Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

[Gaudette Celly]

3 hours ago, kloubek said:

I agree with your logic.  If he's scoring 25 goals that probably means about 60 points.  That's significant for a 2nd line winger.

 

I just don't think he gets there.  I HOPE he does and that he's just a late bloomer, but I maintain his lack of ability is largely in "thinking" the game, and I just don't think he does it at a particularly high enough level.  Here's hoping I'm wrong.

If Jake were to bury only 15% of the Meekers* that he pulls, he'd be a 25-goal scorer on those alone.

 

(*hoop-around-a-barrel)

[WeneedLumme]

7 hours ago, coastal.view said:

have you seen his shot?

he is a pure shooter

he sure can score with that shot

my comment was accurate and on point

sorry you have a problem with it

 

i never said he could not skate, pass, hit or anything else

i said he is a pure shooter..

jake is not

The only "problem" I have with your comment is your description of probably the best passer on the team as a "pure" shooter. He is certainly an elite shooter, but I would say he is also an elite playmaker. That is not going to be the case, imo, for a "pure" shooter. FYI, "pure" means "does not contain other things". Such as play making ability in this case.

Edited May 18, 2018 by WeneedLumme

[guntrix]

10 hours ago, Vanuckles said:

Wrong on both accounts. Brock is not a pure shooter, he can actually make plays and pass very well. He happens to have an excellent shot and he utilizes it.

 

Maybe you "know" that 21 year old Virtanen is not a pure shooter, but we do not all know that. What we do know is that he has a hard, deceptive shot with a quick release, albeit inaccurate. If he works on his accuracy I can definitely see him getting 20-25 goals a season, and 10-15 assists. That's only my projection, just like your projecting that he's not a shooter.

Finally someone mentions it. Jake may be a shoot first player but he still really needs to work on his accuracy. There's no way one can say that he's got an NHL shot when he struggles to hit his targets. Having an NHL shot isn't only about shooting it as hard as you can. 

[JeremyCuddles]

Jake gets a good amount of shots ON net, problem isn't hitting the net. It's shooting past the goalie. I also think he needs to position himself better. The best scorers aren't just great shooters, they know where to be. Brock was always in the perfect position for rebounds or one timers. Something tells me Jake isn't 100% confident in himself yet either. There are times he throws the puck at the net with no purpose. Right into the crest. Doesn't want to miss the net or hold the puck for long. 

 

Said he'll be working on his hands this offseason. Which sounds good to me if that includes his aforementioned shot. Imagine a guy with Jake's shot power, speed and frame but can actually control the puck AND pick his spot on the net. That's deadly. He won't instantly become a 60 point player or something but he could potentially be a really deadly middle 6 player. 10 goals with no PP time, 12 minutes icetime per game and primarily dzone starts is not too shabby for a guy with an "inaccurate" shot. If Bo had Jake's PP deployment he'd have 12 goals in 64 games for instance. Take that for what you will.

[Gaudette Celly]

Update on Jake's skills training -- shatters the glass:

 

https://streamable.com/t1wpi

[73 Percent]

23 minutes ago, Hutton Wink said:

Update on Jake's skills training -- shatters the glass:

 

https://streamable.com/t1wpi

So he did not hit the net?

[Odd.]

25 minutes ago, Hutton Wink said:

Update on Jake's skills training -- shatters the glass:

 

https://streamable.com/t1wpi

that's funny. im glad that he's training with barber.

[Qwags]

1 hour ago, Hutton Wink said:

Update on Jake's skills training -- shatters the glass:

 

https://streamable.com/t1wpi

There's real power behind that shot. Now he just needs to be able to hit the net.

[Gaudette Celly]

12 hours ago, Qwags said:

There's real power behind that shot. Now he just needs to be able to hit the net.

Ripped it through the net at his first Comets practice, now shattered the glass in skills training.  As mentioned before, his coach said that when Jake was 15 or 16 his wrister alone was clearing 80mph.  Once he gets more accuracy, look out.

 

[Petterrson's Dangle]

On 5/19/2018 at 8:03 AM, N7Nucks said:

Jake gets a good amount of shots ON net, problem isn't hitting the net. It's shooting past the goalie. I also think he needs to position himself better. The best scorers aren't just great shooters, they know where to be. Brock was always in the perfect position for rebounds or one timers. Something tells me Jake isn't 100% confident in himself yet either. There are times he throws the puck at the net with no purpose. Right into the crest. Doesn't want to miss the net or hold the puck for long. 

 

Said he'll be working on his hands this offseason. Which sounds good to me if that includes his aforementioned shot. Imagine a guy with Jake's shot power, speed and frame but can actually control the puck AND pick his spot on the net. That's deadly. He won't instantly become a 60 point player or something but he could potentially be a really deadly middle 6 player. 10 goals with no PP time, 12 minutes icetime per game and primarily dzone starts is not too shabby for a guy with an "inaccurate" shot. If Bo had Jake's PP deployment he'd have 12 goals in 64 games for instance. Take that for what you will.

You hit the nail on the head, its confidence. Jake spent most of his season in a defensive role. There was a good post on hockeyforums where the trolls were beating him down, someone looked at his advanced stats which pretty much proved from zone starts, to takeaways, to toi, jake for most of the season was not being put in a position to play offensively (http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/olli-juolevi.2456489/page-52 scroll down post by nucksrock). As a result, when he finally was, my guess is he was a bit 'panicky' with the puck, less confident then he was in junior simply from not 'feeling it enough'.

 

He can clearly improve his accuracy, and as you said, often he just shot either in the crest or tried to be 'perfect' and missed the net. He needs to simply learn how to adjust his shooting angle, utilize his linemates better when shooting (ie if you have nothing but a guy is coming down the middle, aim for the far corner, force the goalie to kick a rebound out to your linemate, etc). These are all techniques that players use to create offense. Jake seemed to be trying too hard to always snipe a corner, often given your time and space you cant. You just have to make the goalie make a save and force a rebound that creates a chance for somone else. His shot is so heavy, he can do that, and once he improves his shot selection and gets used to more offensive ice time, more goals will go in.

[dpn1]

I have always thought Jake could be a good left side point man on the power play.  His speed could help him not get exposed on defense if someone got the puck by him.

[Petterrson's Dangle]

7 minutes ago, dpn1 said:

I have always thought Jake could be a good left side point man on the power play.  His speed could help him not get exposed on defense if someone got the puck by him.

Rather have him in Boeser's spot on the 2nd unit. Hard shot off wing for one timers. Just needs to focus on his accuracy.

[nergish]

13 minutes ago, The 5th Line said:

I hope Jake has been noticing how much of a difference maker Wilson has been. 

Yep. I hope so too.

People need to realize that Jake has gamebreaking ability despite not actually being a star player. He just needs to learn to pick his moments and expose other teams when they're tired or just plain soft, just like Wilson does.

Jake knows he will be rewarded for good play, Green seems to support him. But Wilson gets to play with talented forwards because he's earned the trust of his coach.

Jake will have to do the same, but he could easily fill a similar role for us if he can prove his worth.

 

[wildcam]

Big Jake 21, 6'1, 215, very fast skater with big shot....IWe have seen a good change with Jake this season using his speed and size to his advantage..This will make D man move back and create more room for teammates and cause havoc around the net and rebounds..

Jake will start season with more confidence and I feel he will play more aggressive and use speed more..

2018 -19  GP 70 - G 19 - A 19  Pts - 38 

Jake is going to be a very exciting player and with confidence other good things will happen..

Green and coaches have done a good job with Jake..

 

Very excited to see this young talent mature into a 20-25 regular goal scorer before age 24...

[PuckYa]

On 5/14/2018 at 10:32 AM, Chicken. said:

I am not sure if naturally mean is a good descriptor of Jake.. but he certainly does NOT like to get pushed around and will throw down if needed. he seems to pick his battles well.

 

 

 

I love watching his hit highlights... so good for a young kid

 

 

 

 

 

Jake is a beast once fully matured, Once he puts it all together (slowly but surely) he'll be a force to be wreckened with. 

 

If any of you follow horse racing you'll know what I mean here.

Jake reminds me of a very "green" horse with a ton of size, speed & power but doesn't know when exactly to use it.

This type of horse sometimes runs as a 2 year old (first year of racing age) but probably shouldn't have that much anyway.

Usually runs in the middle of the pack in the early 3 year old stage. (this is where Jake is currently/heading too)

Then once he matures as a 4 year old colt he just puts it all together & puts away all those horses that were beating him in the first few years. (AKA SEABISCUIT)

Now he just keeps up to the upper echelon for years to come as the early bloomers start to fade like a black eyed Susan in September. 

 

This is how I see JV playing out to some degree...

[Bandwagon38]

On 2018-06-05 at 11:54 PM, The 5th Line said:

I hope Jake has been noticing how much of a difference maker Wilson has been. 

 

 I was thinking the same thing and posted it under Sedin Talk.  Then I read your post.  Couldnt agree more.  A player who can be in your top 6 and put the fear of god in opposing players is a pretty awesome player to have.  Dont have to always hit the score sheet to impact the game.  

[Rob_Zepp]

11 minutes ago, Bandwagon38 said:

 

 I was thinking the same thing and posted it under Sedin Talk.  Then I read your post.  Couldnt agree more.  A player who can be in your top 6 and put the fear of god in opposing players is a pretty awesome player to have.  Dont have to always hit the score sheet to impact the game.  

Bolded is so true.   So few seem to understand this and why players like Sutter and Virtanen will always be underrated by some fans but why smart GMs know you need them to win.   

[Where'd Luongo?]

On 5/18/2018 at 2:35 PM, WeneedLumme said:

The only "problem" I have with your comment is your description of probably the best passer on the team as a "pure" shooter. He is certainly an elite shooter, but I would say he is also an elite playmaker. That is not going to be the case, imo, for a "pure" shooter. FYI, "pure" means "does not contain other things". Such as play making ability in this case.

[N4ZZY]

13 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Bolded is so true.   So few seem to understand this and why players like Sutter and Virtanen will always be underrated by some fans but why smart GMs know you need them to win.   

but if you score, you impact the game even more 

[Alflives]

15 minutes ago, N4ZZY said:

but if you score, you impact the game even more 

And Jake is certainly built to both score, and impact the game with his physicality too.