Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW


avelanch

Recommended Posts

6 minutes ago, elvis15 said:

You could be worried about a guy posting on CDC New Year's eve, or you could be worried about the guy posting two days later who hasn't bothered to read the replies in that conversation and still gets the story wrong.

That would be an admission of wrongness though.

 

Can't have that

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it was Botchford who made the case Jake helps the Canucks "win-now" with his possession metrics or something like that awhile ago.

 

Glad he's down in Utica, though.  Whether he puts up big numbers or not to finish out the season is irrelevant because I hope he finishes the season with the Comets as well.  He needs a message going into the off season combined with the time off to reset his mentality and come back ready to earn a spot with the big club. A motivated, healthy and focused Virtanen will be a joy to watch.

 

I'm going to bet that he does turn it around and it will be a ton of fun watching him ascend to his Jannik Hansen on steroids upside.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This section of CDC must be the most bipolar place in all of CDC. Every few pages it flips opinion on Jake. 

 

Fact of the matter is he has had a rough start to his NHL career, but if he manges to hit his potential he could be one of the faces of our organization. A local boy, overcomes adversity in the coming years and develops into a game changing power forward for us? Let's just cheer him on and hope for the best. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Zhukini said:

Reports of him being last on the ice for practise and first off it. Plus he's a big party boy, and if you're into Vancouver nightlife, chances are you've seen him around more than any other Canuck

I wonder if he was like this in junior. The Canucks should have him do a 40 hour week assembling furniture, and call it conditioning training. His dad's an air traffic controller. That job has one of the highest suicide rates. You'd think he'd have a higher drive, growing up in that household. I'd give him another full season in the minors before declaring him a bust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, shayster007 said:

This section of CDC must be the most bipolar place in all of CDC. Every few pages it flips opinion on Jake. 

 

Fact of the matter is he has had a rough start to his NHL career, but if he manges to hit his potential he could be one of the faces of our organization. A local boy, overcomes adversity in the coming years and develops into a game changing power forward for us? Let's just cheer him on and hope for the best. 

I wanna see some real hunger in the young lad. A cross between Horvat and Stecher would be nice!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still absolutely puzzled at how he's not on the 1st PP unit in Utica. I'm all for earning your ice, but our 6th overall pick should have some special treatment. I'd rather see Grenier on the goal line and have Virtanen patrol the left wall side. He's not the best puck handler but on the power play you're given more time and space and he'll also get more confidence with the puck. We also all know he once scored a lot of one-timers from that Ovechkin spot. It's got to be the little things with Jake I feel that's going to potentially turn him around. 

 

The fact that Hamilton and Labate have been rotated in that 1st unit PP more than Virtanen is an absolute joke.

Edited by junglesniper
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, junglesniper said:

Still absolutely puzzled at how he's not on the 1st PP unit in Utica. I'm all for earning your ice, but our 6th overall pick should have some special treatment. I'd rather see Grenier on the goal line and have Virtanen patrol the left wall side. He's not the best puck handler but on the power play you're given more time and space and he'll also get more confidence with the puck. We also all know he once scored a lot of one-timers from that Ovechkin spot. It's got to be the little things with Jake I feel that's going to potentially turn him around. 

 

The fact that Hamilton and Labate have been rotated in that 1st unit PP more than Virtanen is an absolute joke.

And risk messing up our 13.4% power play? Blasphemy!

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, junglesniper said:

Still absolutely puzzled at how he's not on the 1st PP unit in Utica. I'm all for earning your ice, but our 6th overall pick should have some special treatment. I'd rather see Grenier on the goal line and have Virtanen patrol the left wall side. He's not the best puck handler but on the power play you're given more time and space and he'll also get more confidence with the puck. We also all know he once scored a lot of one-timers from that Ovechkin spot. It's got to be the little things with Jake I feel that's going to potentially turn him around. 

 

The fact that Hamilton and Labate have been rotated in that 1st unit PP more than Virtanen is an absolute joke.

 

I'm starting to believe the Canucks don't think Virtanen has a confidence issue, rather it's a pouting issue.  I'm seeing a player who thinks he doesn't have to try and expects that eventually he will be given what he wants, because I'm Jake Virtanen - 6th overall pick.  His comments and approach tell me pouter not doubter.  

 

This is probably why they are trying to get him to the point he realizes he must take/make/earn his own way.  The confidence and reward will follow.  What is given never means as much as what is earned.  He has never had to earn it, he better learn or it will be gone. 

 

Edited by Borvat
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, elvis15 said:

But by the same token you saw some evidence earlier on that the skill level was there. Even if they overachieved early before other players got a read on them, they still had a starting base in the NHL offensively so that people weren't writing off their ceilings early on.

 

With Virtanen, we've only really see the odd play or very small stretches of the skill we hoped for when he was drafted. Thankfully he's had other good play on defence and in possession numbers, but that's secondary to what we're looking for from a 6th overall pick (and our highest in a long time).

 

So, while the early-20's version of any player is hardly the finished product (or even a perfect representation of the potential), it can be an good start to give fans an idea of the player they could become. Of course, then there's the McDavid's of the world who probably even elevated their ceiling as rookies - wouldn't that be nice in a 'Nucks uni?

The Sedins were not very good players their first 3-4 seasons. They had the luxury though of being on a very good team and were given lots of ice time and opportunity to develop into top line NHL players. They were considered busts early on in their careers and many fans and pundits alike claimed they were gifted PP time that they didn't deserve just because they were top draft picks and the politics of it al...l blah blah blah. I don't know what will happen with Jake but to call him a bust so early in his career is very short sighted. I hope the MGNT and coaches give Jake plenty of opportunity to succeed or fail because it worked for the twins and so we know it can work . Just have to suck it up to find out

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Borvat said:

 

I'm starting to believe the Canucks don't think Virtanen has a confidence issue, rather it's a pouting issue.  I'm seeing a player who thinks he doesn't have to try and expects that eventually he will be given what he wants, because I'm Jake Virtanen - 6th overall pick.  His comments and approach tell me pouter not doubter.  

 

This is probably why they are trying to get him to the point he realizes he must take/make/earn his own way.  The confidence and reward will follow.  What is given never means as much as what is earned.  He has never had to earn it, he better learn or it will be gone. 

 

Hmmm, sounds like hodgson#2, I sure hope I'm wrong but if he is last on the ice and first off it then we have a real problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, two drink minimum said:

The Sedins were not very good players their first 3-4 seasons. They had the luxury though of being on a very good team and were given lots of ice time and opportunity to develop into top line NHL players. They were considered busts early on in their careers and many fans and pundits alike claimed they were gifted PP time that they didn't deserve just because they were top draft picks and the politics of it al...l blah blah blah. I don't know what will happen with Jake but to call him a bust so early in his career is very short sighted. I hope the MGNT and coaches give Jake plenty of opportunity to succeed or fail because it worked for the twins and so we know it can work . Just have to suck it up to find out

The Twins were complete professionals from day one, and worked out like crazy to be as fit as possible.  Jake is not like the Twins in this way.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Alflives said:

The Twins were complete professionals from day one, and worked out like crazy to be as fit as possible.  Jake is not like the Twins in this way.

Fair enough but the Twins were 20 when they came to the NHL and played 2 full seasons in a pro league to boot. I agree that if the attitude and professional habits are still an issue with Jake that he should stay in Utica. However do we really know that's the issue? If he is doing the right things off the ice like diet and exercise and mental prep then he deserves solid ice time to get better. If he isn't doing all the off ice stuff then he has to learn to or stay in Utica till he does. I give him at least till the end next season before I get even a little concerned about his NHL career. He'll still just be 21 at the end of next year. Baertschi is 24 and just starting to put it together now.

Edited by two drink minimum
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, two drink minimum said:

Fair enough but the Twins were 20 when they came to the NHL and played 2 full seasons in a pro league to boot. I agree that if the attitude and professional habits are still an issue with Jake that he should stay in Utica. However do we really know that's the issue? If he is doing the right things off the ice like diet and exercise and mental prep then he deserves solid ice time to get better. If he isn't doing all the off ice stuff then he has to learn to or stay in Utica till he does. I give him at least till the end next season before I get even a little concerned about his NHL career. He'll still just be 21 at the end of next year. Baertschi is 24 and just starting to put it together now.

Hansen called out Jake last year for bad eating habits I thought?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Alflives said:

Hansen called out Jake last year for bad eating habits I thought?

Is that right? I don't know all the details myself and I am the first to admit that Jake may be his own worst enemy in some regard. I just would like actual facts or proof of what is really holding his development back before I jump to any conclusions. I have to assume he is doing all the little things off the ice in order to succeed on it (absent of any real proof) because I don't typically subscribe to here-say

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, elvis15 said:

Then maybe we can change it from 'development' to say something more like they take longer to contribute closer to their ceiling in the NHL.

 

Been beating that drum for a while. That's probably a better description than I've been able to give so far though. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, The 5th Line said:

 

I would never label any 20 year old a bust.

 

All you are doing is defending Virtanen with the "he's only 20 years old" perspective.  Why don't you watch a handful of Comets game and then tell me how you truly feel about the way he plays or even better go watch some old Hitmen games and watch Jake just skate up and down the ice in a straight line scoring goals with an unstainable shooting %. He's in the bigs now and has to completely change the way he plays offense and it just isn't working. Stop lying to yourself and admit the truth, he ain't that good and chances are he won't ever be that good, there is just way way wayyy to much work that needs to be done.  With his skating and shooting I still think he can turn in to a bottom 6 checker for us one day if we are lucky, anything more than that is gravy and would blow my mind.  

 

 

What the hell do you call the bold part of your post, if your are not labeling him a bust. Come on kid  (I can see you are only 25 years old) learn some patience. I have seen Jake play many times he is inconsistent with his play, some games he looked like the best player on the ice(Juniors) others games he looked bored on the ice. The skill is there he needs time to learn how to use it at the pro level.  As for the Comets games he is learning and looking better little by little. I can not help it if your eye can not pick up on that. Maybe when you have been watching the game for another 20+ years you will.      

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

Hansen called out Jake last year for bad eating habits I thought?

Maybe Bartkowskis mom was referring to Jake on that mothers road trip last year...where she said everyone was great except for that little 18 year old.( I know Jake isnt little but it could of been a term for young)..we all assumed it was McCann....who knows..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Zhukini said:

Reports of him being last on the ice for practise and first off it. Plus he's a big party boy, and if you're into Vancouver nightlife, chances are you've seen him around more than any other Canuck

sigh. evander kane without the talent and skill as kane. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...