JeremyCuddles Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I went to that game as well. Even injured you could see Shink was the best player on the ice. He seemed off. Didn't think much of it. Looking back it's pretty impressive he played injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Vintage Canuck- Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 @News1130Sports Just talked with Team Canada junior assistant coach Dave Lowry about #Canucks draft picks Jake Virtanen and Bo Horvat. @News1130Sports Lowry says it's important to have Virtanen at camp, so he could get a feel for the group, a group that could be his teammates at x-mas time. @News1130Sports Virtanen will skate by himself throughout the Canadian camp due to his shoulder injury.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 (edited) News1130 Sports @News1130Sports Just talked with Team Canada junior assistant coach Dave Lowry about #Canucks draft picks Jake Virtanen and Bo Horvat. Lowry on Horvat, "Bo's been good, he's a veteran player, he knows what it takes, he's been a good role model and leader". Lowry says it's important to have Virtanen at camp, so he could get a feel for the group, a group that could be his teammates at x-mas time. Virtanen will skate by himself throughout the Canadian camp due to his shoulder injury. EDIT: and of course, VC there first. I guess I don't have to post this in the Horvat thread either, eh VC? Edited August 5, 2014 by elvis15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY_4_NAZZY Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 (edited) https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/canucks-prospect-virtanen-ahead-schedule-shoulder-rehab-161014552.html BROSSARD, QUE. — While the other players at Team Canada's summer camp skate are talking to the media after practice, Jake Virtanen is alone on the ice putting a few pucks in the net. The 17-year-old figured it was only the fifth time skating out on the ice this summer since undergoing a successful shoulder surgery some two months ago. The operation meant he couldn't participate in the NHL combine, but that didn't prevent him from being selected sixth-overall at the June draft by the Vancouver Canucks. It's also prevented him from taking part in any drills here at camp with Team Canada. The good news, however, is that Virtanen's recovery is going much better than expected. "Right now I'm ahead of schedule," said the winger, who plays with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. "So that's good news. I know the doctor here said I'll be biting the bone just wanting to get on the ice playing because I'm ahead of schedule quite a bit - so it's good news." Virtanen figures he's at least two or three weeks ahead of where he should be at this point and is working with a physiotherapist every day back home in Abbotsford, B.C. Coming to camp he says is almost like a vacation from his vigorous rehab regime. "This is kind of like a week off for me really," said Virtanen, with a laugh. "I'm only getting on the ice about 15 minutes a day right now," added Virtanen on Tuesday, while watching Canada's other hopefuls from the press box. But I'm loving it right now, it's pretty special to get out there and just to get the feeling again of shooting is pretty nice." Watching everyone else try to make an impression on head coach Benoit Groulx, while he's stuck in the press box, however, isn't easy to stomach. There is some solace though, in being able to scope out his competition for a highly coveted roster spot come December. "It does suck," said Virtanen, of skating alone. "But you definitely get to see what you're up against. All the guys are good out here so I think when I get back for the season I've got to show what I can do once I'm back in Calgary this year and show these coaches what I can bring to the team." With the Hitmen last season the 6-foot-1, 208-pound forward scored 45 goals and added 26 assists in 71 games - a point per game clip. His size and scoring as the tournament moves back to the smaller ice surfaces in Toronto and Montreal should give him a fighting chance if he picks up where he left off in the WHL. "The goal is to make this team," said Virtanen. "I'm here just trying to experience everything and so far it's going really good." Edited August 5, 2014 by CRAZY_4_NAZZY 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex425 Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/jrhockey-buzzing-the-net/canucks-prospect-virtanen-ahead-schedule-shoulder-rehab-161014552.html Good article, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbyte Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Doesn't have to be from ego, could just be from curiosity. I know I'd do it. Well c'mon we all know Apollo is really Luongo, they all do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible.dee Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Asked this question in a Bure thread, but thought I might get some good answers here. After watching Bure nostalgia vids and noticing how good his transition game was (Winning puck possession in the defensive zone and moving the puck through the neutral and into the offensive zone) and realizing that Kesler used to do the same thing for us, I found myself wondering if that's part of Virtanen's game? Does he just wait around the blue line for passes? Let someone else move the puck through the neutral zone, then wait around and try to get in position to finish the play? Or does he use his speed and size to to regain the puck and drive into the zone himself? This is for anyone who has watched a lot of his junior play, What is his game like in this respect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robongo Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Asked this question in a Bure thread, but thought I might get some good answers here. After watching Bure nostalgia vids and noticing how good his transition game was (Winning puck possession in the defensive zone and moving the puck through the neutral and into the offensive zone) and realizing that Kesler used to do the same thing for us, I found myself wondering if that's part of Virtanen's game? Does he just wait around the blue line for passes? Let someone else move the puck through the neutral zone, then wait around and try to get in position to finish the play? Or does he use his speed and size to to regain the puck and drive into the zone himself? This is for anyone who has watched a lot of his junior play, What is his game like in this respect? I've only watched a handful of hitmen games and it was more so because I was watching the Oil Kings. But from my limited viewing, Virtanen did like to skate the puck and gain the zone, but when he did so he took it all the way to the net or went behind the net and tried to backhand a pass into the slot with not much success. Most of the time though, he would take a drop pass in the neutral zone or a stretch pass from the D, to break into the zone. He wasn't playing with great players by any means, but he's not a guy to make a passing play out of nothing either. From my limited viewings he loved shooting from bad angles and he wasn't given any PP time at all except for the last few seconds of a dying PP. I think he will be getting a lot of first line and first unit pp time this year and he will be able to breakout in assists. He was an even strength beast , so if he can learn to play a decent cycle game he's going to be one hell of an all around threat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I'm also excited to see what Virtanen can accomplish with an increased role, more minutes, and better opportunities on the power play. Watching him play for Canada, I saw some good things with the man advantage (although they didn't always pan out in terms of PP goals scored). Nonetheless, I thought he looked effective in a variety of roles. His playmaking skills seemed much better than advertised. When setup with possession, he looked to have pretty good vision and "hockey sense" when creating plays from the left half boards. I saw him anticipating movement very well and finding open teammates with quick, sharp passes. From the point, his quality of shot was evident and he was able to direct quick, accurate shots through traffic and with good velocity. These skills were something of a revelation to me, based on what I'd seen and read about him prior to the tournament. Definitely saw enough from him to suggest there's a fair amount of untapped playmaking potential there and to seriously question some of the criticisms regarding any perceived deficiencies in hockey sense (at least to the degree some have suggested). I think his assists totals will be much higher next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N4ZZY Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I'm also excited to see what Virtanen can accomplish with an increased role, more minutes, and better opportunities on the power play. Watching him play for Canada, I saw some good things with the man advantage (although they didn't always pan out in terms of PP goals scored). Nonetheless, I thought he looked effective in a variety of roles. His playmaking skills seemed much better than advertised. When setup with possession, he looked to have pretty good vision and "hockey sense" when creating plays from the left half boards. I saw him anticipating movement very well and finding open teammates with quick, sharp passes. From the point, his quality of shot was evident and he was able to direct quick, accurate shots through traffic and with good velocity. These skills were something of a revelation to me, based on what I'd seen and read about him prior to the tournament. Definitely saw enough from him to suggest there's a fair amount of untapped playmaking potential there and to seriously question some of the criticisms regarding any perceived deficiencies in hockey sense (at least to the degree some have suggested). I think his assists totals will be much higher next season. thanks for the analysis. hopefully your right in the sense where his playmaking skills are better than advertised. let's see where he's at, and then come the WJ's, hopefully he plays really well at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible.dee Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I've only watched a handful of hitmen games and it was more so because I was watching the Oil Kings. But from my limited viewing, Virtanen did like to skate the puck and gain the zone, but when he did so he took it all the way to the net or went behind the net and tried to backhand a pass into the slot with not much success. Most of the time though, he would take a drop pass in the neutral zone or a stretch pass from the D, to break into the zone. He wasn't playing with great players by any means, but he's not a guy to make a passing play out of nothing either. From my limited viewings he loved shooting from bad angles and he wasn't given any PP time at all except for the last few seconds of a dying PP. I think he will be getting a lot of first line and first unit pp time this year and he will be able to breakout in assists. He was an even strength beast , so if he can learn to play a decent cycle game he's going to be one hell of an all around threat. Thank you! Very interesting, Hard to tell what kind of player he'll be. I certainly hope he leans in the "drive the puck through the neutral zone" direction. Whether he makes a great play when he gets there or not is of secondary importance to me at this point, Anyone who can win puck battles and move the puck through the zones is worth their weight in gold. And he certainly has the physical tools to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 News1130 Sports @News1130Sports Just talked with #Canucks #1 draft pick Jake Virtanen, who skated alone at the Canadian junior camp this week. Virtanen says the coaching staff told him to "get healthy quick, improve and make an impact with the Hitmen". Virtanen says "It was important for me to be in Calgary and see who I'm up against when it comes to roster spots". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 https://soundcloud.com/team-radio-interviews/jake-virtanen-on-team-1040-afternoon-show-august-6 Well spoken kid. I enjoyed the part about how his family had pizza dinners for Canucks home openers. My family did the same (though it wasn't always pizza). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dasein Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I've only watched a handful of hitmen games and it was more so because I was watching the Oil Kings. But from my limited viewing, Virtanen did like to skate the puck and gain the zone, but when he did so he took it all the way to the net or went behind the net and tried to backhand a pass into the slot with not much success. Most of the time though, he would take a drop pass in the neutral zone or a stretch pass from the D, to break into the zone. He wasn't playing with great players by any means, but he's not a guy to make a passing play out of nothing either. From my limited viewings he loved shooting from bad angles and he wasn't given any PP time at all except for the last few seconds of a dying PP. I think he will be getting a lot of first line and first unit pp time this year and he will be able to breakout in assists. He was an even strength beast , so if he can learn to play a decent cycle game he's going to be one hell of an all around threat. I agree, I think that's more up the alley of another big power forward RW we have - Kassian. I see him being more of a playmaker, while Virtanen being more of a finisher. On a different topic: what's the schedule for Jake's recovery? Is he ruled out for the young stars tournament and training camp, or could he participate in the latter, or both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robongo Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 (edited) I agree, I think that's more up the alley of another big power forward RW we have - Kassian. I see him being more of a playmaker, while Virtanen being more of a finisher. On a different topic: what's the schedule for Jake's recovery? Is he ruled out for the young stars tournament and training camp, or could he participate in the latter, or both?Young stars is out of the question. He's ahead of schedule so he'll probably come to camp and just participate in the drills. Original time line was that he'd be ready sometime in October. He's definitely going back to Calgary this year for junior though. Edited August 9, 2014 by Robongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dasein Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Young stars is out of the question. He's ahead of schedule so he'll probably come to camp and just participate in the drills. Original time like was that he's be ready sometime in October. He's definitely going back to Calgary this year for junior though. Definitely. No doubt about needing more time in the WHL. I was just wondering if he could gain some experience from those two particular NHL activities. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knucklehd Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Young stars is out of the question. He's ahead of schedule so he'll probably come to camp and just participate in the drills. Original time like was that he's be ready sometime in October. He's definitely going back to Calgary this year for junior though. Agreed, he'll probably skate with the team, but no contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baumerman77 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Even if he was completely healthy at the start of training camp he needs another year in junior. I wish the NHL would just push the draft back a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khay Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Even if he was completely healthy at the start of training camp he needs another year in junior. I wish the NHL would just push the draft back a year. That would make talent evaluation easier than it is now for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I hope he makes Team Canada and gets a shot with McDavid and Horvat. That would be awesome to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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