Derp... Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Bummed that Jake misses the cutoff for the 2020 World Cup Team North America by a month. Typical NHL craziness, Jake and McCann won't be eligible for the under 24 team beyond this year. Realistically, our only young players that will have a good chance will be Boeser, and whoever we draft in the first round this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Yesterday's game looks like as if Virtanen has finally turned the corner and with everything clicking. Strong on the backcheck, more than willing to pay the price to be in front of the net, strong along the boards, very physical, comfortable making pretty plays...... the exact opposite of what we saw during the Zack Kassian experiment. The hardest thing for a young player isn't whether they're producing or excelling.... it's about being able to do all the little things right. So far he's been able to, along with McCann, Horvat and especially Baertschi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 45 minutes ago, The 5th Line said: When people say he has low hockey IQ it doesn't mean he is an idiot that should be playing mens league hockey. Some players are smarter and have a natural sense of where to be on the ice and some do not. With Jake's great strength, great speed, hard shot and physicality should he not be considered a surefire, elite , untouchable prospect? Or is there one aspect of his game that is holding him back from that label? ie hockey IQ Declarations like "brutal IQ" and "wasted pick" are pretty self-explanatory. He was not a #1 or 2 overall pick because he was raw, and not as polished as the consensus top-5 that draft. He was physically more mature than most in his class and yet one of the youngest, so while he had significant upside he also had a potentially lower floor should he not continue to develop. Did you watch the game last night? Did you not see the same, in regards to his head-up vision and decision-making? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derp... Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 HF Ranking Spring 2016 3. (1) Jake Virtanen, RW, 8.0C Drafted 1st round, 6th overall, 2014 Jake Virtanen slips to third spot on the list by no real fault of his own. The unexpected emergence of Ben Hutton and Jared McCann have overshadowed Virtanen’s somewhat modest start to his NHL career. Virtanen had a less than memorable WJC experience in Helsinki and after returning to Vancouver he seemed re-focused on what he needed to do to be a better all-around player. In recent weeks Virtanen has been given more opportunities as his ice-time has increased and he has not been a healthy scratch since early February. It appears that Virtanen has almost fully made the transition into being a reliable NHL player, now it will be his responsibility to get his game to the next level and become a consistent scoring threat. Another full season in the NHL should see Virtanen find his swagger and if he can maintain his high level of physicality and find the back of the net on a regular basis, he is sure to be a fan favorite as a power forward in Vancouver for the next decade or so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 22 hours ago, Hutton Wink said: As I commented in the PGT, the third period showed me something I've yet to see from him -- hockey sense, vision, and playmaking. Seemed he had his head up this game, thinking and looking to make something happen instead of just wildly throwing the puck around. He was actually driving the play more and more, as opposed to being a black hole. Forgot who it was he turned away from on the wall to lose his check and got a good scoring chance, then went around the net to set up a guy with an open shot but it just didn't connect. Probably the most impressive game and certainly best period I've seen of him so far. If that was any indication, he is NOT going to be a one-trick pony in this league. Very VERY encouraging. IMO Virtanen is getting up to speed on both the physical and mental sides of the NHL game. He stands out on the physical side since he broke in but I suggest that he has only scratched the surface of what he will be. He will be far more aggressive next fall. Combine that with his game awareness and watch out. I am not a fan of signing Lucic because of age, term and dollars. Jake Virtanen will be the Canucks Lucic. It might come faster than many expect. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Hope he destroys somebody before season ends, goals are nice but as a Canucks fan seeing an opposing player enter slumberland would ease my frustrations about this year. And for those who say "Hey, how can you wish that upon anyone?" Simple: I hope he injures someone with a legit hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wshdrvvn Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 39 minutes ago, Tre Mac said: Hope he destroys somebody before season ends, goals are nice but as a Canucks fan seeing an opposing player enter slumberland would ease my frustrations about this year. And for those who say "Hey, how can you wish that upon anyone?" Simple: I hope he injures someone with a legit hit. Bizarre. this comes off like you forget that NHL players are humans. you shouldn't wish injuries on people, no exceptions. Just wish for a highlight reel hit and leave it at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 47 minutes ago, Tre Mac said: Hope he destroys somebody before season ends, goals are nice but as a Canucks fan seeing an opposing player enter slumberland would ease my frustrations about this year. And for those who say "Hey, how can you wish that upon anyone?" Simple: I hope he injures someone with a legit hit. He already did. He hurt Bobby Ryan in the Ottawa home game. Jake Crush popped Ryan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANUCK-EXPRESS Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 5 hours ago, Alflives said: He already did. He hurt Bobby Ryan in the Ottawa home game. Jake Crush popped Ryan. I was surprised Ryan was that hurt, it didn't seem like Jake hit him that hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Crosby Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 4 minutes ago, CANUCK-EXPRESS said: I was surprised Ryan was that hurt, it didn't seem like Jake hit him that hard. Deceptive truculence 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post MeanSeanBean Posted March 4, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted March 4, 2016 Glad to see less hate on Virtanen lately in this thread. It astounds me the amount of vex this kid receives from the 'fans' here. I feel like I am constantly reading about how he'll never be a dynamic NHL player or how we should have drafted Nylander. I understand CDC has always needed a whipping boy, but we have Vey.. so I do not understand why it goes to Jake. This kid is a monster. We should be honored and excited that we get to watch this LOCAL kid grow into the future core of the canucks. Also go Jake, you've been playing great lately. Keep it up kid! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alflives Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 1 hour ago, CANUCK-EXPRESS said: I was surprised Ryan was that hurt, it didn't seem like Jake hit him that hard. A lot of guys look surprised at Jake's impact. See Kesler! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeanSeanBean Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Atta boy Jake. Flying in the first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73 Percent Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 1 minute ago, shayster007 said: Atta boy Jake. Flying in the first. Best game I've seen him play. Ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Monahan Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 2 point night. His confidence with the puck on his stick is just exponentially greater than it was 2 months ago. Fun to watch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANUCK-EXPRESS Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 What a bust. 1 goal and 1 assist in the first. Pfftttt BUST1!1!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WonderTwinPowers Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 If only this guy could start developing some offensive instincts... Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gstank29 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 COULD HAVE GOT NYLANDER 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkyard Dog Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 1 fight away from a Gordie Howe Hatty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manroth19 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Kids progression is just amazing. I remember telling myself over and over what are doing kid? Almost looked lost in his own zone and i agreed with all the low iq crowd. With saying that seems every game hes better and better. Now i keep telling myself on the daily "holy christ this kids good at picking off passes always in the right spot to pounce" i know its a stretch like a huge stretch, but i could see jake being one of the leaders in takeaways in a few years from now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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