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Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW


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4 hours ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

JB cops a lot of heat for some of the moves he's made but since coming in he's identified the team's needs and done the best with what's been available to secure it. Now he's just doing more of the same.

 

I hope we go for a center this draft though. No elite centers but not really any elite defencemen either and we've got potential PPQBs in Stecher, Hutton, Subban and Juolevi. I'd rather let them pan out and go hard for someone like Hirschier this year. I know JB seems high on Mittelstatd but if the opportunity comes I hope he tries to trade up for Hirschier. I think his list has to read Hirschier > Patrick > Mittelstatd = Vilardi > Necas > everyone else

My initial thought was Benning drafts a 1C no matter what. On reflection the Canucks will likely be drafting top 5 again next year so Benning could possibly defer the 1C pick to 2018 if he sees a winger that has top potential in 2017.

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1 minute ago, The 5th Line said:

That picture is just embarrassing, how does he let himself get that large?  Canucks training staff, Trevor Linden, his parents, his friends, some random person who saw him on the streets..why did nobody say "hey Jake you're getting a little pudgy there bud, maybe it's time to tone her down a bit.." 

 

I'm glad he's in better shape now but my god man...

I'm not a doctor but someone suggested a while ago that he could have loaded up to cut like a body builder. Could be on to something. 

 

It takes alot of commitment to lose that weight especially during the grind of a regular season. Makes me think that he didn't just let himself go during the summer. That level of commitment doesn't just happen over night.

 

Just my two cents.

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19 minutes ago, Art Vandelay said:

IMG_1395.JPG.55c59b9a5471eb2e547743bad0a3b142.JPG

 

I saw this picture on Twitter. I knew he lost weight but holy smokes. I thought this might have been him when he played for utica during the playoffs in 2015, but I don't think he had the arm tattoo then. 

 

Great to see him get into shape. 

 

 

Looks like a completely different person

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37 minutes ago, Art Vandelay said:

IMG_1395.JPG.55c59b9a5471eb2e547743bad0a3b142.JPG

 

I saw this picture on Twitter. I knew he lost weight but holy smokes. I thought this might have been him when he played for utica during the playoffs in 2015, but I don't think he had the arm tattoo then. 

 

Great to see him get into shape. 

 

 

Nice to see.  Kind of reminds me of the old Sedin pics when they broke into the league compared to later.

 

If he rolls this into a solid offseason he should be in a great position to earn his place at the table next year.

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10 minutes ago, The Sedge said:

Looks like a completely different person

I legit felt like this is a doctored photo. Had to convince myself to post this. 

 

This shows his level of commitment down there. Or atleast that he can put in the work to make significant strides athletically.  

 

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29 minutes ago, Art Vandelay said:

I legit felt like this is a doctored photo. Had to convince myself to post this. 

 

This shows his level of commitment down there. Or atleast that he can put in the work to make significant strides athletically.  

 

I think the awkward facial expression they captured makes it look a little like a different person too.  Really helps to explain why it's taken him such a long time to find his stride this year.  

 

If fitness is his biggest hurdle, and he has a strong offseason commitment to staying in shape, we could be looking at a different player come next year's training camp.  Jake has enough raw skill to be a good/great player, he just needs to get his head on straight and really put in the work all year round.

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1 hour ago, Art Vandelay said:

IMG_1395.JPG.55c59b9a5471eb2e547743bad0a3b142.JPG

 

I saw this picture on Twitter. I knew he lost weight but holy smokes. I thought this might have been him when he played for utica during the playoffs in 2015, but I don't think he had the arm tattoo then. 

 

Great to see him get into shape. 

 

 

This picture reminds me of this

A2X3wQhCQAEGoZh.jpg

Edited by cookieeater55
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If memory serves this was early last offseason and by the time he showed up in the background of that 'Canucks welcome Guddy' video he had already cut considerably ... though was still noticeably pudgy

this new shot looks like he's been on a tapeworm regimen

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26 minutes ago, nzan said:

If memory serves this was early last offseason and by the time he showed up in the background of that 'Canucks welcome Guddy' video he had already cut considerably ... though was still noticeably pudgy

this new shot looks like he's been on a tapeworm regimen

The Canuck trainers must have taken the summer off.

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1 hour ago, Boudrias said:

The Canuck trainers must have taken the summer off.

From what I recall, contractually, NHL team trainers are allowed VERY limited access to players in the summer as per the CBA.

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3 minutes ago, Hutton Wink said:

Someone get that boy a cheeseburger!

 

No doubt, if anyone's seen bodybuilders when bulking they can be mistaken for being out-of shape hefties with big guts.  That being said, it's not the ideal strength plan for athletes like hockey players.  Jake was already pretty strong, but maybe he took the commitment too far in that regard so looking at it positively he may be equally as committed to the new regimen.

It's interesting his body type allows him to be a variety of player types. With the skill and speed game of today it makes sense for him to be lighter and faster. But if the game shifts back to big and tough in 5 years you know Jake can and the bulk to compete with the Bruisers on a top 9 line. 

I love that versatility, especially if he can pop 20 goals in the NHL regularly. If the game goes back to big strong tough in 5 years, Nylander and Ehlers might have a more difficult time adjusting. 

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8 minutes ago, Hutton Wink said:

Someone get that boy a cheeseburger!

 

No doubt, if anyone's seen bodybuilders when bulking they can be mistaken for being out-of shape hefties with big guts.  That being said, it's not the ideal strength plan for athletes like hockey players.  Jake was already pretty strong, but maybe he took the commitment too far in that regard so looking at it positively he may be equally as committed to the new regimen.

Yeah he looks pretty beefy.  Probably chugged about of protein shakes and lifted some iron.  I'm glad he has the ability to dedicate himself to make such progress.  I hope he makes a big jump this off season and can make a case for himself next season.  I think jake is going to surprise a lot of us next season.  If his commitment to the weights can be transferred over to commitment to endurance we got ourselves a real gamer.

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4 minutes ago, Rush17 said:

Yeah he looks pretty beefy.  Probably chugged about of protein shakes and lifted some iron.  I'm glad he has the ability to dedicate himself to make such progress.  I hope he makes a big jump this off season and can make a case for himself next season.  I think jake is going to surprise a lot of us next season.  If his commitment to the weights can be transferred over to commitment to endurance we got ourselves a real gamer.

 

It definitely looked like a botched bulk - most power-lifters and bodybuilders will mess up their first bulk when they're new to that kind of training and end up with a way higher body-fat percentage than they need. It wouldn't surprise me if Jake's goal was to pile on a lot of strength prior to the season and messed up due to inexperience with that style of training. He's young, and given his age he probably never really trained that way before.

 

When you bulk too much and don't focus on your conditioning at all, your cardio goes to hell too. It would explain why he was having such issues with the pace of the game compared to the end of last season. If you're going to be a low-IQ player like Virtanen, you better make sure you can keep up.

 

I think he'll need more AHL time next season, but I sure hope the team and him reevaluate his training style over the summer. If he can keep his conditioning up, and even improve it, he'll be exciting to watch in camp.

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I think Jake had the mistaken impression that he had to be the next Todd Bertuzzi and be 230 pounds, hence why he maybe bulked up last summer. That or he was just lazy. Either way, it's clear that he plays MUCH better when he's closer to 210 and should remain that size.

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