Smashian Kassian Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 not a big fan of this pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_314 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 How funny would it be if the Canucks didn't even know Pilon was still on the board J.B.: "uh oh.........." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawkdrummer Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Not an over ager He was passed over last year. Not sure how I feel about any of these picks. I think I need a drink, it's 8PM somewhere. I have a rum n' coke in hand. going for a 2nd one soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Carell Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 JB has always said how we wants players with character, which is why he's taken some of the players he has in this draft. Pilon has attitude problems and I think the decision not to draft him was pretty simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comet Fan 0727 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Someone has got to explain to me why Pilon is dropping so far.. Do you really need an explanation? If 30 gems pass on him multiple times, he must not be as good as you think he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY_4_NAZZY Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Hopefully an Alex Grenier on Defence! I like this pick, big kid and aggresive guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snizzle_ Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Would rather have Neil over Gaudette and I definitely think he could have fallen 5 spots... Pilon at this pick would have been great risk/reward for the spot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missioncanucksfan Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Would rather had Rich Pilon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB5 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Someone has got to explain to me why Pilon is dropping so far.. It happens every year. Usually always has to do with off ice issues that aren't widely known or reported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY_4_NAZZY Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higgyfan Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Would rather had Rich Pilon Do you really need an explanation? If 30 gems pass on him multiple times, he must not be as good as you think he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Anyone thinking it's finally time to clean house with our scouting staff? How we can have such a good year last year, then kinda fall flat this year. Ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 It happens every year. Usually always has to do with off ice issues that aren't widely known or reported. Clearly we're in the dark about something this weekend. As much as people are saying 30 NHL teams know more than we do re: passing on Pilon, but Neill was passed over by everyone with every pick last year and through a number of rounds this year as well. Sounds like an interesting player, hopefully he can translate it into something. Do you really need an explanation? If 30 gems pass on him multiple times, he must not be as good as you think he is. So how does that explain 30 'gems' passing on Neill all of last year's draft, and multiple times in this year's draft as well? Logic, it's an important life skill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqua59 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 So how about all that talk of drafting from the Dub more... That has crossed my mind more than once, yet I think the Canucks had a list , at this point any western players they had were gone. It'll be interesting to see the end results of players drafted from the Canadian major junior leagues. There seems to be a lot of players from the Q this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 We seemed to find one more from the WHL in the 7th round, if that helps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatedkid666 Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 I think this is an underrated pick, he put up some solid numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baer. Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Should have picked Ryan Pilon or Radovan Bondra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamJamIam Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Should have picked Ryan Pilon or Radovan Bondra Why don't you post "Should have picked Nylander" in the Virtanen thread while you're at it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baer. Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Why don't you post "Should have picked Nylander" in the Virtanen thread while you're at it? Because I think Virtanen was the right choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 I'm liking this pick the more I read about Neill. There's always reason for concern with a 2nd year draft eligible player who was passed over previously. But after reading articles like the following, I'm starting to really understand why the Canucks feel like Neill was worth drafting the second time around: Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that it was a far different Carl Neill who reported to his third training camp with the Sherbrooke Phoenix this fall. In the shape of his life, the defenceman from Blainville was determined to put his disappointing sophomore campaign behind him and get back on the radar of pro scouts. The now-18-year-old Neill is more mature than ever and it’s clear he’s cleaned up his act and didn’t take the fact he went unclaimed in the NHL Draft lightly. “I couldn’t exactly expect any miracles (on draft day) since I didn’t have a good season last year from beginning to end. It was still really disappointing to not have heard my name called on draft day that’s for sure. When I look back though, that may have been the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me really look in the mirror,” explained Neill. With the help of nutritionist Bernard Valiquette and his personal trainer Marc Wilson, an aggressive workout regimen was put together to get the blueliner back on track. Fitter and trimmer, the transformed d-man took training camp by storm. “It was all a real wake-up call. The team wasn’t shy about let me know after last season ended. I knew what I had to do and I took my offseason training more seriously than ever. I really slashed my body fat and that translated into me being faster and more mobile on the ice. It’s made all the difference in the world. I really just made to mature as a player.” After being in such great shape at camp in Sherbrooke, Neill had high hopes before taking part in the Calgary Flames training camp this summer. Despite being amped up to turn some heads once he arrived in Alberta, things didn’t go the way he’d envisioned. “Obviously I was really looking forward to going there to experience my first pro camp. When I got there, all us prospects had to undergo their physical testing. I didn’t feel anything abnormal or anything, but the Flames medical staff discovered I had an irregular heartbeat. For insurance purposes [since he had no contract] they were forced to send me back to Sherbrooke,” explained Neill. “The Phoenix organization took great care of me and I was operated a few days later. It was a minor procedure that made a larger passage to my heart. A few days later I was right back on the ice and able to play. The great news was that it hasn’t stopped me from doing what I love and that’s playing hockey,” admitted the former first-round pick of the Val-d’Or Foreurs. http://theqmjhl.ca/carl-neill-3-0 With the team since its formation, Neill has made his mark both on the ice and in the community. In addition to his 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists), defenseman #32 was named Sherbrooke Phoenix Defensive Player of the Year and was the team’s nominee for best community involvement in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). "Carl Neill was the player who showed the most leadership both on and off the ice last year. Even if he didn’t wear a letter on his jersey, he commanded respect in the locker room and was a true leader for his teammates. Last summer, Carl put his nose to the grindstone and showed up at the selection camp 20 pounds lighter. This sacrifice allowed him to have the best season of his junior career and I’m really happy for him," said head coach Judes Vallée. The Blainville native faced a good deal of adversity last year but overcame every obstacle in his path. "His experience at the Calgary Flames rookie camp helped him to mature a lot and this was reflected in his game and his interactions with his teammates," explained Vallée. "The hockey staff was unanimous in appointing Carl Neill as captain because we had noticed that since Christmas, all the players looked to him to lead the team. We simply approved and officialised the players’ decision to give him this responsibility, which he fully deserves. His positive attitude and great determination make him a good example for his teammates," affirmed Sherbrooke Phoenix general manager Patrick Charbonneau. "I’m really proud to become the new captain of the Sherbrooke Phoenix. It’s an honour for me and a great token of confidence on the part of the hockey staff. Last season, I was lucky to be able to rub shoulders with excellent veterans who really helped me become a leader. I’m looking forward to this new challenge," concluded newly-appointed captain Carl Neill. http://en.hockeyphoenix.ca/article/carl-neill-becomes-the-third-captain-in-sherbrooke-phoenix-history I think it's worth noting that Neill is only around 4-5 months older than notables like Pilon and Carlo, about 6 months older than each of Carlsson, Chabot, Hanifin, and Provorov, and roughly 7 months older than Zboril. And while he does have the experience of a year more CHL hockey than most of the other 2015 picks, Neill's 2013-14 (1st draft eligible) season looks to be more of a setback/write-off year than an advantage. His production as a 17-year-old (2013-14: 4G 18A 22PTS 65GP) basically stalled at the same levels he put up as a promising 16-year-old (2012-13: 3G 17A 20PTS 61GP). And it's pretty clear that his fitness wasn't where it needed and it sounds like he added too much weight between ages 16 and 17 (especially given that he later dropped 20 lbs ahead of the 2014-15 season, as an 18-year-old). It's also interesting to learn that he had an arrhythmia (and what, from some of the descriptions, almost sounds like some type of vena cava narrowing) that was only picked up at Calgary's 2014 summer development camp and required surgery ahead of the 2014-15 season. It's difficult to say whether or not this untreated medical issue might have effected his performance. Regardless, Neill is very healthy now after a undergoing a successful heart operation, dedicating himself to improving his fitness, and maintaining a dramatically improved diet (under the supervision of nutritional experts). This all paid off when the 18-year-old defensemen posted a strong 40 point season (including 14 goals) in 63 regular season GP and another 6 points in 6 playoff games. And Neill has also been tapped as the Sherbrooke Phoenix captain for the upcoming 2015-16 QMJHL season. I have to wonder where a 1997-born player would have ranked if he'd posted a 2014-15 season like Neill just did (especially one who also stood around 6'3" and weighed 200+ lbs at age 18)? I know those extra 6 months (and extra year in the CHL--at least compared to most '97s) gives Neill an advantage (as far as comparing 2014-15 performance/statistics) over 1997-born players. But given how everything went down with Neill in 2013-14, I kind of feel like it might not be all that crazy to think of Neill's "Draft+1" (2nd year eligible) year as his "Draft+0" (1st year eligible) year, in which case he actually starts looking like a pretty darn good pick (and one that might eventually compare quite favourably to several of the better 1997-born defensemen in the 2015 Draft). It's going to be very interesting to see if Neill can build on his strong 2014-15 season and show further progression next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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