Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

[Monty]

Love the Canucks, but living in Winnipeg and being a Jets fan and season ticket holder as well made the Canucks passing on Ehlers alright in my eyes. Was thrilled that he dropped to the Jets. 6 points in 8 games so far.

[Tambellini's Wrist Shot]

Love the Canucks, but living in Winnipeg and being a Jets fan and season ticket holder as well made the Canucks passing on Ehlers alright in my eyes. Was thrilled that he dropped to the Jets. 6 points in 8 games so far.

it'll be nice to see an elite talent like Ehlers in the peg for many years to come. Hasn't happened since Selanne.

[Junkyard Dog]

Ehlers wouldn't of been this good with us.

Jets needed the type of player he is and already have more than enough size and skill to open things up for him and put him in the right environment.

We are not as nearly as big as the Jets and not as deep. Not a good environment for Ehlers IMO.

That's why we are drafting that size now.

[Tambellini's Wrist Shot]

Ehlers wouldn't of been this good with us.

Jets needed the type of player he is and already have more than enough size and skill to open things up for him and put him in the right environment.

We are not as nearly as big as the Jets and not as deep. Not a good environment for Ehlers IMO.

That's why we are drafting that size now.

Hes playing on a line with Scheifele and Perrault....neither of whom are particularly physical. That line is so good because of the enormous amount of skill on that line. He's just skilled enough to open space for himself with his speed. 

Management just screwed up big time by drafting Jake over Ehlers. The kid is the real deal.

[Monty]

Ehlers wouldn't of been this good with us.

Jets needed the type of player he is and already have more than enough size and skill to open things up for him and put him in the right environment.

We are not as nearly as big as the Jets and not as deep. Not a good environment for Ehlers IMO.

That's why we are drafting that size now.

This is absolutely true. When a team has as many big guys as the Jets have (Buff, Wheeler, Thorburn, Ladd, Lowry, Myers, Trouba, Pardy), a guy like Ehlers is given the best chance to succeed. The Canucks just aren't built for a guy like Ehlers to succeed; at least, not at the moment.

[Derp...]

So wait you need big players with skill to allow smaller forwards to succeed, and we don't need Jake?

 

[Down by the River]

Hes playing on a line with Scheifele and Perrault....neither of whom are particularly physical. That line is so good because of the enormous amount of skill on that line. He's just skilled enough to open space for himself with his speed. 

Management just screwed up big time by drafting Jake over Ehlers. The kid is the real deal.

Completely agree with your first two sentences. Completely disagree with the bolded. Not because I think JV is better, but because it is way to early to be making conclusions about the value of a rookie with five games under his belt. 

[Junkyard Dog]

Hes playing on a line with Scheifele and Perrault....neither of whom are particularly physical. That line is so good because of the enormous amount of skill on that line. He's just skilled enough to open space for himself with his speed. 

Management just screwed up big time by drafting Jake over Ehlers. The kid is the real deal.

They don't need to be physical but trememndously skilled.

We don't have that kind of depth skill wise as well as size and we especially don't have a young big skilled center like Scheifele.

Jets just have a better team than just in all aspects which is the perfect type of environment for Ehlers. 

We don't have the team for a player like Ehlers to flourish. We are not there yet.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Junkyard Dog

[Jiggs50]

Ehlers with 5 points in 7 games and more importantly being put in positions to succeed.

In Vancouver you got a stubborn coach who will lose 82 games before he let's any young player see the ice in the 3rd period. What a joke. AV was the same way. Wouldn't play the kids. Ughh

[Derp...]

Ehlers with 5 points in 7 games and more importantly being put in positions to succeed.

In Vancouver you got a stubborn coach who will lose 82 games before he let's any young player see the ice in the 3rd period. What a joke. AV was the same way. Wouldn't play the kids. Ughh

lol I don't even think you can believe these words. Put Vista Ben on a line with those jets and he probably plays in the 3rd period. Jane scores in transition just like Ellerslie but is playing with the seasoned skill and speed that Ellerslie is.

[DownUndaCanuck]

Ehlers with 5 points in 7 games and more importantly being put in positions to succeed.

In Vancouver you got a stubborn coach who will lose 82 games before he let's any young player see the ice in the 3rd period. What a joke. AV was the same way. Wouldn't play the kids. Ughh

The repetition of blaming a coach for not playing kids is just silly now. Fans see their "saviour" in Virtanen and expect that because he was a high pick, the coach HAS to play him 15 minutes a night in our top-6. Do you think it's just a coincidence that fantastic coaches like AV and WD bench kids all the time because they're kids? No. They're not getting ice time because quite frankly, they're not deserving of it. Virtanen and Baertschi are getting their chance, Baertschi started on the 2nd line and Virtanen was playing around 10 minutes a night on our third line as a teenager. They had their chances, and simply put, they didn't do enough to keep playing there.

You don't just keep giving kids more time if they're not going to score goals, play well defensively or consistently put in the effort and that's what's happening with Virtanen and Baertschi. Why would WD play these risky kids (who are a liability to the team right now) in the 3rd period when he's got 3 lines who are playing far better? I'd much rather have Prust and Dorsett out there in the 3rd period than Baertschi and Virtanen because you know what you're getting out of the veterans - consistent, hard work ethic and the occasional offensive chance. Virtanen and Baertschi have been invisible so far and until they can generate some offence or chances, they don't deserve to be on this team.

Meanwhile, Ehlers is getting more and more minutes over in Winnipeg because every time he's on the ice he's generating offence. He's all over the puck, I've watched a lot of his games and the kid is NOTICEABLE, unlike Virtanen who is clearly not NHL-ready yet. He made the most of his early opportunities, he's scoring at around a point per game at the NHL level and rightly so he deserves more ice-time. Virtanen on the other-hand has not done the same which is why he's getting benched.

For a comparison more close to home, look at McCann. This guy is all over the puck, he's generating chances and he's getting ice time because of it. He's scored 2 goals but more importantly, he's consistently noticeable out there. Virtanen isn't. WD isn't just sitting Virtanen because he's a "kid", or McCann would be benched as well. Simply put, Virtanen JUST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH YET. He needs to go back to junior, build up some confidence and put up some big points because the kid is nowhere near NHL ready.

[Alflives]

Then go away.  You are the biggest joker on this board, you throw around the word "bust" like it's nothing.  Just the other week you were calling a 19 year old Ehlers a bust, you watched him play 1 exhibition game.  Sure Nylander is soft but who gives a rats ass if he's scoring goals?  and what's this garbage about you saying you have been watching Nylander since before he was drafted...you subscribe to the SHL and get all the games on T.V right?  

You can pick up bruisers in the later rounds, look at Ferland (yes I brought his name in to this) 5th round pick, destroys everything in sight, you know the funniest thing about Ferland is?  He outscored Virtanen in Junior.  

Nobody here dislikes Jake, we are just frustrated that we wasted a 6th OVERALL pick on a kid who can't produce a damn thing offensively.  I know it's early and we can all be made stupid in a few years but that's what this discussion board is about.  

How many points does he have in his last 25 games including WHL playoffs, AHL and  NHL.   I think he has like 3 or 4 but hey he has lots of hits so that's cool right?  

 

from your tone you're clearly frustrated, with both me and Jake.  Don't you find it a tad ironic that you profess it's wrong (of me) to state a guy is a bust at 19, when you say the same about Jake?  You are entitled to your opinion, which I respect.  I disagree with you, but I still accept what you post as what you believe.  

[guntrix]

Ehlers wouldn't of been this good with us.

Jets needed the type of player he is and already have more than enough size and skill to open things up for him and put him in the right environment.

We are not as nearly as big as the Jets and not as deep. Not a good environment for Ehlers IMO.

That's why we are drafting that size now.

We can keep telling ourselves that Ehlers will always fail at the Canucks or we can be more realistic and start to question if JV was really the best choice. JB may have dropped the pin on this one.

 

[Bang Bang Boogie]

So wait you need big players with skill to allow smaller forwards to succeed, and we don't need Jake?

 

Ehlers (smaller, skill player) is a better fit for the Jets because the already have the bigger and more physical players to make space for him.  Canucks do not have that kind of depth yet, hence why we drafted Virtanen.

[Edlerberry]

kid was the right choice BEFORE the surgery aspect. after that, i'd have passed at 6.

 

40 goal draft year, ACTUALLY the fastest on the ice and ACTUALLY the most physical - every game. hard to pass that up. kid is toolsy, and he was always going to take more time to reach his ceiling. bertuzzi took a while too, and he had hands softer than a memory-foam chinchilla down silk duvet.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Edlerberry

[Dekey Pete]

You can pick up bruisers in the later rounds, look at Ferland (yes I brought his name in to this) 5th round pick, destroys everything in sight, you know the funniest thing about Ferland is?  He outscored Virtanen in Junior.  

No, no he didn't.  Jake was playing in the WHL when he was 2 yrs younger than Ferland, and produced at a very similar pace to Ferland when he was a year younger.  No one cares about what these players do in their 18 and 19 yr old seasons in junior.  If you want an example go look at Dane Fox.

Edited October 26, 2015 by The Sedge

[uselessstats]

The repetition of blaming a coach for not playing kids is just silly now. Fans see their "saviour" in Virtanen and expect that because he was a high pick, the coach HAS to play him 15 minutes a night in our top-6. Do you think it's just a coincidence that fantastic coaches like AV and WD bench kids all the time because they're kids? No. They're not getting ice time because quite frankly, they're not deserving of it. Virtanen and Baertschi are getting their chance, Baertschi started on the 2nd line and Virtanen was playing around 10 minutes a night on our third line as a teenager. They had their chances, and simply put, they didn't do enough to keep playing there.

You don't just keep giving kids more time if they're not going to score goals, play well defensively or consistently put in the effort and that's what's happening with Virtanen and Baertschi. Why would WD play these risky kids (who are a liability to the team right now) in the 3rd period when he's got 3 lines who are playing far better? I'd much rather have Prust and Dorsett out there in the 3rd period than Baertschi and Virtanen because you know what you're getting out of the veterans - consistent, hard work ethic and the occasional offensive chance. Virtanen and Baertschi have been invisible so far and until they can generate some offence or chances, they don't deserve to be on this team.

Meanwhile, Ehlers is getting more and more minutes over in Winnipeg because every time he's on the ice he's generating offence. He's all over the puck, I've watched a lot of his games and the kid is NOTICEABLE, unlike Virtanen who is clearly not NHL-ready yet. He made the most of his early opportunities, he's scoring at around a point per game at the NHL level and rightly so he deserves more ice-time. Virtanen on the other-hand has not done the same which is why he's getting benched.

For a comparison more close to home, look at McCann. This guy is all over the puck, he's generating chances and he's getting ice time because of it. He's scored 2 goals but more importantly, he's consistently noticeable out there. Virtanen isn't. WD isn't just sitting Virtanen because he's a "kid", or McCann would be benched as well. Simply put, Virtanen JUST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH YET. He needs to go back to junior, build up some confidence and put up some big points because the kid is nowhere near NHL ready.

"Blaming" the coach in this case is quite easy because:

 

A) He's made questionnable and downright stupid line up decisions frequently in his short tenure here.  Overplaying Sbisa and Bieksa, playing Prust and Dorsett 16 minutes a night, converting a natural centre (Sutter) into a winger while refusing to play a natural winger (Vrbata) in that role.  It goes on and on.  His deployment of Virtanen merely continues that trend.

 

Virtanen has played well when given the opportunity.  Almost scored in his first game (if Sutter could make a simple 10 foot pass), huge hit to spring Baertschi on a breakaway in his 2nd or 3rd (that he flubbed), was part of a heavy forecheck that led to Bartowski's goal.  His line consistently outshoots the opposing lines, hasn't been on for a goal yet so far as i know, and hasn't made the "big mistake" plays that McCann has.  Yet despite a good start (and despite sitting the first 4 games) he sees his ice time get reduced each time.  And not only reduced, but so sporadic that his legs are practically ice cold by the time he gets another shift.

 

If you give a line 7 minutes a night, then your expectations have to be aligned with what a 7-minute-a-night line is capable of.  Focus on defense, chip pucks deep, throw some hits, win some zone time.  Producing offense is not a fair expectation from a 7-minute-a-night line.  If you want offense, then a line needs enough shifts (and in regular rotation) for the players to get into an offensive rhythm.

 

This is what Winnipeg has done with Ehlers and the results have been predictable.  This is not what Willie has done with Jake or McCann and the results have been predictable.  Expecting anything different is puzzling tbh.

[Hairy Kneel]

Jake will total Ehlers...I will see this bodycheck Lol

[aGENT]

*sigh* I preferred when CT-itis hadn't yet spread in to the Prospects section...

[nergish]

Then go away.  You are the biggest joker on this board, you throw around the word "bust" like it's nothing.  Just the other week you were calling a 19 year old Ehlers a bust, you watched him play 1 exhibition game.  Sure Nylander is soft but who gives a rats ass if he's scoring goals?  and what's this garbage about you saying you have been watching Nylander since before he was drafted...you subscribe to the SHL and get all the games on T.V right?  

You can pick up bruisers in the later rounds, look at Ferland (yes I brought his name in to this) 5th round pick, destroys everything in sight, you know the funniest thing about Ferland is?  He outscored Virtanen in Junior.  

Nobody here dislikes Jake, we are just frustrated that we wasted a 6th OVERALL pick on a kid who can't produce a damn thing offensively.  I know it's early and we can all be made stupid in a few years but that's what this discussion board is about.  

How many points does he have in his last 25 games including WHL playoffs, AHL and  NHL.   I think he has like 3 or 4 but hey he has lots of hits so that's cool right?  

 

This thread is getting pretty unbearable. Everything you're saying is borderline cringeworthy man, I think you need some fresh air.

If you think any team in the league could snag a player like Jake Virtanen outside of the top 10 in pretty well any draft year, you're out to lunch. This kid was a 1st overall pick in the WHL bantam draft. He is an offensive player, and we do indeed need him to put up points, but he's only going to succeed in that role if he's playing with other offensive players. That will come when he's gained more experience and has earned that role. But the beauty of drafting a kid like Jake is that he CAN play at 18 in a lesser role and still provide much-needed youthfulness, intensity, and lust for the good old hockey game. Stop comparing our guys to what Ehlers or Nylander are doing, those aren't our players. I'm happy those guys are doing well, they're good kids, and could have been good options for us too. But we chose the local kid who hits hard, plays mean, and isn't pigeonholed into one very specific offensive role.

Reading the last few pages of this thread, it almost feels like some of you are watching different games than I am. Jake has made at MOST 3-4 truly bad plays in his games so far. He's laid the body, played low-risk hockey, and has helped ramp up team intensity exactly as we knew he would. Watching his offensive game, it's possible that he's not quite ready to contribute at a regular clip, but I think he's just been playing it safe because he wants this so badly. There have indeed been stretches where we don't really notice him a whole lot, but that is not necessarily a bad thing - to me, it means an 18 year old kid who is reported to have questionable hockey IQ is making safe choices and not causing our team any grief while slowly learning the pro game from world-class mentors.