jstewboy Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 This thread is damn near identical to Horvat's thread of last year at this time. I hope it remains that way throughout the next season 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 (edited) Make room for this kid. Buyout a vet. If need be. Edited June 18, 2015 by Tre Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiftynifty Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Barzal, Harkins and Jake are pretty good friends right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 For years this fanbase was begging for a local kid with speed, skill, toughness, and wanted to play for our club. Now that we got exactly what we wanted and all of sudden he ain't good enough because he didn't score 100 points after coming back from a shoulder injury. People drool over Dal Colle yet Virtanen beat him out of a roster spot on team Canada. THERE IS NO PLEASING YOU PEOPLE I fully expect Virtanen to prove you all wrong next year, wether its junior, or NHL he will have a big bounceback year since he will have a full summer to train. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devoted Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 (edited) Little article on Hockey Future's about Jake.. Nothing we don't already know, but good to see some positivity surrounding this kid. Photo: Utica Comets forward and Vancouver Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen had a busy 2014-15 season with a stop in the WHL, a gold medal win at the 2015 World Juniors, and his first pro action in the AHL (courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire) When Jake Virtanen arrived in Utica after his WHL playoff run with the Calgary Hitmen came to an end, he was expecting to come in and practice with the Vancouver Canucks‘ top minor league affiliate, the Utica Comets, to learn about the game at the professional level. Instead, injuries to forwards Darren Archibald and Carter Bancks opened up a spot in the lineup right away for Virtanen, who made his pro debut in Game Six of the AHL’s Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Barons before appearing in his first-ever Game Seven in pro hockey two nights later. “Coming here, I just thought I’d be here for experience,” Virtanen said after Utica’s Game Seven win over Oklahoma City. “Coming in and then with some injuries we have, Travis told me that I would be going in and there’s nothing better.” Virtanen created offensive opportunities with linemates Mike Zalewski and fellow rookie Hunter Shinkaruk on a regular basis while also being a physical force, playing a gritty two-way game at a high level. “They have a lot of skill on that line,” Virtanen said of his linemates. “I’m probably the heaviest guy on that line so I’m going to create room for those guys to get in on net or anything like that just to make space for them. If I have the time with the puck, I’ll try to get shots on net, too. It’s a good line combination.” Virtanen was held off the scoresheet against the Barons but was still very noticeable on the ice, particularly in Game Seven at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. “Coming from junior, I think I’ve been in two game sevens in playoffs, but this is completely different – it doesn’t compare,” Virtanen said. Virtanen’s breakout season in 2013-14 saw him selected sixth overall by the Canucks at the 2014 NHL Draft. Coming off a 45-goal WHL season, Virtanen followed it up with 52 points (21G-31A) in 50 regular season games this season – also adding 13 points (5G-8A) in 14 WHL postseason contests before joining Utica at a critical time. “My last game was my first game of pro and [this was] just an unbelievable experience for me,” Virtanen said after the Comets’ 1-0 Game Seven win over Oklahoma City, adding, “It was a Game 7, only my second game of pro and [we] come away with a huge win.” In Game Three of the Western Conference Finals against the Grand Rapids Griffins, Virtanen added the primary assist on Sven Baertschi’s hat trick goal in the second period for his first professional point. Virtanen got open at the top of the right wing faceoff circle and, although his shot was stopped by Griffins’ netminder Tom McCollum, Baertschi swooped in for an uncontested rebound goal. Although the Comets eventually fell to the Manchester Monarchs in the 2015 Calder Cup Finals, Virtanen and several other Canucks prospects played in a highly competitive atmosphere, gaining valuable experience that bodes well for the future of the organization. “Being in this atmosphere [was] unbelievable,” Virtanen remarked about Utica’s postseason run. “Just going out there and getting the experience will help me in the future, so that’s really good.” http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/124923/virtanen-gained-valuable-experience-vancouvers-ahl-affiliate-utica/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=virtanen-gained-valuable-experience-vancouvers-ahl-affiliate-utica Edited June 19, 2015 by Devoted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumerman77 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 (edited) Some Virtanen fans won't like this.. http://canucksarmy.com/2015/6/19/benning-s-year-1-report-card-part-3-2014-draft-revisited Edited June 19, 2015 by baumerman77 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFCanuck Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Some Virtanen fans won't like this.. http://canucksarmy.com/2015/6/19/benning-s-year-1-report-card-part-3-2014-draft-revisited Who cares what some blogger thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Some Virtanen fans won't like this.. http://canucksarmy.com/2015/6/19/benning-s-year-1-report-card-part-3-2014-draft-revisited Pretty typical Ehlers/Nylander fanboy'ing while completely disregarding context and ignoring other attributes that Virtanen has over either of them. Attributes that were arguably in more need on the Canucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdatb Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Pretty typical Ehlers/Nylander fanboy'ing while completely disregarding context and ignoring other attributes that Virtanen has over either of them. Attributes that were arguably in more need on the Canucks. Yeah. Totally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73 Percent Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Lol you guys are hilarious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumerman77 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I thought Virtanen was the better pick going into last year's draft. If we could redo the draft after this year I would probably select one of Nylander or Ehlers. Hopefully next year at this time I am back to preferring the Virtanen pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Cat Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I thought Virtanen was the better pick going into last year's draft. If we could redo the draft after this year I would probably select one of Nylander or Ehlers. Hopefully next year at this time I am back to preferring the Virtanen pick. I can't believe you use canucksarmy as a point of reference...Last year it was "Is Bo Horvat a top 6 C ?" article by canucksarmy,..which reads like a bored college kid looking at stats and not watching the game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumerman77 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I can't believe you use canucksarmy as a point of reference...Last year it was "Is Bo Horvat a top 6 C ?" article by canucksarmy,..which reads like a bored college kid looking at stats and not watching the game... I didn't base my opinion on that article. And I know everyone wants to think that Horvat can be a top 6 (even next year) but it is far too early to conclude that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiftynifty Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I didn't base my opinion on that article. And I know everyone wants to think that Horvat can be a top 6 (even next year) but it is far too early to conclude that. Similar to how early it is to decide Jake's future. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 (edited) Without reading that article, I guess it will be another full year of whining from Canucks Army? Oh well. I always found it interesting while they all insist that Benning is a drafting/scouting saviour, and he has a plan that goes beyong all quantifiable understanding, they openly and repeatedly rip his very first draft selection. That's some cognitive dissonance there. We're starting to see why anonymity is a huge factor in how US teams can become more successful than Canadian ones. A team could make their picks and other moves without them being scrutinized at every turn. It would be a welcome thing for that to happen here, but on the other hand, people here care enough to not only pay attention to the prospects and moves, but get riled up about what some other person has to say about them. Basically, as huge Canucks fans, over the years we've all developed an array of personality disorders... Paranoid, schizotypal, antisocial, histrionic, narcissistic, avoidant, dependant, OCD, and schizoid, I am sure. If you haven't gone through then at least a few of these, then obviously you're just not big enough of a fan. Edited June 19, 2015 by TOMapleLaughs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumerman77 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Without reading that article, I guess it will be another full year of whining from Canucks Army? Oh well. I always found it interesting while they all insist that Benning is a drafting/scouting saviour, and he has a plan that goes beyong all quantifiable understanding, they openly and repeatedly rip his very first draft selection. That's some cognitive dissonance there. I'm not sure if they think he is a drafting/scouting savior. They might have said that others believe that to be the case. They tend to base their opinions on empirical data and Benning's weak drafting record in Boston I don't think would inspire confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messier's_elbow Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 If jake comes into camp in better cardiovascular shape and shows he can play moderate defense, I think he will make the team. He can play 4th line with Dorset. Grenier could make the team as well though. They need to ship Higgins or someone else out for picks to make some room if a young guy sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Similar to how early it is to decide Jake's future. Good thing we aren't deciding it then. But I'm all for discussing the possibilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I'm not sure if they think he is a drafting/scouting savior. They might have said that others believe that to be the case. They tend to base their opinions on empirical data and Benning's weak drafting record in Boston I don't think would inspire confidence.Hmm, you'd think this data would include his Buffalo drafting record? I seem to recall that being trumpted by many at the time of the Benning hire. Or no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumerman77 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 (edited) Hmm, you'd think this data would include his Buffalo drafting record? I seem to recall that being trumpted by many at the time of the Benning hire. Or no? Yes, I think it would include Buffalo. However, I think his Boston record holds more weight for two reasons: 1) if drafting is in fact skill driven (as opposed to luck) one would expect a person, Benning, to get better at it as his experience increases - which certainly is not the case with Benning. 2) one would expect Bennings clout -that is his ability to actualize his draft preferences- to also increase over time and experience (Boston said they brought him in because of his scouting/player development experience). Thus we would expect Benning to have more say in who was drafted in Boston than he did in Buffalo. Edited June 19, 2015 by baumerman77 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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