Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

[Sergei Shirokov]

Wow, he could fly at 228. Can't imagine how much more agile he'll be at 212.

Strange, he doesn't look like he's 228 lbs. The size and speed would do wonders to our lineup.

[Alflives]

Wow, he could fly at 228. Can't imagine how much more agile he'll be at 212.

How old is this kid, 19? That's actually pretty scary to think he's leaned out to 212. How heavy is he going to be when he's fully mature? And with his speed! Oh crap he's going to pack a serious wallop! You gotta love this pick!

[JeremyCuddles]

Heavier and faster than Horvat, with a better shot. Kind of scary. Horvat's biggest positives to his game is his hockey smarts though, to naturally have that so young is rare though. Smart defensively, goes to the ugly areas offensively. Horvat is a beaut. Jake could be a beast though. Quick, throws his body, has a good shot. And has a competitive edge. Gonna be an interesting Pre-season.

[Alflives]

Heavier and faster than Horvat, with a better shot. Kind of scary. Horvat's biggest positives to his game is his hockey smarts though, to naturally have that so young is rare though. Smart defensively, goes to the ugly areas offensively. Horvat is a beaut. Jake could be a beast though. Quick, throws his body, has a good shot. And has a competitive edge. Gonna be an interesting Pre-season.

Yup, I'm definitely excited to see the young guys.

[nergish]

Yup, I'm definitely excited to see the young guys.

I've repeated this like a mantra since we took Jake: not only was he the right pick for our team going forward, but we also provide the perfect counterweight to his style of play with Bo Horvat.

Where Jake is hot tempered and firery, Bo is calm, smart, and focused. Where Jake runs amuck in the offensive zone looking for a chance to shoot the puck, Bo is calculated and constantly assessing the play (also gobbles up rebounds/garbage like nobody's business). Where Jake may wear his heart on his sleeve and come across as "unpolished", Bo is a consummate professional and one of the youngest true-character guys in the league.

For better or for worse, this is our new core. Fire and ice. Bo carries the noble torch of Sedin/Naslund/Linden like leadership, while Jake is our Kesler/Bertuzzi tough skill type that gives our team a more intensity and makes us tougher to play against.

Edited September 4, 2015 by nergish

[Chicken.]

[Jiggs50]

Also watched Chris Higgins deny a fan from a photo. 'Can't, gotta go'. The fan ended up being pretty sad, especially when he got rejected. I mean, Higgins could've just given him the happiest moment of the day, but nope, apparently he didn't have 30 seconds of his life to make a fan happy.

Virtanen did play on a line with the Sedins at the scrimmage if I must say. Also had a few decent chances. On one of his shots, he hit the crossbar and the puck deflected and sky-rocketed up in the air to only fall down to the stands in a split second it seemed.

Athletes can't cater to fans 24/7. Maybe he was in a rush!?

[Odd.]

Athletes can't cater to fans 24/7. Maybe he was in a rush!?

He was one of the guys who were dressed first and was heading down to hit the ice. Was amazed cause everyone has at least 30 seconds. Maybe he wasn't in the mood?

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

He was one of the guys who were dressed first and was heading down to hit the ice. Was amazed cause everyone has at least 30 seconds. Maybe he wasn't in the mood?

Maybe Higgins' "gotta go" was truly a "gotta go" like he needed to get to the washroom right away. Happens to everyone. And he was only stepping away from a couple autograph seekers at an informal scrimmage. Luongo did it during a playoff game.

[Canuck Surfer]

i really want to see this line during an exabition game:

Kenins - Horvat - Virtanen

and hopefully this lineup come game 1:

Sedin - Sedin - Sedin

Baertschi - Sutter - Vrbata

Kenins - Horvat - Virtanen

Prust - Friesen - Dorsett

Edler - Tanev

Hamhuis - Sbisa

Bartkowski - Weber

Corrado

Is Friesen ready and capable of anchoring an NHL line? (honest question...)

Others have already questioned omission of Higgins and Hansen.

Burrows is still currently the best fit. I honestly don't see anyone else fitting there at the moment.

Burrows is pretty bloody good;

- Is the glue guy. Who mucks in front of the net, bangs at rebounds, plays with energy & feist. Which is why he is better than Vrbata on the line. He's also plain more competitive than Higgins, skilled compared to Hansen. He wins pucks in the corners and fore-checks. Fore-checking being quite important. Cuz the Twins are clever and often steal pucks off the pressure Burr creates. Another thing he does better than Radim. But Jake can do all these things.

- But what Burrows also has learned from the Twins how to protect the puck with his body when he gets it. This is what sets him apart from Higgins, Hansen and lets him be top line. To be patient, hold a guy off, wait till a play develops then can also deliver the pass. Some are calling it IQ, but I thinks its steely nerves and composure. Guys like Jake, and probably they should, often move the puck as fast as they get it. Burrows is instead a guy who can dare to hold on to the puck & has enough stick skills & strength pull it off.

Jake is clearly strong enough. But will he be able to stickhandle while a guy is banging on him? And deliver seeing eye passes...

I don't know why you would take Hansen off of Horvat's wing, really those two made the line go with Kenins doing a good support job and getting open. Hansen and Horvat really compliment each other because they are excellent 2 way players with speed, and you can tell when one guy is going the others feed off of it. I expect big things from Kenins this season too.

What the Canucks really need is a guy like Prust who can actually play C between Dorsett and Virtanen. Just play a simple North South game, forcheck hard and hem the other team in their zone. Virtanen is a good enough player that he'll put the puck in the neck, and he'll be mentored and backed up well by those two. All IMO of course

I don't really disagree? Hansen is an awesome pressure guy which does work with Bo. But the team is composed & designed to be an attacking pressure team defensively. Twins aside. There are other guys.

Bo also looked very good with Dorsett & Kenins. He got a couple of games in the middle of the year with Burrows. That looked good too... Prust will be like that, as will Cracknell if he's up. Some people believe the key ingredient they bring is toughness. They are also here, specifically, because the real heart of their game is pressure on the puck!

Bo probably more than anyone IMO is the key. Because he is the guy with both the chutzpa and candor to thrive off the pressure these attacking players create. He has the active stick, the positioning to pounce. And the strength to hold the middle & play safe if the heist is not there. And we all have seen when he pounces. Zach Dalpe, for example, never had either. Its also why Sutter was brought in. Bo in the middle is the guy who actually drives our system and makes it tick.

[Rollieo Del Fuego]

Jake's got some shake and bake, he will develop more.

Friesen is my choice for early injury call up, he is ready and able to serve on the 4th line but Cassels has more upside so I am pulling for him to be up by mid season or the first injury after New Years.

If Jake was practising with the Sedins (yesterday) and Horvat is even faster then the end of last year this could well be a very interesting year....

[nergish]

Jake's got some shake and bake, he will develop more.

Friesen is my choice for early injury call up, he is ready and able to serve on the 4th line but Cassels has more upside so I am pulling for him to be up by mid season or the first injury after New Years.

If Jake was practising with the Sedins (yesterday) and Horvat is even faster then the end of last year this could well be a very interesting year....

Between Brandon Sutter, Sven Baertschi, Bo's sophomore year (he could conceivably be our MVP this season), Linden Vey trying to prove his worth, Jake being in the mix.., not to mention Jacob Markstrom with his career pretty much on the line... Yeah, it's a fun time to be a Canucks fan again,

[Nave]

Bo has improved his skating like Tavares. Virtanen already has top notch speed. Excited for the future.

Edited September 4, 2015 by NaveJoseph

[Magic 8-Ball]

I am not sure we should throw Jake on the Sedin line right out of the gate. They will likely eat 18-20 minutes and face the toughest competition. Assuming Jake proves he is ready this season sliding him in the 3rd/4th line which would eat 10-13 minutes against so-so competition might be more beneficial.

He is super young there is no rush to make him a top 6 player. Let him learn the system and get his feet wet with little expectations in the bottom 6. Maybe throw him some PP time with his wicked shot, being right handed is also a plus. No rush.

[winthecup]

http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=11342304&hootPostID=23468b4decb56d7bcbecdcca68a70524

Iain MacIntyre: Canucks’ prime prospect Virtanen on verge of something big

BY IAIN MACINTYRE, VANCOUVER SUN COLUMNIST SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

VANCOUVER — It already seems like Connor McDavid’s tournament. Ninety other players will be in Penticton just to provide a stage.

At least Vancouver Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen has a plan to get noticed.

“I told him he better keep his head up,” Virtanen said this week. “He just laughed.”

Next weekend’s Young Stars Classic Tournament has always been a good idea — the Canucks and three other National Hockey League teams taking their best prospects to the Okanagan to play each other ahead of main training camps the following week. But the appearance of McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-overall pick considered the best prospect in a generation, makes this year’s tournament a must-see event.

His first game as a professional is expected to be Friday night against the Canucks’ kids at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets are also in the four-day tournament.

Virtanen, who has a chance to make the Canucks this fall as a 19-year-old power forward, wasn’t kidding about trying to hit McDavid. But there will be no malice to it.

“I’ve gotten to know him quite a bit through world juniors and stuff and he’s actually a really good guy and a great player,” Virtanen explained. “There will be a lot of great players there, McDavid and a lot of high-end guys. It will be fun to just compare yourself to some of those guys, see where you are and test yourself against those guys.

“I’ve gone all summer, training hard. But Penticton is kind of the first step towards making the Canucks. It’s only the first step, but I’m ready for it.”

The sixth pick of the 2014 draft, Virtanen will be playing in a Vancouver Canucks jersey for the first time. Rehab from shoulder surgery kept the winger from Abbotsford out of the rookie tournament and NHL pre-season a year ago, although Virtanen made his pro debut last spring for the Canucks’ farm team in Utica, N.Y., after his junior season ended with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen.

This tournament will also be the first exposure to professional hockey — they hope — for top Canucks prospects Jared McCann and Cole Cassels, who missed the Young Stars event last year because of mononucleosis. Each is recovering from injury, McCann from a sprained shoulder sustained with Team Canada at the World Junior Showcase a month ago and Cassels from an abdominal injury he endured most of last season before completing his outstanding campaign with the Memorial Cup-champion Oshawa Generals.

The two centres haven’t yet been cleared to play in Penticton, but Canucks general manager Jim Benning said both are expected on Vancouver’s prospects team.

“Last year, I missed out on it and that sucked,” McCann, a 19-year-old first-round pick from London, Ont., said after skating with several would-be Canuck teammates this week in Vancouver. “It wasn’t fun. I was out quite a while and missed some of the season, too. It sucked. I’m a competitive person. It’s my dream to play in the NHL and I know how hard I have to work to get there. I’m excited to play (in this tournament). It will be my first time.”

Minor-league winger Brendan Gaunce has been there before. At age 21 and with a rookie season in the American Hockey League behind him, the 2012 first-rounder from Markham, Ont., is among the most experienced Canuck prospects.

Eclipsed at centre by subsequent first-round Canuck picks Bo Horvat and McCann, Gaunce’s likelihood of making the NHL increased with his switch to left wing last season under AHL coach Travis Green.

“It was a little different for sure because it is a different game playing on the wing,” Gaunce said after skating with Virtanen and McCann at Britannia Arena. “But to be versatile is a big thing in today’s game. It’s definitely a positive.

“I learned a ton. (Professional hockey) is a lot different than junior, for sure. Just the schedule and the way guys practise and the way guys play, it’s totally different. You can feel that it’s guys’ jobs now instead of being like just a hobby.

“You’re not trying to make the team over someone else. You’re just trying to show what you can do and separate yourself. There’s definitely a chance for me to play in the NHL this year and I’m going to try to make my dream come true.”

Every player in the tournament shares the same dream. It’s the degree of difficulty that varies from, say, McDavid to undrafted 24-year-old goalie Clay Witt, who signed with the Canucks’ farm team last week after finishing his college career at Northeastern University.

Vancouver’s 24-player roster for Penticton also includes 2015 third-rounder Guillaume Brisebois, the Quebec defenceman drafted with the pick Benning acquired in the Eddie Lack trade, offensive blue-liners Jordan Subban and Ben Hutton, 2013 first-rounder Hunter Shinkaruk, converted defenceman Mackenze Stewart, Russian draft pick Dmitry Zhukenov and former McDavid junior teammate Kyle Pettit.

None of these prospects have the same chance to play in the NHL this season as Virtanen, who shed about 15 pounds over the summer and could play for the Canucks as a 19-year-old the way Horvat did last season.

Horvat and Virtanen are at the leading edge of Vancouver’s youth movement and the Canucks could badly use the excitement that having Virtanen on the team would bring.

“For me, just obviously getting stronger and losing a lot of body fat was important,” the 6-foot-1, 212-pound Virtanen said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work this summer and I think so far it has paid off.

“It’s obviously in the back of my mind that I could be on the Canucks this year as a rookie. It’s pretty cool. But you just have to take things day by day and not look ahead too far.”

Benning said he wants to see progress among his prospects. They should be comfortable playing among peers in Penticton, he said, and gain confidence ahead of the Canucks’ main training camp Sept. 17-20 in Prince George. If they keep improving, they’ll get pre-season games with the Canucks and a chance to make the team.

“We just want them to feel comfortable and do the things that we drafted them for,” Benning said. “Compete hard on a shift-to-shift basis.”

That includes Virtanen, who doesn’t actually have to run over McDavid to get management’s attention.

“We’ve talked to Jake,” Benning said. “There’s no pressure on him to do something he’s not capable of doing. He has the physical skills — we all know that. And he’s worked hard to get himself into the physical shape to play against men. If he’s ready and he can help our team win, then we’ll figure out a way for him to get into the lineup.”

The NHL lineup.

Edited September 5, 2015 by winthecup

[nergish]

http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=11342304&hootPostID=23468b4decb56d7bcbecdcca68a70524

Cassels to shut McD down defensively, Virtanen to make him scared to go into the corners. I love it.

[Tambellini's Wrist Shot]

I know I'm going to get ... on for this opinion, but I really don't see where everyone gets the idea that Jake will be a first liner. IMO, that's quite a bit of stretch.

First liners in the NHL nowadays need a high level of hockey sense. Jake doesn't have that.

[Tambellini's Wrist Shot]

Cassels to shut McD down defensively, Virtanen to make him scared to go into the corners. I love it.

Cassels didn't shutdown McDavid. It took an entire 5 man unit to keep McDavid to just over a PPG in that series. Cassels deserves some credit for slowing him down, but this whole "Cassels shutdown McDavid" narrative is a load of bull.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Tambellini's Wrist Shot

[Nave]

I know I'm going to get s*** on for this opinion, but I really don't see where everyone gets the idea that Jake will be a first liner. IMO, that's quite a bit of stretch.

First liners in the NHL nowadays need a high level of hockey sense. Jake doesn't have that.

I think most know it's unrealistic for him to be a full time 1st line player right away, but spending some time with the Sedins might help him grow his game.

Burrows was a 3rd/4th line player before he played with the Sedins. That worked out for him.

[Tambellini's Wrist Shot]

I think most know it's unrealistic for him to be a full time 1st line player right away, but spending some time with the Sedins might help him grow his game.

Burrows was a 3rd/4th line player before he played with the Sedins. That worked out for him.

I'm not talking about right away, I'm talking about his entire NHL career (if he has one).