enjoy watching him get shut down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY7ULz7Ebt0

observe

watch it at 1:34

That move at 1:34, aside from being extremely hard to pull off for players, doesn't utilize speed. The most effective way for fast players to use their skating to their advantage is to blow by on the wing, as Jake does.

As for switching it up, I agree with you there, and I'm sure he will as he gets more comfortable at the pro level.

To say he needs to "cut to the middle to use his speed" is an oxymoron, since players use their speed to get around defenders on the outside.

Edited by Mrbigyellowbus
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The problem with Jake is he skates in a straight line and that will be easily shut down in the NHL. If he doesn't learn to cut to the middle and use his speed, this guy will be a career 3rd or 2nd liner who will be a hitter and with some skill. However, if he can learn to cut to the middle using his speed, rather then skating in a straight line then you might have something special because his NHL speed is there.

If he starts skating into the middle with the puck, he will create more penalties with his speed. Instead, he chooses to skate in a straight line, which is easily shut down in the NHL. No way in hell the defence give you a straight line, you have to cut to the middle and challenge the defence.

Can Willie teach him this? Or should he go back to junior and work on his scoring before coming into the NHL. For me it's going back to the juniors and working on his scoring before joining the NHL.

Benning wants big fast pfw's to play a north south game controlling the boards, this is what he is trying to do with Kassian and will want Virtanen to do as well. Concussion city is waiting in the center ice in the neutral zone in the NHL, turnover city is waiting there as well.

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You clearly weren't a very good hockey Player. Cutting to the middle Will allow him more Space to to work with. He's actually right for once.

You clearly don't know how to read, because I didn't say cutting to the middle is always bad.

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Nothing for him to learn in the dub anymore so there really is no point in him going there destroying kids. Send him to the WJC but let him play and learn in thr big leagues

Nothing wrong with more seasoning. Then he can start out in the A.

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enjoy watching him get shut down.

observe

watch it at 1:34

Actually Desi, that's a massive fail by the defenseman there. Any decent NHL d-man will never give a player the inside on his forehand. If Jake is coming down the right wing going to the outside on his forehand is the right play. You usually will never get the inside until you can show a d-man that you can beat him on the outside first as well.

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I know everyone likes to ooh and ahh over his reverse hits, but at the end of those clips, what we don't see is the puck leaving the zone very shortly after.

Don't get me wrong it's entertaining as hell, but I'd like to see him make plays more often.

Edited by Spotted Zebra
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