Mr.53 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 After selecting player: "WHO IS THIS GUY WTF JB WHY YOU DRAFTING GUYS IVE NEVER HEARD OF HE MUST SUCK!!!!" After seeing 2 or 3 videos of player: "STEAL OF THE DRAFT OMG JB WHAT A GREAT PICK ZHUKENOV FOR PREZ!" I love CDC's reactions to draft picks. Makes you think that some scout somewhere actually you know, WATCHED THE KID PLAY, and thought he would be a good pick up. Right? Hahahaha, draft day the world was on fire. A couple videos and a scouting report or 2, and people are psyched." Lol, just like I said at the time, what did people expect? That's exactly what you get a GM who specializes in scouting for. He doesn't need to go after the big names, because he finds small gems like this guy, Brisebois, Jasek, and Gaudette. Even Neill and Olson look solid. I love what Benning did this draft. Brock Boeser was best pick available, and should be a stud, but from third round on, he found some really good guys, and all of them are known to be hard workers and leaders on their respective teams. Good work JB, good work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 So is CDC willing to accept the possibility that we actually had a pretty good draft yet? I'm starting to come around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Soldier Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I love how fearless he is, never shying away from a bigger body to make a play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanGnome Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Zhukenov doesn't look like he has an over abundance of individual talent in the elite level, but he does have very good Hockey IQ as his positioning and awareness on the ice as to where his teammates are is very good. I'm interested in seeing this kid develop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamJamIam Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I'm starting to come around I was excited from the moment the pick was called, for the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I was excited from the moment the pick was called, for the record. I was stoked for Boeser but I can't say that anyone else was on my radar apart from Olson. As I said, after a bit of research, starting to coming around to the others. They're Canucks now so they have my full support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqua59 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Yeah, that was him taking out 6'2/194 Auston Matthews in the circle. Ha, funny you should say! That's exactly what I saw, too -- he's like Cassels in the neutral zone. Constantly buzzing and attacking the puck carrier, disrupting lanes, and breaking up plays. Great to see that kind of D from a junior. Looks like a smart and savy player with good vision and patience, too. One other thing is as mentioned, his relentlessness. If you noticed in Benning's interviews this past week, one of the traits he's been repeating is "high energy level", and both Zhukenov and Jasek have it -- energy, tenacity, and intensity. That's why Kassian is gone -- JB and TL want players that bring a high level of compete to every game consistently. These two guys WANT to come over here and play, because they want to make the NHL. Having guys like this along with Kenins, Horvat, Virtanen, Cassels, etc. who all go right at the other team ("get in on the forecheck", another Benning meme) and compete hard is going to make this not only an entertaining team to watch (and appreciate) but a VERY frustrating team to play against. Plus this group can play hockey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleShield Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 So is CDC willing to accept the possibility that we actually had a pretty good draft yet? McJesus and Eichel aside, I think only Winnipeg and the Isles had a better draft than us. Jasek would be a first rounder next year if he was a couple of weeks younger. Zhukenov was way off the board, but his international play was so good that I wonder why he wasn't rated so highly. We blew the fifth round by not taking Pilon, and we'll have to see how Brisebois pans out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roflcawptur Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I'm stoked to see Zhukenov play in the Q. Hope we see those highlights from the video all season long! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I'm stoked to see Zhukenov play in the Q. Hope we see those highlights from the video all season long!he's going to the q? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canorth Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 he's going to the q? Apparently, as per the CHL import draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canorth Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Canucks Prospects @NucksWatch 4m4 minutes ago Chicoutimi just confirmed to me that Zhukenov will play in QMJHL this year. #Canucks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollieo Del Fuego Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRussianRocket. Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 http://canucks.nhl.com/club/m_news.htm?id=774133Coming to North America Welcome. For some Russian born draft picks, getting to North America is half the battle for the team that selected them. For the Vancouver Canucks, that battle has already been won with Dmitry Zhukenov, their fourth round, 114th overall, pick at the 2015 NHL Draft. Actually, it wasn't a battle at all. He wants to be in North America and he wants to play," said the Canucks' Director of Player Development, Stan Smyl. "Watching him on the ice, he wants to be the first one to go in drills. He likes to compete. For him to play in North America, find out what the travel is like and to play against players over here, is really important for a player like that." Zhukenov will play for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League next season. The Saguenéens took him 10th overall at last week's CHL Import Draft. The move will allow the Canucks to keep a closer eye on his development, which was a big factor in the organizations decision to draft him. The club did their homework and knew prior to the draft that Zhukenov wanted to play junior hockey in North America. The 5-foot-11 forward put up modest numbers in the MHL last season, a junior league in Russia. He had 19 points (3-16-19) in 35 games along with 42 penalty minutes. But on the international stage, Zhukenov has fared well. He had six points (3-3-6) in five games at the 2015 Under-18s, five points (1-4-5) in four games at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, and 10 points (3-7-10) in six games at the 2014 World Under-17 Challenge. "He has skill and ability," said Smyl. "To me, he is more of a playmaker rather than a finisher, you can see him out there always looking for people to pass to. He is an offensive player that has the ability to control the play and that is what he likes to do. He also has an edge to his game; he competes really hard out there."http://youtu.be/zyNrKClXRQA His skill has been on display at the Canucks Prospects Development Camp in Shawnigan Lake, where it doesn't take too long to notice him out there. During battle drills, he isn't afraid to get dirty. Going up against guys much bigger, Zhukenov comes out of the corner with the puck more often than not. He has good puck handling skills and isn't afraid to use them. If there is no play to be made, he isn't afraid to shoot the puck. "We see him developing into a crafty playmaker that is competitive and not afraid to go into the traffic areas," said Smyl. "His potential will climb as he goes along and gets comfortable in North America." :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossi Vaananen Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Good write-up on him on the homepage: http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=774133&navid=DL|VAN|home Smyl seems high on him. A big year in the Q is what we can hope for. I've heard 'crafty' used a number of times in regards to Zhuke now, I'd like an expansion on that. Does he bring a high compete level? Is it his hands and play making ability that make him crafty? Or is it his hockey IQ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Good to see Chicoutimi already has a Russian player. Hopefully that will help him transition. Playing with a top player like Roy should help too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyoung Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Hes gotta work on the English and bulk up! Hoping for the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amitriptyline Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) This guy looks like a really good pick, I'm really intrigued by him. Benning said he has a very high hockey IQ and is very competitive and that they have been watching him all year prior to the draft. I like how Benning is looking for hockey sense and character in players, that's exactly what we need. Good work in uncovering a gem like this. The future looks bright. Edited July 7, 2015 by amitriptyline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I want to see the Russian Brad Marchand with this kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 I want to see the Russian Brad Marchand with this kid.Lots of PIM for the games played. Canucks need some nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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