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Virtanen's Direction


Zack's Teeth

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To be perfectly honest im born in 86 and remember 94 ect.. Jake virtanen is the most I have been excited for a prospect ever (to young for bure rookie).

Hes massive

Hes fast

Hes offensive

He has a mean streak

Hes not afraid of the net

Hes canadian from BC

Its amazing

His legs are massive for sure. He could gain some upper body strength and work on his cardio, but I think he's close to being in the show. People who wanted Ehlers instead are finally second guessing their Ehlers apologist behaviour.
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As players move up levels they have to change their games, not everything that works in junior is gonna translate. I'd rather have him preparing physically for the next level then working on his scoring touch. That will come in time

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Let me know what you guys think.

I don't see him stepping into a top 6 role. I see him more along the lines of Burrows, Kesler, and Horvat. Starting in the bottom six to develop his two way game at the NHL level and then moving up the ranks. He's a physical force out there. Best to develop his strength and let the rest naturally follow.

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I think he's the kind of player who'll need some solid coaching in order to play the team game. Work on his passing and spatial awareness in relation to his teammates.

If for whatever reason he doesn't improve in those areas drastically I can see him being an elite, third line fan favourite. Nothing wrong with that.

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Was listening to a Benning interview last night on TSN Radio where he was asked this very question, in the context that Horvat was brought along very slowly last year. His response was basically that the team doesn't want to dictate how they want him to play rather they just want him to come in to camp and "play his game".

In an interview with Bo Horvat on Global yesterday, Bo was asked about given how he progressed last season, what advice would he personally give to the young prospects now trying to make the team. His response was similar as he said he'd tell them not to think about what people are saying on the outside or what's going on with lineup decisions and combinations being made by the coaching staff but to simply go out and "play their game".

Benning again reiterated in his interview that the vision for this team is to be tough to play against and to play fast by getting in on the forecheck quickly, two things that Jake can do now.

The team knows what they're getting in Jake and they drafted him for his very particular set of skills. He will use those skills to make the team out of camp and like Bo, will be brought along slowly as he develops trust in his defensive game first. Any offensive production this season would be a bonus.

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Was listening to a Benning interview last night on TSN Radio where he was asked this very question, in the context that Horvat was brought along very slowly last year. His response was basically that the team doesn't want to dictate how they want him to play rather they just want him to come in to camp and "play his game".

In an interview with Bo Horvat on Global yesterday, Bo was asked about given how he progressed last season, what advice would he personally give to the young prospects now trying to make the team. His response was similar as he said he'd tell them not to think about what people are saying on the outside or what's going on with lineup decisions and combinations being made by the coaching staff but to simply go out and "play their game".

Benning again reiterated in his interview that the vision for this team is to be tough to play against and to play fast by getting in on the forecheck quickly, two things that Jake can do now.

The team knows what they're getting in Jake and they drafted him for his very particular set of skills. He will use those skills to make the team out of camp and like Bo, will be brought along slowly as he develops trust in his defensive game first. Any offensive production this season would be a bonus.

Agree 100%. It's a very different kind of game that Jake plays compared to Bo. I think it will be more difficult for Jake to stay up this year, but I'm hoping he can find a way.
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I know there has been a ton of talk around our prospects now that we have something to watch/comment on over the last week, but surprisingly not much has been said regarding Virtanen's direction.

A few have said they're worried about injury with him (again) which is valid, I just want to expand on that. No doubt we knew he had a mean streak in him on draft day but it seemed to be a compliment to his main dish (offense), if you will.

But as I see him progress, its more and more about getting a big hit in each shift rather than using his offensive talent. Not to say that he doesn't, just making a point that his focus is changing. I leave this not up to the player to fix, but the coach's, to identify and correct bad habits. Crucial years of development are at this age for a prospect, further it need to come from the top down that "Hey, Do we want this Kid to be a grinder who produces on the 3rd line or an offensive force with an edge?".

Its clearly because I'm too invested in our team but god damn this scares me!!

For reference, watch the mic'd up video on CDC where our assistant his telling Jake to get his feet moving more so he can run at nurse... that's our top prospect your telling to go run another play like WTF!

Let me know what you guys think.

I think your out to lunch. He was drafted to be a physical presence that can score and I don't see any change in that. He is trying to prove to management and the coaching staff that he is physically ready for the NHL. It's about showing your teammates and the rest of the league that he is not afraid to play his game. Kesler had to do much of the same when he got his start.

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If Jake does stay up, it will highlight the significance of players like Prust and Dorsett on the team.

Just like we saw in Penticton, Jake will have every big guy in the league challenging him whenever he makes a hit. For a 19yr old playing his first year against the best hockey players in the league, it will be very tough. It's BS, but that's what the league is like now.

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If Jake does stay up, it will highlight the significance of players like Prust and Dorsett on the team.

Just like we saw in Penticton, Jake will have every big guy in the league challenging him whenever he makes a hit. For a 19yr old playing his first year against the best hockey players in the league, it will be very tough. It's BS, but that's what the league is like now.

The league has always been like that... Lol

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I hope he makes the team for the sake of his long-term development. Normally you don't want a guy this raw on the big club but he clearly can play a 4th line role and desperately needs the best coaching we can give him. He'll have to learn on the job and work his way up the depth chart. Works for some and not for others, but worst case is that we send him down to the A next year when he's eligible for it. It's a chance we should probably take.

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