Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

[Toews]

3 minutes ago, J-23 said:

There is no guarantee that they would've produced those numbers if they were on the Canucks. If they played on this team they would've got the same minutes and treatment as Jake. They would've played low minutes on the 4th line. We need to get over not drafting any of those players. I'm happy we drafted Virtanen, this team needs some toughness. Fan base needs to stop crying over not drafting Ehlers, Nylander, Tkachuk and praising these players and trash talking players like Juolevi and Virtanen in every possible way they can. Nylander plays with Matthews, on the 1st line he's obviously going to be putting up big numbers and Ehlers is playing with Wheeler and Sceifele also on the 1st line. If Jake was in there spots he would be getting the big minutest and he would be putting up great numbers as well. Let's be happy Jake is starting to get his confidence back playing in Utica. 

Nylander and Ehlers have consistently shown that they can generate their own offense. Its something that Jake needs to learn how to do or he will only end up as a role player. The other poster is right, it isn't close and its likely never going to be close. That isn't "trash talking", its just facing reality. Do I wish that people wouldn't bring up those names as often as they do? Yes but I think this team needs offensive talent so desperately that people can't help but speculate what it would be like if the organization went in a different direction. Now if only people would stop complaining about what other posters decide to post in this thread.

[N4ZZY]

Just now, Toews said:

Nylander and Ehlers have consistently shown that they can generate their own offense. Its something that Jake needs to learn how to do or he will only end up as a role player. The other poster is right, it isn't close and its likely never going to be close. That isn't "trash talking", its just facing reality. Do I wish that people wouldn't bring up those names as often as they do? Yes but I think this team needs offensive talent so desperately that people can't help but speculate what it would be like if the organization went in a different direction. Now if only people would stop complaining about what other posters decide to post in this thread.

even if he was just a role player. role players on teams do have important roles to play on the team for the success of the team. we'll see. 

 

[JustABandwagoner]

I wonder... If we didnt draft Virtanen @ 6th.. Where would he have fell too hmm 

[J-23]

1 minute ago, DontMessMe said:

You can find toughness in free agent or later rounds in draft. Sure, jake can get great minutes but who said he can put up great numbers? Didnt Button say he had $&!#ty hockey IQ. 

 

Meh. Just dont like the fact he went 6th overall

I can see where you're coming from, but complaining about it is just going to make it worse. I wanted to draft Tkachuk but we got Juolevi. I was dissapointed but I'm    happy that we got an elite defneseman and I'm going to support him all the way, and there is no way I'm ever going to be cheering for Tkachuk. He is now on a team that will be in our way in the future and he must be defeated. It's your opinion and I understand that you're pissed that we didn't get Nylander or Ehlers.

[Knucklehd]

3 minutes ago, DontMessMe said:

I wonder... If we didnt draft Virtanen @ 6th.. Where would he have fell too hmm 

And then who's to say what affect that would have had on Jake?  Maybe it lights a fire and next thing you know he starts living up to expectations.  Then everyone would crucify Benning for not taking the hometown boy.  You can't win as a GM in this league till you hoist the cup...then you win...for that year anyways.

[JustABandwagoner]

Just now, Knucklehd said:

And then who's to say what affect that would have had on Jake?  Maybe it lights a fire and next thing you know he starts living up to expectations.  Then everyone would crucify Benning for not taking the hometown boy.  You can't win as a GM in this league till you hoist the cup...then you win...for that year anyways.

Meh not expecting much. Hope Benning can hit a home run with this upcoming draft. All I can hope now

[PuckYa]

1 hour ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

2 nice goals for Jake tonight and he's on a bit of a roll lately. 8 points in his last 14 games or something like that, hopefully this is a sign of things to come. If he can finish the season strong he may be a regular top-6 Utica forward next year. Pot 20-30 goals and then get the big league call up...

I missed today's game but I'll catch it tomorrow. Watched Fridays game & Jake looked good in that one even though they lost & he didn't get on the score sheet. 

Glad to see him pop a few today. I really think he is starting to turn the corner here. 

Edited April 2, 2017 by CoolCanucklehead

[HomeBrew]

15 minutes ago, Knucklehd said:

And then who's to say what affect that would have had on Jake?  Maybe it lights a fire and next thing you know he starts living up to expectations.  Then everyone would crucify Benning for not taking the hometown boy.  You can't win as a GM in this league till you hoist the cup...then you win...for that year anyways.

What would be even worse is if we gave up on him too early and traded him, only to see him turn it around and become a dominant top 6 guy for someone else. We have to see this through to the end for better or worse I think.

[Toews]

19 minutes ago, Knucklehd said:

And then who's to say what affect that would have had on Jake?  Maybe it lights a fire and next thing you know he starts living up to expectations.  Then everyone would crucify Benning for not taking the hometown boy.  You can't win as a GM in this league till you hoist the cup...then you win...for that year anyways.

IMO every time you have a high pick you should be aiming to draft a player that is going to be a part of your core. If you get a player like that then you should not concern yourself how the teams around you fared. This is the reason why I don't have a problem with the Juolevi pick. I think he will be our future #2D and regardless how Tkachuk ends up I will consider that a successful pick.

[shazzam]

Just look at what Gillis left us in terms of prospects and what we have now. I think he's done good. He just needs to acquire more picks because he is finding some gems. I doubt Virtanen will ever score as much as Nylander and Ehlers but if he can pot 40+ and be a physical force, I would gladly take that. We still need more grit even if Virtanen makes the team next year. Let's root for the guy instead of complaining about not having someone else.

 

[PuckYa]

On 27/03/2017 at 0:11 PM, TimberWolf said:

There are things you can work on and be patient to await but one is not Hockey IQ. Jake is a low Hockey IQ player and that doesn't meant he won't be a fit in our lineup anywhere but it won't be in that high IQ elite fashion that separates him from other players.

 

Career third liner or second on a bad team. Raffi Torres style and nothing wrong with that except that it sucks he was a sixth overall. That is outside his control and not his fault where he gets picked. What is inside his control is staying fit and making the most of any opportunity, 

 

Now I could be wrong and he could turn into an elite superstar but I'm just going with what is observable up to this point. Be patient using these expectations and you'll be rewarded, anything else is a bonus. 

Have you watched his recent games? I've caught a couple in the past week & he is looking fast, confident & noticeable in a good way almost every shift. Popped in a few more tonight I see.

My belief is that it's way too early to be predicting his ceiling. Yes Jake didn't show high hockey IQ as a teenager pro but neither did many power forward types in the past. Some get it early some get it later & yes some don't ever get it. Jake is far from that player yet. He's got loads of potential with that shot, speed, strength & skill set.

The way he's coming around in Utica now & his continued commitment to getting better, I would give Jake a few more years. To many tools to not be patient here & patience has been a key to many NHL'rs careers. (Naslund, Bertuzzi, Kesler, Neely, Kreider, Simmonds, St.Louis, etc.) Every kid develops differently.

[kenhodgejr]

I remember Jakes draft. I listened to it on the radio. Parked my car when they got to the 6th pick. I was praying we would draft Nick Ritchie to help our team with some size and toughness. Then I was upset we got Virtanen. I guess he is faster and a bigger hitter than Ritchie. Benning ruined his development by telling him he couldn't learn any more in WHL and letting him play in NHL.

[numb3r 16]

4 minutes ago, kenhodgejr said:

I remember Jakes draft. I listened to it on the radio. Parked my car when they got to the 6th pick. I was praying we would draft Nick Ritchie to help our team with some size and toughness. Then I was upset we got Virtanen. I guess he is faster and a bigger hitter than Ritchie. Benning ruined his development by telling him he couldn't learn any more in WHL and letting him play in NHL.

If you were hoping for size and toughness why were you upset with the virtanen pick?

[Smashian Kassian]

I think Virtanen can still be a good player, maybe not worthy of being picked over Ehlers/Nylander but I think he could still be a scoring/physical player if he's willing to put the work in. 

[PuckYa]

11 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

I think Virtanen can still be a good player, maybe not worthy of being picked over Ehlers/Nylander but I think he could still be a scoring/physical player if he's willing to put the work in. 

http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/i-have-to-prove-that-i-belong-would-be-canuck-virtanen-turning-corner-with-comets#comments

[khay]

6 hours ago, Byrix said:

 

anyone else waiting for the hat trick?

Wow. JV's skating ability, that ability to drive the play forward in a rush is already at the NHL level.  Drive the play, get the puck to the playmaker, get the puck back, shoot. 

 

I think Baertschi and Virtanen or Granlund and Virtanen will be a good duo once JV is ready to join the team full time.

 

 

 

[goblix]

37 minutes ago, numb3r 16 said:

If you were hoping for size and toughness why were you upset with the virtanen pick?

Because the mystical tea leaves he read that day told him virtanen wasn't going to amount to anything for the first few years....

my mystical tea leaves are telling me that he's still a prospect and has time before he is deemed a failure. 

[khay]

47 minutes ago, kenhodgejr said:

I remember Jakes draft. I listened to it on the radio. Parked my car when they got to the 6th pick. I was praying we would draft Nick Ritchie to help our team with some size and toughness. Then I was upset we got Virtanen. I guess he is faster and a bigger hitter than Ritchie. Benning ruined his development by telling him he couldn't learn any more in WHL and letting him play in NHL.

I would still pick Virtanen over Ritchie.

 

I think with Jake's skating, at the least, he is going to be a very effective third liner on this team. A type of third liner that we do not have right now. If Virtanen is paired with a superior talent with high hockey IQ and playmaking skills (2017 draft?), then I think Jake can be a first line player. Just like Burrows was a first line player because he complimented the Sedins well but no one think Burr is a first liner by himself, Jake can be a first line player who compliments a superior player. 

 

Ritchie is much slower than Virtanen and just like Virtanen, he cannot drive a scoring line by himself (at least based on what I saw so far). Then, only thing he offers over Virtanen is what? Size? Work ethics? Slightly better hockey sense? All of those are easily attainable; I prefer player with elite level skating with size. The game is played faster than ever before, and we need big guys that are elite skaters at the same time.

 

If you think about it, if Jake had high hockey IQ on top of his size and elite level skating, the 2014 draft would be known as Ekblad-Virtanen draft. Let's hope good coaching along with the time in the AHL can improve Jake's decision making abilities; then we will have a very good player. 

 

[bohoforpresident]

3 hours ago, Toews said:

Nylander and Ehlers have consistently shown that they can generate their own offense. Its something that Jake needs to learn how to do or he will only end up as a role player. The other poster is right, it isn't close and its likely never going to be close. That isn't "trash talking", its just facing reality. Do I wish that people wouldn't bring up those names as often as they do? Yes but I think this team needs offensive talent so desperately that people can't help but speculate what it would be like if the organization went in a different direction. Now if only people would stop complaining about what other posters decide to post in this thread.

One day Jake is going to run those daisy pickers Nylanders and ehlers through the boards. No problem with the pick at 6. Jake's goals since he went pro have been few and far between but when you look at the goals he has scored, it's obvious why he was picked.

The kid just needs to find his consistency. If he can score even twenty goals a season and staple those thin bearded eurotrash players Nylander and Ehlers to the glass everytime we play them...I'm more than happy. 

 

 

Jake is looking fast.. His first goal tonight.. look at the seperation he creates to get a clear 2 on 1. Almost put himself offside lol. Wheels on wheels. A hard shot and he likes to pick corners. And the kid likes to hit. 

 

Of course everyone is entitled to post whatever their opinion is (as long as it's within the forum rules)... But it is very annoying when people are doing a redraft after every single year....

 

seriously though players like Ehlers and Nylanders turn up in every draft year... Dainty little Europeans with finesse... You cant have every player. We all know the best players are homegrown

 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2017 by bohoforpresident

[messier's_elbow]

3 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

meh. water under the bridge. it's in the past now, not worth dwelling on it. 

all we can do is support the kid in his development and see what kind of player he turns out to become in the NHL. 

he scored two goals tonight. that's progress for him. he seems to be further ahead now at this point of the season, than he was when arrived in utica earlier on. that's improvement. that's progress. that's development. like i've said numerous times here. i'd be interested to see how he develops offensively next season. i think he needs another season down in the AHL for more seasoning. he's improved, but he still has some ways to go. make him work for it. make Jake so desperate, that he goes all out every night to make it to the NHL. 

 

 

Yeah Jake was pretty raw when they drafted him. They should have known he needed a lot of seasoning and not rushed him... bad move guys...

 

he still needs more baking until he's scoring at a good rate in Utica. Great physical talent,. Speed, strength, isn't a wuss. He looked like he was tenative out on the ice In the pros. Jake didn't go to the areas he should have been on the ice consistently. Sounds like Green has really worked with Jake and got him to work on the areas where Jake was lacking. I think Jake will be a late bloomer, but when he's around 24 will be a good 2nd liner. In hindsight we should have picked Nylander. He's who I wanted when he killed the combine, and reminded me of nazzy, but I think Jake will be an entertaining player in a few years.