Lukas Jasek | RW

[Stierlitz]

1 hour ago, NameFaker said:

He's dominating kids in Europe, so there's a good chance he wouldn't be overly challenged at the CHL level, too. 

He is dominating kids in a small country which Czech Republic is.

[elvis15]

3 hours ago, NameFaker said:

Why do you figure he's not ready for the AHL? Because of his inability to crack the men's lineup? I see logic there, but I also wonder if he'd be better off in the CHL. He's dominating kids in Europe, so there's a good chance he wouldn't be overly challenged at the CHL level, too. 

 

That said, it could be hugely beneficial for learning the rink size, NA systems and style, as well as the culture and language among his age group.

 

I guess my bias towards the AHL is built off CanucksArmy articles where former writers argued for putting a player in a position where they have to succeed to stick. The idea there being that X's skill increases as they are challenged more. 

 

Ah, but again, I'm caught flat footed, because I can't speak to Jasek's true talent level - never watched him. That raises a question for the board - has anybody watched the kid, and if so, is he ready for the AHL?

My opinion is open to being challenged by him ripping it up next year in camp, but I think you answered your own question. Considering his size, his inability to crack the men's lineup in the Swiss league, and the difficulty in transitioning over to the smaller NA rinks when you already have a language barrier perhaps I think it's fairly safe to say he'd do well with a year to develop in the CHL against players his own age and under.

 

But, it'd be fantastic if he can make the push for the AHL, even with a number of forwards already there ahead of him looking for spots. I don't think we'd force him to pro and then have him end up in the ECHL either, so there's that.

[Junkyard Dog]

2 minutes ago, elvis15 said:

My opinion is open to being challenged by him ripping it up next year in camp, but I think you answered your own question. Considering his size, his inability to crack the men's lineup in the Swiss league, and the difficulty in transitioning over to the smaller NA rinks when you already have a language barrier perhaps I think it's fairly safe to say he'd do well with a year to develop in the CHL against players his own age and under.

 

But, it'd be fantastic if he can make the push for the AHL, even with a number of forwards already there ahead of him looking for spots. I don't think we'd force him to pro and then have him end up in the ECHL either, so there's that.

I wouldn't mind if he spent a year in the ECHL or CHL. He is definitely having a good post draft season but can't seem to translate his skill to the pro league.

 

He does seem to have skill but it could be that his size is holding him back from pro hockey.

 

 

[canuckledraggin]

Hopefully he can put on some weight this summer and go pro next year. The big advantage to drafting these Europeans is that you can get them into the North American pro leagues sooner. I'd definitely like to see him with our young group that's going to be in Utica next year. I'd also like to see our team with it's own ECHL team since our prospect pool is starting to become deep enough that we can get groups of young players together to gain experience and chemistry.

[tyhee]

2 hours ago, canuckledraggin said:

Hopefully he can put on some weight this summer and go pro next year. The big advantage to drafting these Europeans is that you can get them into the North American pro leagues sooner. I'd definitely like to see him with our young group that's going to be in Utica next year. I'd also like to see our team with it's own ECHL team since our prospect pool is starting to become deep enough that we can get groups of young players together to gain experience and chemistry.

There could be a benefit in the future to the Canucks having their own ECHL team, but I don't think that the prospect pool is so deep as to require it for a while. 

 

Right now the Canucks have very little in the way of prospects actually playing for the Comets and the calibre of prospects on the Comets isn't very high.  Their top prospects are imo Gaunce, Grenier, Kenins and Zelewski at forward and Pedan and Subban on defence.  Of those I'd guess Gaunce and Pedan are likely to stick with the Canucks next season (and Pedan isn't a sure thing) and the Canucks may lose some of the others.

 

Further down the list would be Cassels, Friesen, Labate and Archibald at forward and Sautner and the newly signed Carl Neill on defence.  Imo any one of those is a bit of a longshot at this stage, with Cassels, Sautner and Neill still young enough that it would be only a mild surprise if one of them eventually make the NHL.

 

The Comets have played at times this year with nine players on professional tryout contracts signed from the ECHL.

 

I don't think the Canucks' prospect depth at this time is such that having its own ECHL team would make much diffference. 

 

Obviously, that can change fairly quickly.  One way that could change would be if some of the numerous players who are currently marginal NHL'ers play in Utica next season.  Another would be some AHL signings or signings of players to play in the AHL.

 

A third way that could change is if the Canucks decide they have enough marginal players in their early-middle twenties (say 22-25) and start to make the opposite of the kind of trade that they've used to acquire players such as Pedan, Etem and Granlund, instead moving some of their depth players for younger prospects who will still be waiver exempt for at least another season.

 

So yes, the Canucks could be well served owning an ECHL team or having an ECHL affiliate, but imo there's no rush to do it unless some changes are made to considerably boost the depth on the Comets.

[NameFaker]

3 hours ago, elvis15 said:

My opinion is open to being challenged by him ripping it up next year in camp, but I think you answered your own question. Considering his size, his inability to crack the men's lineup in the Swiss league, and the difficulty in transitioning over to the smaller NA rinks when you already have a language barrier perhaps I think it's fairly safe to say he'd do well with a year to develop in the CHL against players his own age and under.

 

But, it'd be fantastic if he can make the push for the AHL, even with a number of forwards already there ahead of him looking for spots. I don't think we'd force him to pro and then have him end up in the ECHL either, so there's that.

Yeah, I rarely edit my posts, so most of them are spontaneous stream-of-consciousness responses, which sometimes make them get sorta ramble-y ((meta ) not really). 

 

Why wouldn't we want him in the ECHL? I've read commenters on CDC suggesting that it's almost a lower talent level than the CHL. To be honest, I have no clue what it's like, so I wonder if it might be a viable alternative. That way, he could see spot duty in Utica throughout the year yet still develop in a men's league. Maybe?

[canuckledraggin]

29 minutes ago, tyhee said:

There could be a benefit in the future to the Canucks having their own ECHL team, but I don't think that the prospect pool is so deep as to require it for a while. 

 

Right now the Canucks have very little in the way of prospects actually playing for the Comets and the calibre of prospects on the Comets isn't very high.  Their top prospects are imo Gaunce, Grenier, Kenins and Zelewski at forward and Pedan and Subban on defence.  Of those I'd guess Gaunce and Pedan are likely to stick with the Canucks next season (and Pedan isn't a sure thing) and the Canucks may lose some of the others.

 

Further down the list would be Cassels, Friesen, Labate and Archibald at forward and Sautner and the newly signed Carl Neill on defence.  Imo any one of those is a bit of a longshot at this stage, with Cassels, Sautner and Neill still young enough that it would be only a mild surprise if one of them eventually make the NHL.

 

The Comets have played at times this year with nine players on professional tryout contracts signed from the ECHL.

 

I don't think the Canucks' prospect depth at this time is such that having its own ECHL team would make much diffference. 

 

Obviously, that can change fairly quickly.  One way that could change would be if some of the numerous players who are currently marginal NHL'ers play in Utica next season.  Another would be some AHL signings or signings of players to play in the AHL.

 

A third way that could change is if the Canucks decide they have enough marginal players in their early-middle twenties (say 22-25) and start to make the opposite of the kind of trade that they've used to acquire players such as Pedan, Etem and Granlund, instead moving some of their depth players for younger prospects who will still be waiver exempt for at least another season.

 

So yes, the Canucks could be well served owning an ECHL team or having an ECHL affiliate, but imo there's no rush to do it unless some changes are made to considerably boost the depth on the Comets.

It's the 2nd tier prospects that you didn't address in your post that would benefit with an ECHL team. It seems like they're all going to the K-wings anyways, but the Cederholm McEneny, Valk, Labate, Neill, Olsen, Jasek, Mckenzie, Petit types, that could find themselves coming up together before they reach the AHL, should be given their own team. Labate did it and you would like to see that pipeline continue.

 

I don't see the Comets as willing to go full on rookie even though I would love to see the team put as many of the Canucks' prospects in the lineup as possible.

[elvis15]

42 minutes ago, NameFaker said:

Yeah, I rarely edit my posts, so most of them are spontaneous stream-of-consciousness responses, which sometimes make them get sorta ramble-y ((meta ) not really). 

 

Why wouldn't we want him in the ECHL? I've read commenters on CDC suggesting that it's almost a lower talent level than the CHL. To be honest, I have no clue what it's like, so I wonder if it might be a viable alternative. That way, he could see spot duty in Utica throughout the year yet still develop in a men's league. Maybe?

They'd have less control in the ECHL to a point and not as much guarantee of higher ice time and development like he might get in the CHL. He'd still be playing against men as well and that might make it a tougher go for him. It's a little subjective and maybe we find he's too good for the CHL or something, but I think they'd let him play in the CHL like they did with other overage prospects rather than force them to pro only to send them to the ECHL because they don't have the space (i.e. Cederholm).

[elvis15]

4 hours ago, Junkyard Dog said:

I wouldn't mind if he spent a year in the ECHL or CHL. He is definitely having a good post draft season but can't seem to translate his skill to the pro league.

 

He does seem to have skill but it could be that his size is holding him back from pro hockey.

 

 

Hard to say without seeing more of his play for what's holding him back. We weren't sure if he was getting enough opportunity at the men's level, but it seemed like that wasn't an issue later in the season and he had good chances. The skill is there so maybe it's mental when he gets into the higher speed and physicality of the top league.

[flickyoursedin]

Gotta think some CHL team will draft him this year in the import draft even if he's already gonna be 19 for next season.

[elvis15]

He'd be a good add for a contender who could use another skill guy.

[robr1can]

I noticed that Lucas Jasek was NOT chosen in the first (only?) round of the Import draft. What are the Canucks' options for him? Is he eligible to play for the Comets this year? He's 19 in August.

[stonecoldstevebernier]

8 minutes ago, robr1can said:

I noticed that Lucas Jasek was NOT chosen in the first (only?) round of the Import draft. What are the Canucks' options for him? Is he eligible to play for the Comets this year? He's 19 in August.

He's eligible for the AHL, because he's not coming out of the CHL. If he's going to get consistent minutes with his Czech club and not get bounced around between four different levels again, I think that'd be the better option for him. But I don't know how likely that is. It might just be better for the Canucks to bring him over now since playing again in a junior league where he averaged 2 points per game isn't going to do anything for his growth.

[Lonny_Bohonos_14]

We should send him to Alaska. I doubt he would crack the Comets, but at least we would have a better control over his development.

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

1 hour ago, robr1can said:

I noticed that Lucas Jasek was NOT chosen in the first (only?) round of the Import draft. What are the Canucks' options for him? Is he eligible to play for the Comets this year? He's 19 in August.

Two rounds and 120 picks total. But many teams "passed" on their picks though so far less than 120 selections actually were made: http://chl.ca/importdraft

 

And yes, it looks like nobody took Jasek.

 

Hopefully the Canucks already have plans for him, although it's really hard to say. It's been so difficult to actually get information on how he's progressing.

 

Maybe our player development staff has already moved on from Jasek and they just don't see much potential.

 

But hopefully, he's still on our radar and we have some sort of a plan to get him over here and start taking control of his development.

 

Of course, this would almost certainly require a contract and without any good information (beyond his stats--which don't really tell us enough on their own), it's tough to know whether or not Jasek even should be signed.

[robr1can]

Thank you, SID,  Lonny, and Stone for your comments. You're right - we don't know enough about his skills or his determination, but bringing him over to North America where the Canucks can keep tabs on him might be a good idea.

Edited June 28, 2016 by robr1can

[Quantum]

3 hours ago, Lonny_Bohonos_14 said:

We should send him to Alaska. I doubt he would crack the Comets, but at least we would have a better control over his development.

My thoughts exactly. At least he'd get to play in a consistent league/team for a season.

[WhoseTruckWasIt]

On 4/20/2016 at 0:43 PM, NameFaker said:

Why do you figure he's not ready for the AHL? Because of his inability to crack the men's lineup? I see logic there, but I also wonder if he'd be better off in the CHL. He's dominating kids in Europe, so there's a good chance he wouldn't be overly challenged at the CHL level, too. 

 

That said, it could be hugely beneficial for learning the rink size, NA systems and style, as well as the culture and language among his age group.

 

I guess my bias towards the AHL is built off CanucksArmy articles where former writers argued for putting a player in a position where they have to succeed to stick. The idea there being that X's skill increases as they are challenged more. 

 

Ah, but again, I'm caught flat footed, because I can't speak to Jasek's true talent level - never watched him. That raises a question for the board - has anybody watched the kid, and if so, is he ready for the AHL?

He's listed for this year's development camp at 6'0 160 lbs, so one certainly might assume he needs some mass.  Let's hope he's tenacious and can make Utica.

Edited July 3, 2016 by WhoseTruckWasIt

[elvis15]

Canucks Army's profile on Jasek is up today with some interesting points from Jasek himself:

http://canucksarmy.com/2016/8/10/canucks-army-prospect-profile-17-lukas-jasek

Quote

"I wanted to play in the CHL," Jasek told Canucks Army. "The Canucks wanted (that) also, to watch (me) play there". "I still have contractual obligations to HC Trinec for another season" Jasek continued "of course, I tried to persuade my general manager to allow (my participation in the Import Draft) but without success".

 

To Jasek's credit, he's not shying away from the challenge of holding his own in a men's league. HC Trinec is expected to field a competitive team this season, and though Jasek would admittedly have preferred to play in the CHL, he envisions a larger role for himself in the Extraliga. "I will want to have a more prominent role (with) the men's team and to have more ice time" Jasek said.

...

"I hope to have (an) important role in international play (for the Czech Republic) and help the team succeed." Jasek told Canucks Army.

 

Jasek turns 19 in three weeks, and it's often remarked that the World Juniors are a 19-year-olds tournament. He'll have every opportunity to make the Czech side and should figure prominently in their offence, likely playing in a top six role with power play time to boot. 

 

Those are the kind of minutes Jasek needs to thrive in. If Jasek makes the NHL, it won't be as a stalwart defensive ace. He'll hold his own, but he's not winning any Selkes. At his heart, Jasek's an offensive winger first and foremost.

 

"(For) Canucks fans who haven't had an opportunity to watch (me) play," Jasek told CanucksArmy, "(I'm an offfensive) forward with dynamic skating and good hockey skills."

 

[DeNiro]

Well that explains why he wasn't taken in the import draft then.

 

That's too bad, I would have liked to follow him in junior.