elvis15 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) Pretty good. EDIT: I wanted to leave it just at that, but I guess I can go look up how he's doing for you. The Vancouver Sun @VancouverSun Feb 23 Los Angeles, CA Vancouver Canucks first-round pick Brendan Gaunce winging it as a Utica Comet http://www.vancouversun.com/First+round+pick+Brendan+Gaunce+winging+Comet/10836996/story.html#ixzz3ScNGDd1f … ... “I am really happy with Brendan’s development,” Comets head coach Travis Green said Monday from Utica. “It’s funny, I hear lots of people asking me: Is he on the fourth line? You can look at the line he’s on with Carter Bancks and Mike Zalewski and say it’s our fourth line but, I would say, the last five or six games, they’ve played the most 5-on-5 minutes on our team and they’re deserving of it. Gaunce’s game, in particular, has progressed.” A centre for most of his junior career with Belleville and Erie, Gaunce was moved to the wing to take advantage of his size – a listed 6-3 and 213 pounds – and to get him to perform more aggressively. “I thought it was important that he learned how to play the wing and that it would give him a chance to learn how to use his body a little more effectively,” Green explained. “I thought it would really force him to get hunting on the forecheck rather than playing the controlled game that I think he did a little bit in junior, maybe force him a little bit into some physical play.” ... “I love to try to be versatile and I think that’s a big part of being a pro hockey player,” Gaunce said. “I played a little bit of wing before but not too much where I got comfortable doing it. But this year I have gotten comfortable on the wing and I still feel I can play centre at this level. I don’t think it’s out of the question that I could switch back. “As of right now, they like me on the wing and I feel confident on the wing. It’s no different for me.” Gaunce did concede that his start was slow. “I think it was an adjustment at the start of the year,” he said. “Obviously it is a lot different than junior hockey. You’re living on your own and there are other little things that you don’t think will affect you. Since Christmas, I’ve been really happy with how I’ve played. I think I’m developing the way I wanted to and I think this year has been a good learning experience for myself. “The American League is definitely a tough league to score in,” he continued. “I think there is a transition for offensive play, especially learning the different ways of getting past defenders and playing in the offensive zone. It’s come along and, lately, it’s shown a little more on the scoreboard. Getting chances has been big for me and I’ve been doing that lately.” ... Also, he has more points than Jensen and Shinkaruk currently. Canucks Prospects @NucksWatch 18h Top #Canucks prospects scorers in AHL: 1) Grenier - 29 pts 2) Baertschi - 26 pts 3) Gaunce - 23 pts 4) Jensen - 22 pts 5) Shinkaruk - 18 pts Edited March 6, 2015 by elvis15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derp... Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Ya he's doing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Interesting that they have Gaunce playing right wing with Friesen centering him and Conacher. Looks like they're trying to develop Gaunce into a versatile bottom 6 guy that can play all three positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wshdrvvn Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 He was just centering Jensen and shinkaruk on the 2nd unit power play Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred65 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 The beauty of Gaunces play is he hasn't flat lined. He's getting better as he goes along. Managers I'm sure like to follow development. Jensen seems to falling back, Shinkaruk has never got into a groove he seems to be stalled but lots of time. You listen to Gaunce speak and he's so understanding and smart seems like he has it all figured out, much like Horvat, they understand what is required of them. I'd like to think come next September he before others might be NHL ready. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UticaHockey Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 He was just centering Jensen and shinkaruk on the 2nd unit power play He has been centering the 2nd PP unit and has look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cripplereh Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I have a feeling he will stay in the AHL for one more year and develope his skills playing LW/C/RW and PP for us to get a good 2nd to 3rd liner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asian player Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I have a feeling he will stay in the AHL for one more year and develope his skills playing LW/C/RW and PP for us to get a good 2nd to 3rd liner! Yep, and there's nothing wrong with that. There's a logjam of forwards in the big club. With a full season of pro experience under his belt, we'll see how he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Gaunce with the 3-2 go ahead goal just now for the Comets against Rochester. Looks like he started the night playing with Friesen and Conacher, but Grenier and O'Reilly got the assists so maybe the lines got switched up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucklehead44 Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) His 25 points in 62 games are pretty close to Jensen's 21 points in 54 as a rookie. The big thing separating the two is Gaunce's versatility. I think he is probably a shoe-in to be at least a 4th line player, which is upside as maybe a 2nd line centre. Out of Gaunce / Shinkaruk / Jensen I think Gaunce is my favourite prospect. Interestingly Grenier is outscoring them all, and is massive at 6'5, yet is probably going to be released this summer. Too bad his game is lacking defensively, as he obviously has offensive talent along with great size. Edited March 21, 2015 by canucklehead44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Canucklehead; You have to be impressed when you see Guance and Grenier standing together. They are both huge. IMHO Guance's season has been great. He has put up points but at the same time is showing a defensive awareness which might get him to the NHL sometime next year. I expect that JB makes room for more youth by moving as many as 2 skating forwards. Guance starting in Van next fall is probably a stretch. Grenier: I agree he is probably on the bubble but his offense is hitting stride. His future might be determined by his Calder playoffs. In the end it is also a numbers game. His size and speed is so enticing that he will always get a 2nd look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Grenier has some value now with the numbers he's putting up. If they don't see him as a part of the future, they need to swap him for a younger D prospect while they can IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honeydew Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I hope Gaunce gets a look at for 9 games before he's sent back to the minors. He looked pretty solid during the preseason this year and I'm pretty sure we'll be expecting him putting up another good preseason the next following year. Seems to play a bigger game against teams that we've usually have trouble against and we need a player like Gaunce to step up in Rivalry games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UFCanuck Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I hope Gaunce gets a look at for 9 games before he's sent back to the minors. He looked pretty solid during the preseason this year and I'm pretty sure we'll be expecting him putting up another good preseason the next following year. Seems to play a bigger game against teams that we've usually have trouble against and we need a player like Gaunce to step up in Rivalry games. he doesn't have a 9 game limit anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snizzle_ Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 I think Gaunce needs one more season before a call-up. I'm really excited with Gaunce because of his versatility but I want him to really develop well down in the minors; get his footspeed and tenacity up and full. I think two full seasons (including this one) in the AHL before making the jump on opening day 2016-17. If he uptakes his production to around 0.5PPG+ for an entire season next year, I think he can make an impact in our bottom six the following year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 he doesn't have a 9 game limit anymore. People should honestly forget about the 9 game limit rule. It's become some misunderstood thing like how two-way contracts have become synonymous with waiver eligibility. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 His 25 points in 62 games are pretty close to Jensen's 21 points in 54 as a rookie. The big thing separating the two is Gaunce's versatility. I think he is probably a shoe-in to be at least a 4th line player, which is upside as maybe a 2nd line centre. Out of Gaunce / Shinkaruk / Jensen I think Gaunce is my favourite prospect. Interestingly Grenier is outscoring them all, and is massive at 6'5, yet is probably going to be released this summer. Too bad his game is lacking defensively, as he obviously has offensive talent along with great size. My Gaunce sig isn't a coincidence as he's one of the prospects I watch a little more closely, but what makes you think Grenier will be released? He's got one more year of waivers free AHL development, and they'll surely use it before making a decision on if he's a player they can include in a package for something better, or if he can be a player in the NHL for us the year after. Grenier's a bit of a raw player, who has been putting a more complete game together this year which is nice to see. By comparison Gaunce is that more complete player already, who's finding offence through hard work despite not being given the same offensive opportunities (PP, top 6 linemates) as Grenier has been getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 (edited) Article posted today on Gaunce in the Metro newspaper:http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/1322347/canucks-prospect-report-brendan-gaunce-exceeding-expectations-with-utica-comets/ Not a ton new in there but some nice quotes from coach Green and a little feature on Baertschi at the end. Edited March 26, 2015 by SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Nice article. People have made far too much of some players apparent lack of offensive production, including Gaunce. Green's got a plan to teach themn to play hockey the right way. It may mean a few less goals right now but it's going to pay dividends down the road IMO. I also like that Green mentioned he's starting to see the Sven he had in Portland... that means he believes there's still another gear there above his already impressive play Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jejejester Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Gaunce hasn't had much love for him on CDC lately. After listening to Travis green I feel he could be a great 3rd line winger for the Canucks. Gaunce Cassels Jensen Could be a strong 3rd line that is nasty and can score. Hopefully Gaunce can get faster foot speed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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