Bur14Kes17 Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 http://thehockeywriters.com/cole-cassels-will-look-to-rebound-in-canucks-system/ Home Vancouver Canucks Canucks Prospects Cole Cassels Will Look to Rebound in Canucks System MAY 17TH, 2016 BY COLTON DAVIES It was just over a full calendar year ago that Cole Cassels’ Oshawa Generals captured the OHL Championship. In that Game 6 win against Connor McDavid’s Erie Otters on May 15, 2015, Cassels had four assists and a plus-three rating. Fast forward to just over two weeks after that, and Cassels’ Generals were Memorial Cup Champions after beating the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 in overtime in the finals on May 31st. As an overage player, Cassels was a huge part of his team’s run to major junior supremacy. The Canucks 85th overall pick in 2013 had catapulted to being one of the team’s top prospects. But Cassels’ development stagnated in 2015-16, in his first year of pro hockey with the AHL’s Utica Comets. He followed up a junior season of 41 goals and 116 points in 79 total games with three goals, eight points and a minus-17 rating in 71 total games this year. What happened? It became apparent that Cassels played through an abdominal injury suffered in the middle of the 2014-15 season. He played through it for the final three months of the regular season, for all of the OHL playoffs and during the Memorial Cup. His offseason last year started in June, and he spent almost the entirety of it rehabbing. His training never caught up to where he wanted it to be. It’s tough for a young player to transition to pro hockey out of junior, and it’s tougher for a player who’s a step behind the entire season – physically and mentally. That could be said for the 21-year-old Cassels last year. What he and the Canucks can hope for, is that he’s able to put 2015-16 in the rear view, and turn last season’s adversity into success next year and beyond. Chance for Cassels to Rebound in 2016-17 There seemed to be hope at various points last season that signaled Cassels might not be far off from being 100% healthy. But his injury was a “tricky one”, which Canucks general manager Jim Benning acknowledged as well. He never fully healed, and as a result never consistently contributed in the Comets lineup. These struggles are understandable. And for a player like Cassels who battled to stay in the lineup and will no doubt be determined to better himself as a player, they can be overcome. Worth noting is that Cassels is evidently a slow-bloomer. He gained tons of notice last season, due to his proven abilities and accomplishments in the OHL, but he wasn’t always on that level. In his rookie season of major junior, Cassels totaled only three goals and 11 points in 64 games, numbers that look similar to his rookie AHL season. Over his four OHL seasons, he improved that 0.17 points-per-game average steadily – to 0.67, 1.20, and 1.50 in the respective three years that followed. Embed from Getty Images Maybe it’s a trend for some two-way forwards to endure these struggles in production. That type of player tends to want to take care of his defensive responsibilities first, and typically takes longer to gain confidence offensively. Combine this with being cast against stronger, faster competition, and with an injury that wouldn’t go away. It shouldn’t surprise many that Cassels struggled mightily in his first pro season. So now with a long offseason underway and a chance to test the waters in the books, Cassels will be back. If there’s anything he’s shown by playing upwards of 100-plus games while fighting off an injury, it’s that the Dublin, Ohio native is lacking none in his tenacity. Cassels will almost certainly be in a more favorable position to better contribute next season should he be at full health. Don’t be surprised if he plays a larger AHL role, and proves to be much more level to his playing field. The son of former NHL forward Andrew Cassels, Cole has been labelled by some as a player who could be a checking line forward with offensive potential for Vancouver someday. Canucks fans got a taste last spring of what they have to be excited for in Cassels’ future. That excitement might not be far from resurfacing. A full healthy off season of training should do wonders for this kid and his upcoming season. Best of luck to Cole in recapturing the form that made him a favourite here when he battled McDavid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herberts Vasiljevs Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 One of my best friends from high school/hockey wrote this. Colton's been killing it for the Hockey Writers - he's a gem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bur14Kes17 Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 1 minute ago, Herberts Vasiljevs said: One of my best friends from high school/hockey wrote this. Colton's been killing it for the Hockey Writers - he's a gem. Your friends a good writer. Good thoughtful expression and changes up his sentence structure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Oh tell me why, do you have Cassels ranked so high Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 CC on the rocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanuck Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Looking forward to seeing what Cassels can do in a healthy year with some pro-experience under his belt. He should be highly motivated to erase last season and show the Canucks what he's capable of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 1 hour ago, Herberts Vasiljevs said: One of my best friends from high school/hockey wrote this. Colton's been killing it for the Hockey Writers - he's a gem. Good article but I believe that it contains an error. I am pretty sure that Cassels was NOT an overage player in his final year of Junior. He did not turn 20 until May 4, 2015. Therefore, he was a 19-year-old in his final year of Junior, which was a normal draft+2 season. Also, I was hoping for maybe a quote or two from Cassels himself or from a coach or two. And what is the current status of his injury? The latest thing noted in the article seems to be the statement that "he never fully healed". Personally I am not that optimistic about Cassels. His dropoff shows just how hard it is transition from Junior to the AHL (let alone to the NHL). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
You Mad Bro? Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Forgot about him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 CDC. Written him off already. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Western Red Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 I really appreciated the point he made about Cole being a late bloomer stat wise, although its very common. Cole isn't forgotten and he has a rock (Andrew Cassels) in his corner. Kids gonna be fine and I'm still very excited about him in a Canucks uni. He's SHOWN that he can shutdown McDavid... lets not forget that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Soldier Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 23 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said: CDC. Written him off already. Sad. I doubt many have written him off. They were just brought back to Earth after they proclaimed CC NHL-ready because he beat McDavid in the Memorial Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 1 hour ago, Winter Soldier said: I doubt many have written him off. They were just brought back to Earth after they proclaimed CC NHL-ready because he beat McDavid in the Memorial Cup. I think this is right. I can remember saying that Cassels was performing more like a low first round pick than like a 3rd round pick. But now he looks like a third round pick. And, while a lot of third round picks become solid NHL players (maybe a third), the majority of third round picks never become NHL regulars. Cole has a shot, but it won't be easy and obviously he needs to make a lot of progress next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 1 hour ago, Winter Soldier said: I doubt many have written him off. They were just brought back to Earth after they proclaimed CC NHL-ready because he beat McDavid in the Memorial Cup. He should have been put on the Canucks because the NHL is a development league, according to some. I mean, how is he ever going to learn if he doesn't play in the NHL right away? Work those kinks out in the bigs, yo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xereau Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Cole has all the tools to be a successful 3rd line center in the NHL. He remind me of Brad Richardson, a LOT. He has the defensive grind game down, and if he can develop a nose for the net in the bigs, he has a the potential to be a good 2 way second liner. The Canucks stole him in the draft, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas19 Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 He wasn't an overager in his last year of junior. He could have played junior this year (or last year whatever) as an overager. And yeah people should absolutely not be giving up on this guy. He's still really young and has had a couple pretty bad injuries which have interfered with his ability to get a good summer of training, so every year he starts behind the other guys. Big summer for him this year. I fully expect major improvement in his game next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmonberries Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Yan Pavel Laplante is gunning for his spot now. it's gonna be a battle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kazin! Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 On 5/17/2016 at 2:25 PM, Herberts Vasiljevs said: One of my best friends from high school/hockey wrote this. Colton's been killing it for the Hockey Writers - he's a gem. You should ask your friend who he mistook for Cole Cassels when he was pulling his stats... http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=145030 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nom_de_plume Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 On May 17, 2016 at 3:40 PM, Nuxfanabroad said: CC on the rocks That would have been a fantastic title for the article! Catchy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 He's not going to be a top 6 player but if we can get a solid 3rd/4th liner that's defensively responsible, that's a pretty good return for a 3rd rounder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Other than the overager part I liked the article. A lot of us knew he'd need time to adjust, with the injury and the fact he put up big numbers as a 20 year old. But he's someone to look forward to in the system. Might have a future leader in Cassels, Manny Malhotra-esque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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