Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

[stawns]

Just now, Nuxfanabroad said:

Agreed, & I'm bullish on his outlook. Just wonder if he may have greater impact(long-term), if eventually placed on his apparent fav, LW?

I can't believe they even have him on the rw, tbh.  He clearly creates most of his offense from the left side.  I guess once you switch to the attack, you just become a fwd......positions are more for your own end.  Still, lw is where he should be because he creates so much off the rush.

[Nuxfanabroad]

2 minutes ago, stawns said:

I can't believe they even have him on the rw, tbh.  He clearly creates most of his offense from the left side.  I guess once you switch to the attack, you just become a fwd......positions are more for your own end.  Still, lw is where he should be because he creates so much off the rush.

Seems our Wings & D, prospect-depth has increased so quickly, I can't believe people keep moaning. Get these kids coming up together(add muscle to protect); all under the direction of some(other) competent coach...

[stawns]

Just now, Nuxfanabroad said:

Seems our Wings & D, prospect-depth has increased so quickly, I can't believe people keep moaning. Get these kids coming up together(add muscle to protect); all under the direction of some(other) competent coach...

It will never hsppen, but I'd love to see Green and Willie swap spots next season.

[ilduce39]

12 minutes ago, stawns said:

I've always looked at Jake as part of the next wave coming in.  They just needed a place to park him last season to get him out of Calgary and in control of his development.  I say keep all those guys in Utica next season.......Virt, Cassels, Brisebois, Boeser, Gaudette, Zhukenov, Demko, McEneny, Garteig, Dahlen and any college players they sign and let them develop some chemistry on and off the ice.

For sure.  Would love to see them gel like the old Manitoba Moose... with Kes, Burr and Juice,

[stawns]

3 minutes ago, ilduce39 said:

For sure.  Would love to see them gel like the old Manitoba Moose... with Kes, Burr and Juice,

Exactly right and though the end result was disappointing, they were the team to beat for 3-4 years.  I think this next wave has more potential and more drive and character than that group.

[gameburn2]

43 minutes ago, stawns said:

I've always looked at Jake as part of the next wave coming in.  They just needed a place to park him last season to get him out of Calgary and in control of his development.  I say keep all those guys in Utica next season.......Virt, Cassels, Brisebois, Boeser, Gaudette, Zhukenov, Demko, McEneny, Garteig, Dahlen and any college players they sign and let them develop some chemistry on and off the ice.

Well, not all of the players you list will make the Canucks, so some version of what you are talking about is going to happen.  Also, I think we picked up a draft pick or two for this summer's draft -- which means a potentially very deep Utica team. 

 

That said, what do you do if in October Boeser and Virtanen and maybe Dahlen and Juolevi out-play the likes of Skille, Chaput, Megna, Rodin, Gudbranson, Biega, (or Gaunce)?    Do we really want to keep these 4 guys in Utica for a "good experience"?  I want to see a reborn Virtanen and whoever else is ready to play in the NHL actually play in the NHL, hopefully next October/Early November.  Some of the replays of Virtanen in Utica look very promising. 

 

Just bring Green up with him lol.

[D.B Cooper]

9 hours ago, Gooseberries said:

His injury history doesn't scare you EW?

 

9 hours ago, Eastcoast meets Westcoast said:

Not really. 

 

That is a team due diligence/scouting issue. Our medical team would be asssessing his history and the combine would be essential for Nolan. 

 

If you had the 1st or 2nd pick, you dig deep into Patrick's injury history and how he dealt with it. You hire sports injury pathologists to analyze and report their assessment.  If they red flag something, then yes you draft Nico. As a arm chair GM, I cannot effectively judge his medical history. This league has a lot of hall of fame inducties who had horrible injury histories. Orr, Bossy, Lemuiex, Bure, Neely etc. 

 

So Patrick is still my number one. 

 

If you have the 3rd pick and Patrick falls, take him.  

 

Every Scouting ranking has Patrick at number 1 without exeception. Last year, there was rumbling that Laine could go number 1. 

 

Patrick was the top ranked prospect while being injured and missing the WJC. 

This is very well said.   

Injuries are always sketchy, but teams can get all the info needed to make a good, educated decision.  

 

IMO, from what I have read about his injury history, it doesn't really seem to be much to worry about.  

 

The kid is a real talent.   He has been putting up wicked points his whole JR career, while dealing with all these injuries. 

He plays a strong two way game, which fits nicely with the team JB is building.  

 

If available, I take Patrick hands down. 

 

[stawns]

33 minutes ago, gameburn2 said:

Well, not all of the players you list will make the Canucks, so some version of what you are talking about is going to happen.  Also, I think we picked up a draft pick or two for this summer's draft -- which means a potentially very deep Utica team. 

 

That said, what do you do if in October Boeser and Virtanen and maybe Dahlen and Juolevi out-play the likes of Skille, Chaput, Megna, Rodin, Gudbranson, Biega, (or Gaunce)?    Do we really want to keep these 4 guys in Utica for a "good experience"?  I want to see a reborn Virtanen and whoever else is ready to play in the NHL actually play in the NHL, hopefully next October/Early November.  Some of the replays of Virtanen in Utica look very promising. 

 

Just bring Green up with him lol.

My personal opinion is that the replays don't show the full story of how Jake is playing.  In my eyes, he looks like he is on the way to bring the player we thought he might be.

 

Tough call on the next wave, I think as long as the twins are there, they are going to stick with the status quo, for better or worse, andbletbthe new core fully take over without having to carry some young guys.  Personally, unless it is ridiculously easy for Boeser, Jake, Gaudette, let them get used to each other.  With a pretty decent draft shaping up in 2018, I see no need to rush the young guys in.

[logic]

The best part about the shiny new toys, Goldy, Dahlen, + our pick this year is it should free some of the attention from Virt allowing him to just focus on developing his game.

He is never gonna be a 60-70 point scorer, but a 15-20 goal 40 point physical middle six player is a guy any cup team would want.

[Watermelons]

8 hours ago, canuckistani said:

Yeah, much like Bo was in his draft, sitting around the #5-10 mark.  But he is, so far, the best forward of his class because the likes of McKinnon and Barkov are nowhere close to Horvat in the defensive side of things, though they are slightly ahead in the offensive categories.

Villardi IMO is going to be the same kind of player. I've seen a few windsor games this year and this kid IMO is going to be the best of his class and IMO, the safest pick of them all. 

He doesnt have any glaring deficiencies/red flags the others ahead of him does ( Hischier : size and grit, Patrick : injury history & durability, Rasmussen: 5on5 effectiveness, Necas: Size & grit, etc).

One thing that stands out about Villardi and one of the reasons i think he will be the best overall forward of his class, is because the kid is 17 and exceptionally good at the cycle game for his age. This shows above average intelligence.

 

 

 

Don't mean to go off topic on the Jake Virtanen thread, but Barkov's defence is as good as his offence, if not better. I'd say that he's way ahead of Horvat in both categories at this moment. (Not saying that Horvat will not catch up one day).

 

Barkov was 6th overall in Selke voting in the 2015/16 season (last year) and put up 59 points in 66 games. This year he has 39 points in 49 games. Horvat in comparison had 40 points in 82 games last year and 44 points in 63 games this year. Either way, I'm a huge Horvat fan and am very happy the Canucks have him, he stacks up very well against the rest of the 2013 draft class. Horvat is out-scoring MacKinnon this year though (42 points in 63 games) so I'll give you that. 

 

I'm not the most familiar with Vilardi yet but if he projects to be a Horvat that'd be a solid pick for the Canucks. I think that this is going to be a pretty exciting draft year despite the media constantly playing it down as a "weak" draft. Perhaps they don't need to hype the players up anymore now that Toronto isn't in the running for the draft lottery 

 

[flickyoursedin]

Virtanen is never gonna be a Todd Bertuzzi. Once people stop trying to look at Virtanen as a guy that should be creating offence and more as a complementary player will they appreciate what he can bring to the team. I think this might be his thought as well and his play suffers from trying to do too much. He's going to be a player thats going to need to rely heavily on the creativity and skill of his line mates much like Lucic benefitting from the skill and passing ability of Krejci, Bergeron, Kopitar and now McDavid. I do still think Virtanen can become a Lucic lite player for us in the future if he's playing with an elite top 6 centre and he realizes his role.

[canuckistani]

5 hours ago, flickyoursedin said:

Virtanen is never gonna be a Todd Bertuzzi. Once people stop trying to look at Virtanen as a guy that should be creating offence and more as a complementary player will they appreciate what he can bring to the team. I think this might be his thought as well and his play suffers from trying to do too much. He's going to be a player thats going to need to rely heavily on the creativity and skill of his line mates much like Lucic benefitting from the skill and passing ability of Krejci, Bergeron, Kopitar and now McDavid. I do still think Virtanen can become a Lucic lite player for us in the future if he's playing with an elite top 6 centre and he realizes his role.

I'd be happy with a Raffi Torres at this point...

 

[canuckistani]

6 hours ago, Watermelons said:

Don't mean to go off topic on the Jake Virtanen thread, but Barkov's defence is as good as his offence, if not better. I'd say that he's way ahead of Horvat in both categories at this moment. (Not saying that Horvat will not catch up one day).

 

Barkov was 6th overall in Selke voting in the 2015/16 season (last year) and put up 59 points in 66 games. This year he has 39 points in 49 games. Horvat in comparison had 40 points in 82 games last year and 44 points in 63 games this year. Either way, I'm a huge Horvat fan and am very happy the Canucks have him, he stacks up very well against the rest of the 2013 draft class. Horvat is out-scoring MacKinnon this year though (42 points in 63 games) so I'll give you that. 

 

I'm not the most familiar with Vilardi yet but if he projects to be a Horvat that'd be a solid pick for the Canucks. I think that this is going to be a pretty exciting draft year despite the media constantly playing it down as a "weak" draft. Perhaps they don't need to hype the players up anymore now that Toronto isn't in the running for the draft lottery 

 

 

Well, I am not saying he will be another Bo, but he is showing the same signs. Guy is very good in the face-off dot, he back-checks well, is positionally sound, dishes some very sweet passes and scores in front of the net- not exactly garbage goals, but the kind where you beat the defence, skate up to the goalie and shoot form a few feet out. 

He also cycles very well and is possibly the best cycle-guy in this draft. Cycling is always hard for juniors, because it requires a really advanced sense of positioning- both for self and the teammates. Most top-tier guys are not good cycle guys or atleast very good at it. I still remember the first season of Crosby and pretty much the only thing offensively he couldn't do back then, was cycle. He isn't exceptionally fast (or atleast, all the other forwards are faster than him in the top 10) but he isn't exactly slow either. 

Plus he is big- already 6'2 and pushing 195 lbs. 
I see him as an exceptionally safe pick and IMO, we could use a guy who is a complete package down the middle, more so than a riskier, flashier player in the long run.

[Sbriggs]

On 3/5/2017 at 3:43 PM, gameburn2 said:

Well, not all of the players you list will make the Canucks, so some version of what you are talking about is going to happen.  Also, I think we picked up a draft pick or two for this summer's draft -- which means a potentially very deep Utica team. 

 

That said, what do you do if in October Boeser and Virtanen and maybe Dahlen and Juolevi out-play the likes of Skille, Chaput, Megna, Rodin, Gudbranson, Biega, (or Gaunce)?    Do we really want to keep these 4 guys in Utica for a "good experience"?  I want to see a reborn Virtanen and whoever else is ready to play in the NHL actually play in the NHL, hopefully next October/Early November.  Some of the replays of Virtanen in Utica look very promising. 

 

Just bring Green up with him lol.

Agree except for Guddy, he's on the team, shouldn't be on that list you made.

[Crabcakes]

On 3/5/2017 at 3:43 PM, gameburn2 said:

Well, not all of the players you list will make the Canucks, so some version of what you are talking about is going to happen.  Also, I think we picked up a draft pick or two for this summer's draft -- which means a potentially very deep Utica team. 

 

That said, what do you do if in October Boeser and Virtanen and maybe Dahlen and Juolevi out-play the likes of Skille, Chaput, Megna, Rodin, Gudbranson, Biega, (or Gaunce)?    Do we really want to keep these 4 guys in Utica for a "good experience"?  I want to see a reborn Virtanen and whoever else is ready to play in the NHL actually play in the NHL, hopefully next October/Early November.  Some of the replays of Virtanen in Utica look very promising. 

 

Just bring Green up with him lol.

Management wants the prospects to out perform the fringe plugs that Benning has brought in.  They represent the minimum standard of play for the NHL.  With these players on the roster, no young guys will be playing on the team before they are ready.  It's about internal competition and development and is a good thing.

 

Rodin had a year long try out.  Unfortunately, it looks like his knee/tendon injury may have ended a promising career.  

 

Gudbranson is an important member of the team moving forward.  I would like to think that we haven't seen the real Guddy yet.  Early on, he was adjusting to a new system, then he tried to play through his wrist injury.

 

The other players represent the bar that young players must jump over to play in the NHL.  Gaunce is just over it imo.

[Seeds]

There are a few things to factor in. This has been the first best thing Vancouver has done with any of its picks in recent years. He came in last year as an entitled kid that did not earn his ice time and this is the result of a wasted year.  someone on here mentioned hischer being slight and not gritty. This player was better than any Canadian forward at the WJHC. He reminds me of a young joe Salic, with his ability to avoid traffic darting in and out , with a great head on his shoulders and a quick release. Vancouver should tank the rest of the year just to increase the odds of getting him. Lastly what is Vancouver going to do with their defence , they are locked on the right side with Taney, gudbranson and stecher,  left side of Edler, Sbisa,,Hutton,tryamkin and juolevi coming probably next year.  Especially with sbisa having a breakout year. Not to mention the players they have in the minors. Like him or not Pedan is a player that helps this team long term . Big body, good feet , tough tough and adds grit to a soft backend. Subban deserves a chance somewhere but most likely won't be here.  Vancouvers D is deep but to get the best unit you have to move out elder, Hutton, and maybe sbisa if you want size in pedan.  Great overall prospects at forward and after miller leaves they have three good respects as future number ones. I would expect this team to struggle one more year but 2018-2019 should be the beginning of a great future for Vancouver hockey fans

[lethal_spaghetti]

26 minutes ago, Seeds said:

There are a few things to factor in. This has been the first best thing Vancouver has done with any of its picks in recent years. He came in last year as an entitled kid that did not earn his ice time and this is the result of a wasted year.  someone on here mentioned hischer being slight and not gritty. This player was better than any Canadian forward at the WJHC. He reminds me of a young joe Salic, with his ability to avoid traffic darting in and out , with a great head on his shoulders and a quick release. Vancouver should tank the rest of the year just to increase the odds of getting him. Lastly what is Vancouver going to do with their defence , they are locked on the right side with Taney, gudbranson and stecher,  left side of Edler, Sbisa,,Hutton,tryamkin and juolevi coming probably next year.  Especially with sbisa having a breakout year. Not to mention the players they have in the minors. Like him or not Pedan is a player that helps this team long term . Big body, good feet , tough tough and adds grit to a soft backend. Subban deserves a chance somewhere but most likely won't be here.  Vancouvers D is deep but to get the best unit you have to move out elder, Hutton, and maybe sbisa if you want size in pedan.  Great overall prospects at forward and after miller leaves they have three good respects as future number ones. I would expect this team to struggle one more year but 2018-2019 should be the beginning of a great future for Vancouver hockey fans

Hey Seeds welcome to the board. few things i would like to add:

 

1. No team will ever intentionally tank but I agree that if we are in a position to draft Hischier we should not hesitate.

2. Yes we have a lot of depth at D currently but we may lose Sbisa in the expansion draft and we won't know until next year if Juolevi will be ready for the show right away (no need to rush him anyway). Also year after year our D is banged up and having depth helps ease the pain of injuries.

3. Yes the teams future does look bright and hopefully in 3 years time we start cintending for the cup season after season until Bo lifts it over his head (hopefully please god please haha).

 

[khay]

On 3/5/2017 at 5:31 PM, flickyoursedin said:

Virtanen is never gonna be a Todd Bertuzzi. Once people stop trying to look at Virtanen as a guy that should be creating offence and more as a complementary player will they appreciate what he can bring to the team. I think this might be his thought as well and his play suffers from trying to do too much. He's going to be a player thats going to need to rely heavily on the creativity and skill of his line mates much like Lucic benefitting from the skill and passing ability of Krejci, Bergeron, Kopitar and now McDavid. I do still think Virtanen can become a Lucic lite player for us in the future if he's playing with an elite top 6 centre and he realizes his role.

I agree. 

 

I think people are just upset because we could've had Ehlers, but we need to accept what we have is Virtanen. And as you said, if he is paired with creative line mate, he can be a 20-30 goal scorer with physicality.

 

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

5 hours ago, Crabcakes said:

Rodin had a year long try out.  Unfortunately, it looks like his knee/tendon injury may have ended a promising career.  

I wouldn't count Rödin out. We don't know the details of his surgery other than it was to repair his bipartite patella. But given what we do know about his condition, this likely means either a portion of the bone was removed (in cases where the patella was divided into a large portion and much smaller portion) or the two portions were fused (in cases where the patella was divided into two larger sections). Both surgeries have excellent success rates, although the second one tends to require a longer recovery period. There are good studies on athletes having these procedures done showing extremely high rates of total recovery (meaning the patient becomes pain free and returns to full performance--including high level athletics--within a reasonable timeframe). So Rödin might very well be 100% by next season, with no lasting effects, and with his knee issues completely corrected.

[HorvatToBaertschi]

On 3/5/2017 at 11:53 PM, stawns said:

I've always looked at Jake as part of the next wave coming in.  They just needed a place to park him last season to get him out of Calgary and in control of his development.  I say keep all those guys in Utica next season.......Virt, Cassels, Brisebois, Boeser, Gaudette, Zhukenov, Demko, McEneny, Garteig, Dahlen and any college players they sign and let them develop some chemistry on and off the ice.

That would be the best AHL team we ice filled with our prospects since the golden Manitoba Moose era. Im fine with that. Bieksa Kesler Hansen Burrows Edler Bourdon Schneider Rypien etc.. came into the league with crazy chemistry and it helped them.