snizzle_ Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I see some things with Virtanen that Kassian still struggles with. Hopefully Virtanen figures them out faster. One is leaving his position in the defensive zone. Maybe its the style of play the coach wants, but Virtanen seems to drift from RW to LW. He has a tendency to stay high and move across the blueline to the LW side instead of moving down low on the RW to support his dman. The other struggle is him figuring out where to be in the offensive zone when he doesn't have the puck. He sometimes seems to get himself lost in the high slot (almost at the point) or in no man's land between the front of the net and the half-wall. He just needs a systems coach to tell him where to be. I completely agree! He can flat out skate and play but when they play the "half-court" type game that say Reinhart likes to play, Jake seems to get lost. His puck protection along the boards needs work too. I just want to see him just rip one this tourney. One of those shots where the goalie looks back at his net in sheer awe and amazement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I completely agree! He can flat out skate and play but when they play the "half-court" type game that say Reinhart likes to play, Jake seems to get lost. His puck protection along the boards needs work too. I just want to see him just rip one this tourney. One of those shots where the goalie looks back at his net in sheer awe and amazement. Definitely. There was a shift in the third period, maybe his first shift of the third, where he looked very casual taking the puck behind the Finish net. The Fin Dman was able to get body position and separate him from the puck. I think this is a bad habit that probably happens to a lot of physically mature players in junior. He is used to dominating guys with his strength, so he doesn't seem to worry much about puck protection/body position. This is something he'll need to work on when he starts playing against men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Ritchie looked pretty good after the switch up too. The line up seemed to improve all around. One thing we gotta do is quit the one man army bs. Aside from the top line, everyone seems to try to be the star and forgets their linemates. Nurse is the worst for it! If we don't move the puck, we're asking for it in the elimination rounds. Yes, Jake is not the only one out there doing fancy dangles instead of making safe plays. I see some things with Virtanen that Kassian still struggles with. Hopefully Virtanen figures them out faster. One is leaving his position in the defensive zone. Maybe its the style of play the coach wants, but Virtanen seems to drift from RW to LW. He has a tendency to stay high and move across the blueline to the LW side instead of moving down low on the RW to support his dman. The other struggle is him figuring out where to be in the offensive zone when he doesn't have the puck. He sometimes seems to get himself lost in the high slot (almost at the point) or in no man's land between the front of the net and the half-wall. He just needs a systems coach to tell him where to be. I've wondered too why in the O-zone Jake seems to be high and not either in the slot or battling on the boards, so he's not in scoring position neither in getting the puck. Coachs' direction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outsiders Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Yes, Jake is not the only one out there doing fancy dangles instead of making safe plays. I've wondered too why in the O-zone Jake seems to be high and not either in the slot or battling on the boards, so he's not in scoring position neither in getting the puck. Coachs' direction? have noticed this 2. He seems to let the puck battles along the boards and he floats in the slot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta76 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I see some things with Virtanen that Kassian still struggles with. Hopefully Virtanen figures them out faster. One is leaving his position in the defensive zone. Maybe its the style of play the coach wants, but Virtanen seems to drift from RW to LW. He has a tendency to stay high and move across the blueline to the LW side instead of moving down low on the RW to support his dman. The other struggle is him figuring out where to be in the offensive zone when he doesn't have the puck. He sometimes seems to get himself lost in the high slot (almost at the point) or in no man's land between the front of the net and the half-wall. He just needs a systems coach to tell him where to be. In fairness Jake was playing LW when he was on the McDavid line but his defensive game does need work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 have noticed this 2. He seems to let the puck battles along the boards and he floats in the slot I've seen a lot fo that as well. The few guys in the league who could capably do that over the last 25 years and be so successful are few and far between. Gretzky, Robataille, St Louis, Hull are the most glaringly obvious but even they transitioned in the NHL to chew up time and grab pucks along the boards while still being offensive machines. I am not in any way shape or form saying he is in their class, but If Virtanen can be a quarter of the player these guys were we are in good hands. I would like to see him play more along the boards though and I think his game will totally improve tot he point he does. I also see the Sedins staying on in vancouver or at least coming in the off-season to help train the rookies or younger players we will have in regards to puck battles and passing plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Thing is, he isn't really "in the slot" -- if he were he'd be a scoring opportunity to pass to and thus be attracting a defender to him. He's more in no-man's land, sort of halfway out to the point. Too bad he can't make the AHL next year; would be good to have Travis mentor him with the other boys to get his cycling and positioning going. Kind of seems he's almost lost playing with skilled guys, maybe too used to being the fasted and most-skilled guy on the ice so he's had to do it all himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 it looks like he's trying to find the soft areas of no coverage to get open for a shot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spotted Zebra Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I worry about how his cycle game in the NHL will be because it doesn't look to good right now That being said his rush game is fantastic, we will just need the players to support him on a line, Brwndan Morrison at 27 would be the perfect player for him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudette Celly Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 That being said his rush game is fantastic, we will just need the players to support him on a line, Brwndan Morrison at 27 would be the perfect player for him Linden Vey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrybettman69 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Virtanens game really reminds me of kesler. Don't get me wrong they play completely different styles but they both have a very aggressive style and both wear their heart on their sleeve. Offensively they're similar too with their shoot first mentality and from what I've seen so far from Virtanen they both play way better when they're mad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbyte Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) I see some things with Virtanen that Kassian still struggles with. Hopefully Virtanen figures them out faster. One is leaving his position in the defensive zone. Maybe its the style of play the coach wants, but Virtanen seems to drift from RW to LW. He has a tendency to stay high and move across the blueline to the LW side instead of moving down low on the RW to support his dman. The other struggle is him figuring out where to be in the offensive zone when he doesn't have the puck. He sometimes seems to get himself lost in the high slot (almost at the point) or in no man's land between the front of the net and the half-wall. He just needs a systems coach to tell him where to be. I noticed the exact same thing but I don't think it's that big of a concern as it should be addressed as he moves along. He's simply trolling the top of the blueline hoping for a good bounce or a puck to break free for a rush the other way. You can get away with this over and over again in junior with great results. Pretty common mistake for offensive youngsters. Unfortunately in the NHL that will often end up in the back of your net. His positioning is a bit weird as he almost drifts to the center position. Again, looking for that puck in an opportune spot. From what I've seen if he does get it there he is still a good threat because of his shot. Edited December 30, 2014 by Dogbyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Thing is, he isn't really "in the slot" -- if he were he'd be a scoring opportunity to pass to and thus be attracting a defender to him. He's more in no-man's land, sort of halfway out to the point. Too bad he can't make the AHL next year; would be good to have Travis mentor him with the other boys to get his cycling and positioning going. Kind of seems he's almost lost playing with skilled guys, maybe too used to being the fasted and most-skilled guy on the ice so he's had to do it all himself. Phil Esposito made a living in no-man's land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamJamIam Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I think Jake is just used to playing with no other skilled forwards and a good dman in Sanheim. He's positioned perfectly to take advantage of rebounds after a Sanheim slapper. Instead he's not in place to get in on the cycle. His current play doesn't compliment the team style too well but I would actually like to see Canada play the transition game a bit more. You can see they never think to spring Jake and look to make a bunch of tight passes rather than a long lead pass. A lot more chances could be generated by looking for those long outlets without risking dangerous turnovers. I also see Reinhart and Petan's lines just cycling WAY too much between chances. McDavid doesn't do this to nearly the same degree, and you see him trying to power his way into the middle of the ice and turn it over because he gets no support doing this. Jake has the same problem and I think it made him look a lot more out of place than he really was. Long story short, I'm glad McDavid and Jake are together now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dasein Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 @markhmasters: Lazar on scrum w Finns in 3rd: "Jake & I were bugging Connor. He didn't want to get in there. Up to us Western guys to take care of that." @markhmasters: Virtanen on coming to Lazar's defence: "Sticking up for my teammate & let them know we're not going to take that lightly esp w our captain" That's great. Someone asked him what number he was going to take when he makes the team... And he answered that he wasn't sure which number yet, so it may be a surprise. But someone did tweet him a pic of a customized Canucks jersey with his name on the back and the number #77 and he faved it. Yeah but it was probably one of the first (if not the first) that he saw of a Canuck fan putting his name on a jersey so he was probably happy to see that more than anything. New regime I dont think they care, Benning was in Boston when they had high numbers, and Virtanen was wearing 77 in training camp, whether he chose it idk, its a cool number though. 18 suits him tho They're not allowed to choose in training camp - Vey wore #44 until he made the team then changed to #7. have noticed this 2. He seems to let the puck battles along the boards and he floats in the slot it looks like he's trying to find the soft areas of no coverage to get open for a shot Yeah but then he doesn't call for the puck when he's open for a shot either. I thought last game was a bit weird for Jake even though he was moved up to the 2nd line - he didn't really play that well aside from sticking up for Lazar. I think that move had more to do with Ritchie really blowing than Jake really impressing and earning that shot on McDavid's wing. Hopefully they get a practice in together and start playing with some chemistry. That line looked a lot better against Germany when they were put together initially than yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbyte Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 That's great. Yeah but it was probably one of the first (if not the first) that he saw of a Canuck fan putting his name on a jersey so he was probably happy to see that more than anything. They're not allowed to choose in training camp - Vey wore #44 until he made the team then changed to #7. Yeah but then he doesn't call for the puck when he's open for a shot either. I thought last game was a bit weird for Jake even though he was moved up to the 2nd line - he didn't really play that well aside from sticking up for Lazar. I think that move had more to do with Ritchie really blowing than Jake really impressing and earning that shot on McDavid's wing. Hopefully they get a practice in together and start playing with some chemistry. That line looked a lot better against Germany when they were put together initially than yesterday. That line really seemed to get us going. I thought they played real well and created 5v5 chances, something the other second line did very little of in the first 3 games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFCanuck Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 That's great. Yeah but it was probably one of the first (if not the first) that he saw of a Canuck fan putting his name on a jersey so he was probably happy to see that more than anything. They're not allowed to choose in training camp - Vey wore #44 until he made the team then changed to #7. Yeah but then he doesn't call for the puck when he's open for a shot either. I thought last game was a bit weird for Jake even though he was moved up to the 2nd line - he didn't really play that well aside from sticking up for Lazar. I think that move had more to do with Ritchie really blowing than Jake really impressing and earning that shot on McDavid's wing. Hopefully they get a practice in together and start playing with some chemistry. That line looked a lot better against Germany when they were put together initially than yesterday. I dunno, Mark Masters is actually at the game and called Virtanen the unsung hero and a spark plug for the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 That's great. Yeah but it was probably one of the first (if not the first) that he saw of a Canuck fan putting his name on a jersey so he was probably happy to see that more than anything. They're not allowed to choose in training camp - Vey wore #44 until he made the team then changed to #7. Yeah but then he doesn't call for the puck when he's open for a shot either. I thought last game was a bit weird for Jake even though he was moved up to the 2nd line - he didn't really play that well aside from sticking up for Lazar. I think that move had more to do with Ritchie really blowing than Jake really impressing and earning that shot on McDavid's wing. Hopefully they get a practice in together and start playing with some chemistry. That line looked a lot better against Germany when they were put together initially than yesterday. I dunno, Mark Masters is actually at the game and called Virtanen the unsung hero and a spark plug for the team. Virtanen wasn't as dangerous or as noticeable as he had been in previous games, but I thought he played well. He was still hitting (albeit much less once he joined the skill line), skating well, had a couple shots+attempts, and didn't look out of place on that second line. He didn't leave as big an impact, and it certainly wasn't his best game to date, but I'm not sure I'd say he "didn't play well". There's room for improvement and he has more to give, that's for sure. I do agree that Virtanen being promoted had more to do with Ritchie playing quite poorly. Virtanen, up to the promotion, hadn't really done anything in particular that was so fantastic that it required bumping him up in the lineup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiboynux4lifee******* Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 We will learn alot about Jake tomorrow; also Ehlers looked amazing today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Mark Masters @markhmasters Virtanen pumped to play w McDavid-Lazar: "It's definitely a big step up for me ... I know, personally, I can play with them. Can't wait."Mark Masters @markhmasters Lazar on Virtanen: "His speed's incredible & he's tenacious on the puck. For our line it will open up the ice a little more."Mark Masters @markhmasters McDavid on Virtanen: "A big body & he flies out there. He's a real presence. Excited to play with him." 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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