Gstank29 Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Hi yall, long time no thread, With all the talk of Tanking for Matthews ( I like the idea personally) I thought it would be a good time to make a thread about the young nucleus of this team Bo Horvat: It's no secret that Bo will be the captain of this team once the Sedins retire and that he will be a life time Canuck. He brings the intensity that you want from a future Captain and is already a well spoken kid at the rip old age of 20 years old. He intanglable are remarkable and his skill set might be even better. In his prime i can see Horvat being very reliable 2 way centre who has the ability to score 50-60 points, but most importantly he can thrieve under the spotlight of this media market. Even though players say what the media does doesn't affect them you know that they read and hear the same things us fans read and hear, and to be able to ignore what others are saying (on the outside) is a quality that all good players have. Another thing that Bo has received high marks for is his work ethic. Everyone around the team says that Horvat is one of the hardest working players and he is never sadified with his game. This quality is one of the hardest things to find in a person as it isn't teachable, it is something you are born with and a majority of people aren't born with this quality Thatcher Demko: Hands down the best goalie in the 2014 draft class, the Canucks really found themselves a steal. Demko is the prototypical goaltender in this era, he is 6'3-6'4 and extremely athletic and flexible. From what I seen in teaching and observing young goalies, most kids are thrusted onto the fast track to the NHL if they show any sign of promise from a young age. This makes goalies very technically sound but as they get older you can tell the ones who are athletic and trained from the ones have been trainned from a young age but lack in athletism. My personal bais is that it doesn't matter how big you are, if you aren't a top flight athlete you aren't going to succeed at the goaltending position. This positions relies on reflexes (athletism) as it does technical skills and if you dont have the reflexes well you aren't going to stop a lot of pucks or make some of those big saves. The other side of this position is the mental side, which Demko exceeds in. Over the summer while recovery from hip surgery Demko said he was reading books about getting yourself in the right frame mind and staying mentally strong. This is one of the most underrated qualities that Demko processes, he is a student of the game and is always looking for an edge. The mental side of the game is what separates the Elite goalies from the average goalies, because once you get caught thinking about your positioning and what not your reaction time slows down and you start to second guess yourself which leads to weak goals going in. The last quality I want to talk about is Demkos ability to read plays, as many have seen though Miller and Lack they can sometimes get catch locking themselves into postion leaving them vulnerable to back door plays. From what i have seen in my limited viewings of Demko, he is very good at read the play as it is developing and can adjust for any mistakes he makes with his athletism and flexibility. Demko numbers at BC are impressive and I believe he will made a seemless transition from the collage ranks to the AHL next year, and might even see some NHL action towards the end of next season. This kid is turely something special and I was surpised he wasn't taken in the first round in 2014. Jake Virtanen: With all the raw tools in the world, Virtanen has a shot at being a very valuable member of this team going forwards. Virtanens combination of Size, Speed and Skill makes him the type of players teams drool over if they become what they are project to be. First off lets talk about his Elite speed. Virtanens speed is really impressive for his build he seems to have the second level when trying to skate past an opponent and there aren't many guys who are 6'2 220+ that can make vets look like they have concrete blocks on their feet or burn past defenceman before they they have time to close the gap. We have seen glimps of his speed this year but IMO he needs to play with faster linemates in order to be more effective, because he is often to far ahead of his linemates to be able to make a play before a defenceman is with in checking distance. Now lets talk about Virtanens skill, not known for his ability to set up pretty plays, Virtanen is a north-south player who has a shot the could see him become a 30 goal scorer. He just needs to gain more confidencein his game and learn when to shot or when to try and make a play. I believe this ability to dissect plays will come with more experince playing against NHL opponents and NOT FROM PLAYING Junior as junior is already a very slow game and Virtanens decision making needs to be faster. Not only does Virtanen bring a scoring threat but he also brings a physical game that makes smaller players want to disappear. Virtanen as already proven he can hit with the big boys and it's scary to think what he will look like in his prime. Imagen being a smaller skilled player and seeing this 6'2 dump trunk coming at you at full stream and knowing there is no way you can out skate him or evade the hit that is about to happen. Virtanen is the type of player that makes those soft, skilled players disappear for entire games or playoff series because they are consisently looking for where he is on the ice and try to avoid him. He might take until he is 21-22 to develop into the player what we all want him to be but it will be worth the wait. Those are the 3 players that I see being apart of this core for the next 10-12 years. If i was opmistic I would say maybe 2 more players out of McCann, Boeser, Shinkaruk, Gaunce, Hutton, and Cassels would be life long canucks but with the direction this team seems to be heading we are probably due for at least 2 top 10 picks from the 2016 and 2017 draft, and rarely do those guys not end up spending most of their careers with one team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoughtysCheck Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 I thought Cody hodgson was supposed to be the captain and a canuck for life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyM Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Our cupboards filled up very quickly I must admit. Remember how bleak it looked during the Gillis era? The one glaring hole in our pool is on defense. I sort of wish we lose the 1st overall lotto pick and get 2nd so we can pick up Chychrun. Matthews is going to be a star, no doubt, but in a scenario where all things fall into place for us, we are still weak on defense. Even though we could possibly trade some other prospects for a defenseman in the event we get Matthews, no one is giving away studs. P.S. I won't be sad one bit if we do end up getting Matthews though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Biestra Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 5 minutes ago, DoughtysCheck said: I thought Cody hodgson was supposed to be the captain and a canuck for life? Came to bring up the same thing when I read the first paragraph about Bo. Guaranteed captain? Canuck for life? Exactly the things people were saying when Cody pwned at the World Juniors. Guys who were not Canucks for life once they became Canucks... Trevor Linden, Markus Naslund, Cliff Ronning, Tiger Williams, Snepsts, Lidster, Courtnall, McLean, Brodeur, Luongo, Bieksa, Bure, Ohlund, Salo, Bertuzzi, Tanti, Skriko, Sundstrom... It's just too early, and Bo is moving backwards in his career as we speak. Sure, good chance he rights the ship and begins to grow again as a player...but right now he is looking more Hodgson than Linden. I'm all for optimism, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Barzal Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Where's the D? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bissurnette Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 27 minutes ago, Kevin Biestra said: Came to bring up the same thing when I read the first paragraph about Bo. Guaranteed captain? Canuck for life? Exactly the things people were saying when Cody pwned at the World Juniors. Guys who were not Canucks for life once they became Canucks... Trevor Linden, Markus Naslund, Cliff Ronning, Tiger Williams, Snepsts, Lidster, Courtnall, McLean, Brodeur, Luongo, Bieksa, Bure, Ohlund, Salo, Bertuzzi, Tanti, Skriko, Sundstrom... It's just too early, and Bo is moving backwards in his career as we speak. Sure, good chance he rights the ship and begins to grow again as a player...but right now he is looking more Hodgson than Linden. I'm all for optimism, but... No he's not. I have absolutely no idea where all this hate on Horvat is coming from. The kid tries harder than any other player on the team game in and game out and it's clearly visible on the ice. He leaves it all out on the ice, and I see him making moves and trying to create something every game. You can see the raw talent he has and quite frankly this year he's showing me that he has more offensive upside than I ever thought he possessed before. He's not on the scoreboard much but mark my words, when he slots back into 3C, which is the position he should've been in this year btw, he will lead the charge on secondary scoring (granted he needs better linemates than puck-killers Higgins and Burrows). He's already a great leader and I wish more vets would play like him. He's going nowhere but up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SvenBae Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 45 minutes ago, EmilyM said: Our cupboards filled up very quickly I must admit. Remember how bleak it looked during the Gillis era? The one glaring hole in our pool is on defense. I sort of wish we lose the 1st overall lotto pick and get 2nd so we can pick up Chychrun. Matthews is going to be a star, no doubt, but in a scenario where all things fall into place for us, we are still weak on defense. Even though we could possibly trade some other prospects for a defenseman in the event we get Matthews, no one is giving away studs. P.S. I won't be sad one bit if we do end up getting Matthews though High expectations for a tank I see, to be expected as this fanbase likely doesn't have experience with it. Getting the 1st overall pick with a team headmanned by the Sedins is incredibly improbable. Additionally, Chychrun has fallen in the draft rankings, he's now ranked 4th and could keep falling. Which may mean he's not the defensive savior we are hoping for. 17 minutes ago, meh_wassup said: No he's not. I have absolutely no idea where all this hate on Horvat is coming from. The kid tries harder than any other player on the team game in and game out and it's clearly visible on the ice. He leaves it all out on the ice, and I see him making moves and trying to create something every game. You can see the raw talent he has and quite frankly this year he's showing me that he has more offensive upside than I ever thought he possessed before. He's not on the scoreboard much but mark my words, when he slots back into 3C, which is the position he should've been in this year btw, he will lead the charge on secondary scoring (granted he needs better linemates than puck-killers Higgins and Burrows). He's already a great leader and I wish more vets would play like him. He's going nowhere but up. Burrows and Higgins? Did you not see this beautiful little bromance shove he gave to Baertschi today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyM Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 3 minutes ago, SvenBae said: High expectations for a tank I see No, I was just saying in the likely event we miss the playoffs and have a lottery pick, I was saying not winning the jackpot won't be the end of the world. But I didn't hear Chych has fallen to 4th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SvenBae Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Just now, EmilyM said: No, I was just saying in the likely event we miss the playoffs and have a lottery pick, I was saying not winning the jackpot won't be the end of the world. But I didn't hear Chych has fallen to 4th. Cut from Team Canada, and his production (point per game) is exactly where it was last season, with fewer goals, be interesting to see how he bounces back. If we are tanking this season, then he'd probably be the one we'd have to keep our eyes on. Hard to think that GMJB wouldn't try to address the defensive cupboard if there was a viable option on the table.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RRypien37 Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Since when is Virtanen 6'2 220+? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hearditall Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 20 minutes ago, SvenBae said: Cut from Team Canada, and his production (point per game) is exactly where it was last season, with fewer goals, be interesting to see how he bounces back. If we are tanking this season, then he'd probably be the one we'd have to keep our eyes on. Hard to think that GMJB wouldn't try to address the defensive cupboard if there was a viable option on the table.. Not too many 17 yr olds make Team Canada especially as a D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackberries Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 You realize you are seriously under rating McCann here. He's already an offensive talent on this team with an excellent 2 way game, and a tenacity that even seems greater than Bo's . Yes Bo will be the captain But McCann will be counted on to carry alot of the offensive load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SvenBae Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 1 minute ago, hearditall said: Not too many 17 yr olds make Team Canada especially as a D. True, though Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Murray, and Ryan Ellis did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubik Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Very excited about Demko, hope he'll be an elite goalie like Luongo. (: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Nice positive contribution, GStank. What gets us long-timers salivating, is to see all these kids emerging together. It's quite rare in our organizational history to have a number of prospects hit the ground, running together. We've usually got our youth-movement piecemeal, 1 or 2 arriving, & trying to fit in with erratic success. The way it's coming up, is almost like an expansion franchise, after a half-decade of high picks. Only most of those examples(usually small markets) have had fan/financial pressure to expedite their youth influx. They often ruin the Brule & Daigle-types, from impossible expectations. It's true we have a shortage of D..but they take longer to develop, & are more difficult to project(17~18 yrs old). So with all these great young fwds(on ELC's), we'll likely have an excess 1 or 2 we can flip for blueline help. As well, we'll likely have cap space to sign(Hamhuis, Garrison types), who'll want to play here, if the franchise is successfully phasing in talented, 200-ft capable youth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownUndaCanuck Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Centers: Horvat, McCann, Gaunce (apparently he's back to C which helps), Cassels Wingers: Baertschi, Shinkaruk, Virtanen, Boeser Goalies: Markstrom, Demko Defence: Tanev, Hutton, Subban.... Pretty easy to pick the weakness there. Some teams like the Hurricanes have about 4 A-grade defensive prospects, teams like Anaheim and Boston are so stacked with young defencemen that they have Morrow and Theodore forced to play in the AHL in a very similar situation to what we're doing to the NHL-ready Gaunce and Shinkaruk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyg43 Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 4 hours ago, SvenBae said: True, though Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Murray, and Ryan Ellis did it. getting the call at 17 is probably more a political decission then anything else.I think they made a mistake in omitting him from the team .The team seemed to be deep this year in defensive talent an a little lacking in the forwards so I would imagine they are going for alot more on the grits side of criteria to pick an chose the composite makeup of the team . I don't see them near as talented group as last year an will struggle to get to medal round I think ,but hey anything could happen there. Chych will have a burn on after new years to prove alot of doubters wrong And if we so happen to get him as a GM I would not lend him next year as in McCann . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeeBee51 Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 I would put McCann in the top group and maybe Hutton as well. Lots of maybe's and good possibilities after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersexual Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 What number jersey will Matthews wear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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