Alflives Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 17 minutes ago, DeNiro said: Interesting. Wonder what weight he's at now. Hopefully he's been studying how the Sedins workout and he comes to camp with great cardio. Excellent point DeNiro. For JV to play top six minutes he needs to be super fit. Is he old enough to attain that level of fitness though? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY_4_NAZZY Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 7 hours ago, Alflives said: Excellent point DeNiro. For JV to play top six minutes he needs to be super fit. Is he old enough to attain that level of fitness though? With anything, it takes time. Jake has had a good start to his training, but will need to continue the same habit to develop his peak physical stamina and such. I remember watching a short video documentary on the Sedins and they said that it took several years before they developed their level of fitness to be at its top notch level. Proper eating, sleeping, workout habits will be key for Jake to refine these next few years to reach his peak potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Spector Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Did you guys actually watch the Sedins play at age 20? It looked they were skating in quick sand. And they were pretty much knocked off the puck on every shift. And they were 2nd and 3rd overall picks. They were 3rd liners. Jake is MUCH bigger than both of them and skates like the wind. I wouldn't be surprised if he's shows up to camp at 225 pounds. He's gonna be a beast. Forget the cardio. It's not like he's gonna play 20 minutes a night. I don't recall him being winded or benched due to his conditioning. If he's on the third line I want him hitting everything in sight and going to the front of the net and getting dirty. That has to be his game. He has to turn into a power forward. That's what we need. Bertuzzi was 240 pounds. And could skate like the wind. These guys are a different breed then the Sedins who rely on their cardio due to their lack of quick feet. I want Jake running everything in sight and I want him to develop his game on the third line with no pressure. 12 minutes a night of hard hitting, in your face, screening the goalie and chasing the loose pucks is what I wanna see. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 41 minutes ago, Harvey Spector said: Did you guys actually watch the Sedins play at age 20? It looked they were skating in quick sand. And they were pretty much knocked off the puck on every shift. And they were 2nd and 3rd overall picks. They were 3rd liners. Jake is MUCH bigger than both of them and skates like the wind. I wouldn't be surprised if he's shows up to camp at 225 pounds. He's gonna be a beast. Forget the cardio. It's not like he's gonna play 20 minutes a night. I don't recall him being winded or benched due to his conditioning. No professional athlete can just "forget the cardio", it's important for every player whether they're good skaters or not. Sure he may not play 20 minutes a night but there's gonna be shifts that he my get pinned in his own zone and have to spend 2+ minutes out there. That's when good cardio allows a player to dig deep and make sure they don't get caught chasing the play. Virtanen needs to have that ability as much as any player. Coach Willie and coach Green both publicly questioned Jake's fitness last season and made it pretty clear he wasn't at the level he needed to be. That's why he was coming out of the lineup so that he could work with the trainers. In order for him to play at 220 lbs and not have it affect his skating he's going to have to have good conditioning. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigturk8 Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 17 hours ago, winthecup said: Jon Abbott @HockeyAbbs 1m1 minute ago Spoke with #Canucks Virtanen today. He has been in the gym Mon-Fri since mid May and has achieved his off-season workout benchmarks #TSN1040 Here's the full interview. [Audio]http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040-i-1410/virtanen-i-ve-matured-ready-to-make-an-impact-on-the-ice-1.558200 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Spector Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) I'm not saying Jake should be running around like a headless chicken ala Raffi Torres, what I'm saying is he will be basically our only forward other than Dorsett who knows how to actually lay a hit. So I want him to be Bertuzzi lite out there. Of course he needs to have some cardio, I highly doubt he spent every day in the gym since May and has zero cardio. He's a professional athlete. He needs to get into the game with his physicality first, go to the dirty areas, and learn to be a power froward. I don't want him skating around with the puck like Bure trying to deke out 4 guys to score a wonder goal. He will be a third liner if he sticks with the big club. The scoring will come. He needs to learn to play his game first, the goals will come later. I envision him being a Bertuzzi type player on the second line. Remember Bertuzzi did squat until he came to the Canucks when he was 24, so it's gonna take awhile for Jake to learn the power game. But if he does learn it, then he will be a beast with his speed and hitting ability. That's why Benning drafted him. Rarely do you see a guy at 220 pounds who can skate like Jake and also hit like a truck. It's a unique skill set that can't be taught. However, he has to learn how to read the game better and make better decisions with the puck, which will come in time. Edited August 31, 2016 by Harvey Spector Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedblue2017 Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 On 8/15/2016 at 11:32 PM, Silky mitts said: Hopefully I got high hopes and expectations for the kid. Like his style and tenacity I like his style of play to, he is a north/south guy with speed and size, likes to hit and can put the puck in the net. What is there not to like about Jake's game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred65 Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Let's hope his maturity catches up with his physicality. As Burrows said ...he'll get it some day. Seems the word that's missing in Virtanens vocabulary is dedication Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Dizzle Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 9 hours ago, Fred65 said: Let's hope his maturity catches up with his physicality. As Burrows said ...he'll get it some day. Seems the word that's missing in Virtanens vocabulary is dedication Says knowledgable insider @Fred65 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBatch Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 On 8/31/2016 at 1:22 PM, Harvey Spector said: I'm not saying Jake should be running around like a headless chicken ala Raffi Torres, what I'm saying is he will be basically our only forward other than Dorsett who knows how to actually lay a hit. So I want him to be Bertuzzi lite out there. Of course he needs to have some cardio, I highly doubt he spent every day in the gym since May and has zero cardio. He's a professional athlete. He needs to get into the game with his physicality first, go to the dirty areas, and learn to be a power froward. I don't want him skating around with the puck like Bure trying to deke out 4 guys to score a wonder goal. He will be a third liner if he sticks with the big club. The scoring will come. He needs to learn to play his game first, the goals will come later. I envision him being a Bertuzzi type player on the second line. Remember Bertuzzi did squat until he came to the Canucks when he was 24, so it's gonna take awhile for Jake to learn the power game. But if he does learn it, then he will be a beast with his speed and hitting ability. That's why Benning drafted him. Rarely do you see a guy at 220 pounds who can skate like Jake and also hit like a truck. It's a unique skill set that can't be taught. However, he has to learn how to read the game better and make better decisions with the puck, which will come in time. I agree, power forwards usually take more time to develop. At this point sending him to the AHL where he could play 20mins a game might be the best course of action - ANA sent Perry/Getzlaf down and they both agree that it was pivotal in getting them up to speed on what it takes to play as a pro (and came back won a cup and became a force). To me Virtanen was lost at times last year and just went to what was easiest for him which is throwing a big hit. Unless he comes into training camp and knocks the lights out in the pre-season management should give him more time - rushing him could hurt his development. I hope he can make it work next season, and that he surprises us with a 30-30 effort...ok wishful thinking....2017-2018 though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuckles80 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) On 8/31/2016 at 2:49 AM, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said: With anything, it takes time. Jake has had a good start to his training, but will need to continue the same habit to develop his peak physical stamina and such. I remember watching a short video documentary on the Sedins and they said that it took several years before they developed their level of fitness to be at its top notch level. Proper eating, sleeping, workout habits will be key for Jake to refine these next few years to reach his peak potential. Yes, look back at the pictures of the twins when they were rookies and first couple of years, they had baby fat on them still. Then look at pictures of mid career and now. Lean, muscle, two of the fittest athletes in the NHL. Key is as you said, but also as the twins showed - 'commitment' to that end. They work extremely hard to get into top physical form, as do most elite players and athletes (look how hard crosby works in the offseason etc). Jake, and most young players (other than those born and bred with Bo's mentality) usually need to learn 'good habits' when they get to the NHL. Most of these kids are naturally gifted athletes so having to push themselves off the ice beyond normal workouts is a bit new to them. Now, in the NHL, 99% of players are in great and better shape and are MEN so they need to work extremely hard in the offseason. Moreover, these men have been around long enough to know how hard it is to stick in the NHL and they realize that their work ethic off the ice can often determine if they have a job or not. Young players are now competing with all of that, its a learning curve for most young players. Jake also came into the league with 'size'. If you're RNH, being lighter hinders you in some sense (knocked off the puck), but is advantage in others, stamina etc. For Jake its the opposite, he has the size but has to work on other aspects, key being stamina - all players have areas to work on when they get into the league fitness wise. Stamina thankfully, is one of the easiest and quickest correctable issues. Drop some weight, focus on cardio and your diet and you can make huge gains in an offseason, muscle is harder. Key is also diet, that's the part that worries me about him, don't want another Pudgo Kessel! And yes Kessel is good but imagine how good he'd be if in shape! Hopefully we see this year that Jake heard the advice loud and clear, saw how the twins work, Bo, etc and took it to heart. Edited September 3, 2016 by Nuckles80 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissCanucks Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Pretty big legs for "Big Country" ! Can't wait to see him skate ! (Picture taken from his Instagram account) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuckles80 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) 50 minutes ago, SwissCanucks said: Pretty big legs for "Big Country" ! Can't wait to see him skate ! (Picture taken from his Instagram account) Looks like that little ponch he had is gone, at least from this picture! he's always had big legs and that big middle...that's where he gets all the speed and power from By the way, I hope he gets the 'big country' knickname - its not a 'nice one'....its a reference to our big mac eating old center for the Grizzlies Edited September 3, 2016 by Nuckles80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuckles80 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) Ok so I am relieved Anyone concerned about Jake's pudge - check out his instagram and there's a pic of him and his boys playing golf at cultus lake. Its hard to see but pinch zoom it, he's in the middle in the blue at backwards hat. He's looking ripped folks!!!! Like bodybuilder Jacked.....maybe its time to change his knickname from Bigcountry to Jacked! WOW....kid if you committed like that, you won me over, keep it up! Edited September 3, 2016 by Nuckles80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Spector Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) Those pictures make him look like a man among boys. I wouldn't be surprised if he's 220 pounds. Which is perfect. It is enough to lay out the biggest guys in the league and be able to play as a power forward. Good job Jake! Can't wait to see you in the pre-season!! Edited September 3, 2016 by Harvey Spector 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuckles80 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Harvey Spector said: Those pictures make him look like a man among boys. I wouldn't be surprised if he's 220 pounds. Which is perfect. Is it enough to lay out the biggest guys in the league and be able to play as a power forward. Good job Jake! Can't wait to see you in the pre-season!! Look at his upper body, its like a bodybuilder's ...my concern was that bit of a beer gut he seemed to be getting / had.... in that picture he looks like he's got a different type of 6 pack under there....if so that's great news for Nucks fans and him...and as I said, if so, what I like most is it shows he committed - that to me means more than anything. It means his attitude is becoming more mature and professional. With the right attitude (and resulting commitment and effort), and his natural abilities, and size, he can turn himself into one hell of a player. Seems the Twins /Burr and Bo are rubbing off...to those saying trade the twins /Burr, vets - right there you see the impact of vets on young players... Edited September 3, 2016 by Nuckles80 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertuzzi4eva Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 On 6/3/2016 at 8:12 PM, bubbaCHUCK said: Horvat might have a better all around game then Virtanen. but i can see Virtanen be more of an offensive threat like Brad Marchand. Jake just needs to work on his playmaking ability and trusting his teammates more. i also think he's playing with too many voices in his head. i.e. coaches, friends, family, and hometown fans. still a young kid playing with alot of preasure. once he's grown out of that stage, he'll be a beast and a guy you hate to play against. Well said. With the right coaching this kid will be a force to be reckoned with . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Bucyk and the 'Boston' boys would drink beer all summer on Kootenay Lake. They went to camp to get into shape. The Bruins won CUPs and were always in contention. Yes, Orr was on the Lake as well. I have no worries about Virtanen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqua59 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 1 hour ago, Boudrias said: Bucyk and the 'Boston' boys would drink beer all summer on Kootenay Lake. They went to camp to get into shape. The Bruins won CUPs and were always in contention. Yes, Orr was on the Lake as well. I have no worries about Virtanen. Thing is that was then and Virtanen is now, a very different NHL. You come to camp out of shape a player is behind and rarely catches up. Virtanen will be just fine, he's been working hard all summer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuckles80 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, aqua59 said: Thing is that was then and Virtanen is now, a very different NHL. You come to camp out of shape a player is behind and rarely catches up. Virtanen will be just fine, he's been working hard all summer. That golf picture sure seems to suggest he has been working hard, ponch is gone and dude looks like a UFC / MMA fighter Edited September 3, 2016 by Nuckles80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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