Guest Cuporbust2 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Does the team you're employed by suck? Compared to what? Your useless attempt at an insult ? Got an actual rebuttal to what I said about this kid ? No? Didn't think so. Edited December 31, 2014 by Cuporbust2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cuporbust2 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Im sure you do - probably more than me, but it doesn't mean much unless you can prove it (and I'm not asking you to) - people say sh*t all the time. Might as well stick to your opinion or what Ferraro tells you/us. Its alot more credible that way. Well, there Ya go. Very true. And obviously if I did prove it , i couldn't have an opinion around here and not end up on A hundred Twitter accounts. So Ya , anything can happen with prospects, but time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I didn't say bad I said not exceptional. Kassian had very similar numbers in junior. I guess it depends on who u compare him to. Junior numbers are deceptive. U can get away with more in junior with stuff that will kill you in the ahl / NHL. It doesn't become as noticeable to hockey fans till then. Wait till he is facing top NHL D men with his skill set. He will be decent , but half the people here want to think he's the second coming of Cam neely. They are going to be disappointed. I don't see being an "exceptional" playmaker as an absolute prerequisite to becoming a good top-6 NHL forward. I mean, it would really help his cause if he could add that to his skill set but it isn't absolutely necessary. Virtanen is big (for a winger), blazing-fast, physical, a goal scorer, and isn't inept in the playmaking-department. Most importantly he has a good work ethic, and the fact that his playmaking is better this year is a testament to his willingness to improve his flaws. I don't think he will be Cam Neely v2.0 either, but I do think he has the tools to be an effective top-6 forward. And, I guess, that's ultimately where we will have to agree to disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
people please Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Compared to what? Your useless attempt at an insult ? Got an actual rebuttal to what I said about this kid ? No? Didn't think so. Lmao no need to get defensive, was just asking a question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bure_Pavel Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Ya Ya. Blah blah blah. We shall see Maybe say something intelligent and specific as to why you think I'm wrong. Not as easy as smart &$@ comments is it ? He is only 18 years and like four months old and is already playing top six minutes on a stacked team Canada!!! He has ridiculous speed, a great shot , and has shown good playmaking ability. The only players that I can think of that have made team Canada at a younger age in the last two years are mcdavid, reinhart, Ekblad, and crouse. That is good company as they all look to become studs at the nhl level! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seven pounds soft Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I'm willing to bet. Zack kassian 2.0. That's about all he will be. Might end up more disciplined and slightly more consistent then Kassian ( who isn't ) but he's no Ryan kesler. Dazzle here and there , maybe decent second or third liner at best. Not expecting much. Haha troll Kassian killed in junior, kesler wasn't anything special in his ushl and collage days. Kesler was projected to be a third line grinder. How can you say with any certainty where this 18 yo kid is going to end up? Personally I think he has all the makings of a super star , in fact , he's going to make vancouver forget kesler ever existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiboynux4lifee******* Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) not sure if troll or serious, but anywho I feel the flaws in Virtanens game is simply his board play. Notice how he cycles and protects the puck( of course tomorrow he can prove me wrong) passing? really you guys are debating about passing he almost set up lazar for a tap in; furthermore, Kassian is a playmaker type of player, so how can Virtanen be compared to him because Virtanen doesn't play a playmaker game like Kassian does. Kassian never took the puck and skated with speed in a straight line; Kassian was more like a Nik Ritchie. Finally, the kids freaking 18, he needs to improve on lots, if he can improve his board play and passing he will be a stud. Ps, I am more excited about Jarred Mcann than Virtanen. Call me a homer, but I believe Mcann will surprise a-lot of us because of his Hockey IQ and his shot. And here is the video, for what Kassian was suppose to be. pause the video at 1:16 and explain to me how he is projected to be a Kassian. For starters, Kassian does not have the same speed Jake has. Edited December 31, 2014 by desiboynux4lifee******* 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off_The_Schneid! Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 While I agree with a lot of people's analysis on how he's been playing he's been pretty unlucky with his playing time He doesn't play pp or pk He's played well when given a chance but the top two lines rotate then draw a penalty or take one 2 min he's not playing, back to the top of the order, then certain players can just long shift and cut into his ice time longer. He can go 7-8 minutes between shifts regardless of how he plays Last game he finally got on the ice and there was a fairly quick whistle and they switched the line right away He's played well with the limited ice time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuktravella Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I'm willing to bet. Zack kassian 2.0. That's about all he will be. Might end up more disciplined and slightly more consistent then Kassian ( who isn't ) but he's no Ryan kesler. Dazzle here and there , maybe decent second or third liner at best. Not expecting much.. ya your clueless hes just 18 playing on team Canada one a line with mcdavid and lazar next game fights hits scores fast skater hes gonna prove you wrong being fastest skater in chl def helps hes got a upside to be a 1st line sniper with all the tools (iginla, perry) if he does reach his potential we will be laughing if he doesnt at least we will have a hard working 3rd liner with speed and brawn i said it at draft he was steal of the show now that shoulders healed he looks to be cream of crop bring on team usa lets own them tomorrow i hope the mcdavid line buries the usa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brick Tamland Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 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 think these are a byproduct of his speed. Pavel had the same problem. Watch most guys with elite speed, if they aren't moving they aren't using their greatest asset. As long as he is looking for an opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 So far at the WJC I see Virtanen playing a well rounded game. Suggestions that his ice vision is underdeveloped is not warranted. He has made set up passes to linemates on both the 2nd and 4th lines that have not been converted. Defensively he has dropped back regularly to cover potential breakouts. Physically he gets a lot of credit and should. It is not just about the hits. At the end of the last game he came in to defend Lazar and did not back down from a few punches. Canuck fans have to be very excited about this 18 year old player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanIsleNuckFan Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Just to refer to Kassian as a bust is dumb, a guy like him will break out around 25.. The stupid is obviously getting out of control in this thread.. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Lol. Of coarse I don't. Because it's not a popular opinion and what some will think is a buzz kill. Reality has that effect sometimes. People can say whatever they want to this , time will tell. I played major junior. I'm still employed in the industry so I won't say who for , but u can think I'm clueless if u like It's possible he's nervous and just trying to impress by hanging onto the puck too long , but if u ever saw him play in junior , you would see it's not the first stretch he has had where he lacks hockey iq and tries to dangle instead of making a play , which he usually ends up turning over. He's a big body ,and hard worker which is good. The only thing IMO he has on zack kassian. But don't expect much more than maybe second most likely third liner. If thatThe thing with Virtanen is, him being a local prospect, is that people around here actually know of what some legit scouts and hockey people around here have been saying about him. I've talked with multiple sources who say that he was clearly one the best prospects in the WHL at the time of the draft and they've known he was going to be a special player from age 12. Was Kassian a 1st overall pick in his major junior league? The comparison to Kassian is a bit off, even though they are both right-shooting wingers, as they are a different type of player, due to a big difference in speed. Kassian should be a guy who just goes to the net without the puck with authority and hammers guys like Lucic. So far he's been a dissappointment in that role as he thinks he's a playmaker who likes to dish off the puck early, usually killing off the chance for him to crash the net right away. Jake's speed affords him to be a lot more creative with his shifts. He's not expected to be a Lucic-type, but more of a Perry-type. Anyone with any hockey background can see the difference right away. You may or may not have some sort of hockey expertise, but this isn't the first line of posts from you that make me think think you're just trolling, so... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLocke Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Ya Ya. Blah blah blah. We shall see Maybe say something intelligent and specific as to why you think I'm wrong. Not as easy as smart &$@ comments is it ? Intelligent? From the guy who wrote "of coarse" a few pages back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 While I agree with a lot of people's analysis on how he's been playing he's been pretty unlucky with his playing time He doesn't play pp or pk He's played well when given a chance but the top two lines rotate then draw a penalty or take one 2 min he's not playing, back to the top of the order, then certain players can just long shift and cut into his ice time longer. He can go 7-8 minutes between shifts regardless of how he plays Last game he finally got on the ice and there was a fairly quick whistle and they switched the line right away He's played well with the limited ice time like domi's line being on the ice for about a minute and a half leading up to their goal last game. then the analysts were talking about the goal they said how amazing it was that domi was on the ice for 15 seconds before leaving the zone, all i saw was that those ice hogs were significantly overstaying their shift time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollieo Del Fuego Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Called this 3 games ago: Great article: http://www.tsn.ca/masters-canucks-prospect-virtanen-aims-to-spark-mcdavid-1.171688 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorevat Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Jake is gonna crush some americans today, just hoping for a good game for thatcher and jake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NucksPatsFan Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Jake starting on the 4th line again. - TSN 1040 pre game coverage from Montreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiboynux4lifee******* Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Jake starting on the 4th line again. - TSN 1040 pre game coverage from Montreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorevat Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Jake starting on the 4th line again. - TSN 1040 pre game coverage from Montreal Wow groulx lied lol he said he has no intention of switching that line up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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