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Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW


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On 5/7/2017 at 0:25 AM, BoesersFlow said:

He didn't mention off ice workouts or how they are monitored, so I'm no help there. I got the impression that the weight they want him to show up at is conducive to where they want him for speed. That is the perfect spot for him. I mentioned how Bo got the crazy leg speed from season to season  and he mentioned how he saw Bo ripped in the dressing room working out every day to get ready for next season. Nothing more came of that conversation.

 

I got the feeling the Canucks see Jake as a 3rd line winger who can hit 40 points, 80 Pims and bang and crash + 2 way hockey,

 

 

 

Hmmm, interesting,

 

It is one of those  unanswered questions : How exactly did a player we were told had deficiencies in his skating end up having none? (Bo)

 

Maybe the Canucks lowering the bar a little for Jake is just what the Dr. ordered, letting him settle into a third line role with less pressure to score is a more realistic target for him.

 

I sometimes wonder how bad of an influence McCann was on Jake, By all reports McCann was a real piece of work and it's well known that they hung out a lot.

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14 hours ago, WeneedLumme said:

I'm quite sure Bure wasn't. I remember how shocked everyone was at the strength he demonstrated in the bench press. 

 

Best way I heard it was that he had the upper body of a fit 225 pounder

 

If there was any body fat on this test it was under his fingernails:

 

pavel-bure1.jpg

Edited by TimberWolf
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19 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

i seriously hope management has higher hopes than a middle six player draft in the top 10 of his draft year. 

top six player is what he should be projected to be. 

That's where he was PROJECTED to be, yes.  But as time has gone on, he has so far proven to be ineffective in that role.  I think we all have HOPES he will become a top six player but that possibility seems less and less likely as time goes on.

...and that's where we come to the Hockey IQ portion that everyone is talking about on this page.  I 100% agree - he doesn't always make a lot of good decisions and I've been saying for the last couple of years that if he is limited to a bottom 6 role, this would be why.  The kid has the shot, the speed and the size - he just can't figure out what to do when he is on the ice.  Given his rather extensive physical abilities, he can guarantee himself an NHL job by just keeping things simple and not trying to overthink or overplay.

I am sorry to say it, but I'd say chances are better than not that he indeed will be a Kassian-type player.  Which is disappointing given the draft position we gave up for him, but ok to some degree because I think having that 3rd line energy player who can score here and there is always an asset to any team.  Look at what Torres did for us a few years ago or what Kassian does for the Oilers now - same sort of thing.  In our case, I believe it is even more important because for the most part, our forward lineup looks somewhat void of size otherwise.

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I saw a feature on the internet done by a Utica news show called Comets Face off and it sounds like some good growth is happening for JV.   I hope this was not already posted,   www.cnyhomepage.com/sports/comets-faceoff=jake-virtanen/679411030   

Edited by dpn1
edited in a space after a sentence.
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20 hours ago, J.R. said:

I'm a broken record that I'd prefer to keep him, Dahlen and Goldobin (as well as hopefully Zhukenov) in Utica for the majority of next year.

 

They can rotate up for call ups with injuries and get called back up after the TDL and still see plenty of NHL time without the pressure of being on the opening roster. All while having far more practice and gym time in Utica and dominating offensively while building chemistry. Then go back down and try to win a Calder.

 

Yes please.

Green has said he wants 4 lines rotating and player movement between Van and Utica. With all the youth coming into the org it makes total sense to bring prospects up for NHL exposure. Still waiting for the new coach name in Utica. There are a lot of positives to Green's Utica time.  

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14 hours ago, terrible.dee said:

Hmmm, interesting,

 

It is one of those  unanswered questions : How exactly did a player we were told had deficiencies in his skating end up having none? (Bo)

 

Maybe the Canucks lowering the bar a little for Jake is just what the Dr. ordered, letting him settle into a third line role with less pressure to score is a more realistic target for him.

 

I sometimes wonder how bad of an influence McCann was on Jake, By all reports McCann was a real piece of work and it's well known that they hung out a lot.

:picard:

 

 

Totally. I hear he regularly takes ladies our for seafood dinner and doesn't bother to call them afterwards. Real piece of work if you ask me. Even had a hand in us dropping to 5th overall.

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2 hours ago, J.R. said:

People act like having legit prospects who can actually, competently fill in, down in the minors is some sort of sin. There will be injuries, we will continue to trade vets away. Those kids will get NHL time.

 

This is the the start of this organization actually having legit depth for once. People who want to throw that depth away because they want to see kids here 6 months sooner are fools IMO.

Just when I despair for finding logic in the commentary on such threads, this sort of nugget appears.   Well stated!   Once you have an AHL team that is capable of providing you NHL ready players that can plug/play, you are closer to being a competitive NHL organization.    Any team that is competitive in NHL in spite of its organization depth (which the Canucks were for a few seasons post cup-run), a fall is more likely than a rise for certain.   People can support/bash any of the management teams they want but this team seems more intent on depth development than the last one, at least for the most part, and that has to viewed as some form of optimistic trend.

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5 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Just when I despair for finding logic in the commentary on such threads, this sort of nugget appears.   Well stated!   Once you have an AHL team that is capable of providing you NHL ready players that can plug/play, you are closer to being a competitive NHL organization.    Any team that is competitive in NHL in spite of its organization depth (which the Canucks were for a few seasons post cup-run), a fall is more likely than a rise for certain.   People can support/bash any of the management teams they want but this team seems more intent on depth development than the last one, at least for the most part, and that has to viewed as some form of optimistic trend.

It's funny, you mention that it should be the plan to hopefully start Virtanen, Dahlen, Goldobin etc in Utica and you get some fans responding like you just suggested stabbing a baby in the face :lol:

 

Seriously people, how nice would it have been to had a pool of players like that to call up when injuries strike? Or at the TDL giving us more freedom to move vets for even more futures?

 

This is kind of the whole point of building organizational depth, throwing it away just as we're FINALLY starting to get some is bananas!

 

Baer, Horvat, Eriksson

Sedin, Sedin, Granlund

Rodin, UFA?, Boeser

Gaunce, Sutter, Dorsett

 

Cramarossa

 

Goldobin, Virtanen, Dahlen?, Zhukenov? in Utica

 

If you have injuries to Baer/Eriksson, you slide Rodin/Boeser up the lines and call up Dahlen/Goldobin to play on that sheltered, offensive 3rd line. 

 

At the TDL you move one of Baer/Rodin, the UFA and Dorsett. Granlund slides down to 3C, Goldobin plays with the twins, Dahlen plays with Granlund and Boeser, Virtanen takes over from Dorsett.

 

Then at the end of the season, send them back down to try to win a Calder.

 

Yes please!

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23 hours ago, The 5th Line said:

Plenty of scouts knock his on ice IQ.  No offence but if you can't tell that Jake's hockey IQ is an issue then you really just don't know what hockey IQ is or you just don't know how to evaluate it.  And just because a player doesn't have a high IQ doesn't mean they can't become successful players

 

During the draft Craig Button's scouting report had:  Skating 5/5

                                                                                   Ice Q    3/5

                                                                                   Hands  4/5

                                                                                   Shot     5/5

                                                                                   Compete level   4/5

Player Comparison: Kyle Okposo        Best asset: Acceleration 

  

 

sorry i disagree.  I havnt watched much of him in Utica but with the Canucks, offensively he read plays well and made some great passes.  Positionally he is fine.  He has the ability to make good 1 v1 plays.  I dont get the "low IQ"criticisms.   His knock as a young guy is consistency and tenaciousness.  

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Just now, SILLY GOOSE said:

sorry i disagree.  I havnt watched much of him in Utica but with the Canucks, offensively he read plays well and made some great passes.  Positionally he is fine.  He has the ability to make good 1 v1 plays.  I dont get the "low IQ"criticisms.   His knock as a young guy is consistency and tenaciousness.  

I thought his hockey Q was just fine too.  It was his off ice commitment to fitness that was the concern.  Now he's a ripped 209, and in top shape.  I say Jake comes to camp next season is super impressive!  Go get 'em Jake!!!

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Just now, Alflives said:

I thought his hockey Q was just fine too.  It was his off ice commitment to fitness that was the concern.  Now he's a ripped 209, and in top shape.  I say Jake comes to camp next season is super impressive!  Go get 'em Jake!!!

thata boy (or girl) alfie

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3 minutes ago, SILLY GOOSE said:

sorry i disagree.  I havnt watched much of him in Utica but with the Canucks, offensively he read plays well and made some great passes.  Positionally he is fine.  He has the ability to make good 1 v1 plays.  I dont get the "low IQ"criticisms.   His knock as a young guy is consistency and tenaciousness.  

We must be watching two different players..?...His passing is one of his biggest weaknesses..IMO...He can drive the play,and force defenders into making mistakes with his speed and size,..but a distributing playmaker..?..?

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Just now, Honky Cat said:

We must be watching two different players..?...His passing is one of his biggest weaknesses..IMO...He can drive the play,and force defenders into making mistakes with his speed and size,..but a distributing playmaker..?..?

im not saying he's henrik sedin but he can pass the puck at least from what Ive seen so far.  I guess we will all get a better look this upcoming season.

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Just now, SILLY GOOSE said:

im not saying he's henrik sedin but he can pass the puck at least from what Ive seen so far.  I guess we will all get a better look this upcoming season.

He certainly passes just fine.  He sees the ice a lot better playing left wing too.  Love Jake, and he will help us next season.

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2 hours ago, J.R. said:

It's funny, you mention that it should be the plan to hopefully start Virtanen, Dahlen, Goldobin etc in Utica and you get some fans responding like you just suggested stabbing a baby in the face :lol:

 

Seriously people, how nice would it have been to had a pool of players like that to call up when injuries strike? Or at the TDL giving us more freedom to move vets for even more futures?

 

This is kind of the whole point of building organizational depth, throwing it away just as we're FINALLY starting to get some is bananas!

 

Baer, Horvat, Eriksson

Sedin, Sedin, Granlund

Rodin, UFA?, Boeser

Gaunce, Sutter, Dorsett

 

Cramarossa

 

Goldobin, Virtanen, Dahlen?, Zhukenov? in Utica

 

If you have injuries to Baer/Eriksson, you slide Rodin/Boeser up the lines and call up Dahlen/Goldobin to play on that sheltered, offensive 3rd line. 

 

At the TDL you move one of Baer/Rodin, the UFA and Dorsett. Granlund slides down to 3C, Goldobin plays with the twins, Dahlen plays with Granlund and Boeser, Virtanen takes over from Dorsett.

 

Then at the end of the season, send them back down to try to win a Calder.

 

Yes please!

THIS is a development plan.   Why rush?  Team isn't winning a cup next year and most of these prospects need to see success and a strong AHL team/season could go miles.   The key important step now is to get a coach there that buys in the way Green did.

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3 hours ago, J.R. said:

It's funny, you mention that it should be the plan to hopefully start Virtanen, Dahlen, Goldobin etc in Utica and you get some fans responding like you just suggested stabbing a baby in the face :lol:

 

Seriously people, how nice would it have been to had a pool of players like that to call up when injuries strike? Or at the TDL giving us more freedom to move vets for even more futures?

 

This is kind of the whole point of building organizational depth, throwing it away just as we're FINALLY starting to get some is bananas!

 

Baer, Horvat, Eriksson

Sedin, Sedin, Granlund

Rodin, UFA?, Boeser

Gaunce, Sutter, Dorsett

 

Cramarossa

 

Goldobin, Virtanen, Dahlen?, Zhukenov? in Utica

 

If you have injuries to Baer/Eriksson, you slide Rodin/Boeser up the lines and call up Dahlen/Goldobin to play on that sheltered, offensive 3rd line. 

 

At the TDL you move one of Baer/Rodin, the UFA and Dorsett. Granlund slides down to 3C, Goldobin plays with the twins, Dahlen plays with Granlund and Boeser, Virtanen takes over from Dorsett.

 

Then at the end of the season, send them back down to try to win a Calder.

 

Yes please!

You are probably sick of hearing me say it but the greatest legacy Gillis left the Canucks was a AHL franchise. Manitoba was good, Chicago Wolves a disaster. But as you said J.R. the org is developing depth and breadth which is something that has rarely happened in 47 years. With a development timeline of at least 3 years there is no reason to rush the youth in their development. IMHO there is more risk running a player in Vancouver than seasoning him in Utica. Canuck fans will have to be patient whether they like it or not.

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10. Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen.
 

Jason Botchford counts down the 10 most promising (and perplexing) young players in the Canucks’ farm system

 

The Province

 

Jake Virtanen shouldn’t be on a list like this one.

He’s too good.

His first year as a professional was much better than our collective memory of it.

At 19, he had 13 points in 55 games and was arguably the most physical player on the team. His even strength shot-attempt differential was a plus-19. No one else crested plus-4 in Willie Desjardins’ second season, which unfolded like his team was a paper bag and opponents were slowly pouring milk into it.

When it ended, Virtanen seemed poised to be a great offseason away from becoming a solid two-way winger with size and speed, and well on his way to a 10- to 15-goal season, a combination rare enough to make him a top-five pick, reach or not.

Utica wake-up call

Instead, Virtanen was forced back to the start, literally reshaping himself in Utica, and it raised hard questions about the future.

There were some encouraging developments, none more important than Virtanen’s speed improving as he got in better shape, part of an in-season program Travis Green put together, including offseason-training-like two-a-days.

But in the end, he had 19 points in 65 games. That, combined with a lot of innuendo from the Canucks and their coaches about the “young players” and their commitment during Virtanen’s NHL stay, has people wondering about what kind of player he can be.

There are at least two scouts who watch him a lot concerned his career path could be the same as Jack Skille’s.

jake_virtanen-thin.jpg?quality=60&strip=all&w=320&h=240&crop=1No. 10: Jake Virtanen.

Considering where he was picked, that would not be great.

Like Virtanen, scouts were divided on Skille, who was drafted seventh overall in 2005. He was projected as a scoring power forward by some and a bottom six checking-line guy by others. Turns out, those in the latter camp nailed it.

Others see a more encouraging future and believe Virtanen’s upside is like Tom Wilson, Washington’s physical third-line right-winger.

Needs to stay physical

Wilson, drafted 16th in 2012, has been effective this post-season, but still, you’d hope Virtanen with that great skating could give an NHL team more.

If you watch a lot of Virtanen in Utica this season, especially down the stretch, you’d see a player who was flying, but you may wonder where the big hits have gone, and the physicality which fans in Vancouver loved and the team desperately needs.

 
 
 
 

Top 10 Canucks prospects countdown: Jake Virtanen 2:59

Most of the nine goals he scored were on the rush. With his strength and size he should be doing a lot more in the slot and the so-called dirty areas, a point the organization is definitely aware of.

“That’s what I think Travis was working with him on,” Vancouver GM Jim Benning said. “He does have the size and strength to play in the hard areas and that’s how he’s going to score goals in the NHL.

“What’s happened with Jake is that in junior he was a big scorer, so he really didn’t have to play a well-rounded game, because his coaches and the team would always count on him to get the big goal.

“What we tried to do this year, by sending him down, and practising he learned how to practise hard. He’s transformed his body. He’s in good shape.”

519454788.jpg?quality=60&strip=all&w=320&h=240&crop=1Jake Virtanen is seen by the Canucks as a prototypical power forward, which is why they’ve been patient with some early conditioning issues.

Deflections and rebound goals need to be a huge part of Virtanen’s game along with crashing the net, and it’s just not there regularly right now.

“You see in the playoffs, the guys who can get in on the forecheck and are physical, they get the puck and take it to the net. They stand in front of the net and get rebounds, tip-ins,” Benning said. “We’re trying to get his game to a power-forward-styled game. We are happy where he ended up this year. The scoring part will come for him; he can shoot the puck.

‘Some guys take longer’

“But it’s getting him to understanding the details and what he’s capable of doing at his size and speed. It takes time. Some guys make the adjustment right away. Some guys take longer. We want to be patient because it’s hard to find power forwards.

“Unless you draft and develop them, they’re hard to find.”

The Canucks’ 23-man opening night roster, which included Virtanen, averaged 194.9 pounds, which was the lightest in the NHL and nine pounds on average lighter than the team that opened the 2013-14 season.

In other words, the Canucks need Virtanen. They need his size and power.

He does have the skill set to be much higher on rankings like this; he just needs to show it.

virtanenhalf1.jpg?quality=60&strip=all&w=320&h=240&crop=1

JAKE VIRTANEN

Age: 20

Canucks Prospects Ranking: 10

Last season: 19 points in 65 games in the AHL and one point in 10 games in Vancouver.

The skinny: There’s no way Virtanen should be this low, but he has to prove it on the ice.

jbotchford@postmedia.com

twitter.com/botchford

 

Published on May 10, 2017.

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:)

Edited by Moosecanuckle08
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