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Brendan Gaunce | C/LW

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By b3.
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Jiggs50 Canucks Star

Jiggs50

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Bo 6'0" 206 lbs. Gaunce 6'2" 207 lbs. Bo-center Gaunce-winger. Great comparison.

Gaunce is a center turned winger. Gaunce and Bo are alike because they're leaders on and off the ice and have a calm and cool way about them. Both captain material. That's where they're similar imo
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Alflives Canucks Hall-of-Famer

Alflives

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Bo, Gaunce, McCann, and possibly Shinkaruk are going to take over this team and put their stamp on it in short order, I'd say in about 2 years. Guys who are all swift, aggressive, physical, and have desire, character, and leadership qualities. The new core is not far off now.

And it's exciting to look forward to the young guys. Do you really think Shinkaruk is a player? I sure hope so.

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Canuck Surfer Canucks Hall-of-Famer

Canuck Surfer

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Bo, Gaunce, McCann, and possibly Shinkaruk are going to take over this team and put their stamp on it in short order, I'd say in about 2 years. Guys who are all swift, aggressive, physical, and have desire, character, and leadership qualities. The new core is not far off now.

This may not be the best 2 years. But its going to be fun!

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tas Canucks Star

tas

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The Canucks website has updated player profiles as measured at training camp.

Horvat is 6'0" 206

Virtanen is 6'1" 208

McCann is 6'0" 179

there's no chance bo and jake are back to their exact draft weights. it's been stated repeatedly this offseason that jake is between 212 and 215 and bo started last year at 216-220 so there's no way he's back down to 206 again.

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DownUndaCanuck Canucks Franchise Player

DownUndaCanuck

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I think the extra spot is up for grabs between Gaunce, Shinkaruk, Jensen and Kenins. Likely one of them will take Higgins' spot, one other will be a rotating healthy scratch and the other two will play top line minutes in Utica.

So far I think Jensen has something to prove but it's neck and neck between the 4 of them.

Sedin - Sedin - Vbrata (or swap with Burrows)

Baertschi - Sutter - Burrows

? - Horvat - Hansen

Dorsett - Vey - Prust

I always wanted to see Jensen have success with Hansen and maybe now they can have a bit of chemistry with Horvat as their center. Gaunce and Horvat together is a scary thought, and Kenins has showed he has chemistry with those two guys.

Alternatively, we could see WD shuffle things up so there's a veteran on each line:

Sedin - Sedin - Burrows

Baertschi - Sutter - Vbrata

Dorsett - Horvat - Hansen

Gaunce - Vey - Prust

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Harvey Specter Canucks Prospect

Harvey Specter

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While this can be argued to be more along the lines of "thinking out loud" by Kuzma, it's nice to see Gaunce continuing to trend upwards.

Link to article here, and quoted for those who would like to read it:

Brendan Gaunce was prepared for the roster question and had the right answer, just as if it was a query in the psychology, history and finance courses that have consumed his hours away from the rink.

“During the season, there’s a lot of free time and I’d rather do that than kind of stare at a blank space on a wall,” the well-educated Gaunce said Wednesday.
“It’s good, and it’s good to get your mind off hockey. And I want to get my degree by the time I’m done playing so I can have something.”
It’s the same with his older brother Cameron, who’s at the Florida Panthers camp. He’s studying media relations, and the two talk more about their NFL fantasy football teams than hockey.
It’s a welcome release from the rigours of an NHL camp.
What Gaunce has now isn’t a fantasy. It’s a genuine opportunity to supplant the injured Chris Higgins as the left-winger on the third line.
The 21-year-old converted centre was already having a strong Vancouver Canucks training camp and his value rose when Higgins fell on hard times. He suffered a fractured right foot Monday while blocking a shot in a pre-season win over the San Jose Sharks, and is out at least three weeks and possibly longer.
“I’m coming in here with the mentality of wanting to make the team, regardless if someone gets hurt,” stressed Gaunce.
“I want to push the pace every practice to show I can stay in the NHL. It’s great to have some recognition, but there are six exhibition games left and it’s obviously good what I’ve done so far has showed in a positive state.
“The pace is fine for me and I’ve played the way I’ve wanted and I think it shows. But for me, I’m looking at tomorrow (Thursday) to show them again that I can play here and again on Friday in Calgary.”
It’s also a win-win development because Canucks management can now deliver on a promise to trend younger while trying to maintain competitiveness. You can only talk about that stuff for so long before acting upon it. It not only gives the faithful a peek at the future, it can help fill seats now.
Gaunce, a first-round 2012 draft choice, can take what he learned in helping lead the Utica Comets to the AHL’S Calder Cup final last spring and apply it at the NHL level.
Like a good student, Gaunce was a quick study in his first pro season under demanding coach Travis Green.
Playing with driven linemates Wacey Hamilton and Carter Bancks helped bring a needed edge to Gaunce’s game, to complement his ability to still play the middle and take faceoffs.
He already had the speed and smarts to go with a 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame, and 11 goals and 29 points masked his real potential. He added four goals and five assists in the postseason and was Utica’s most improved player.
“If you play physical, especially early, you’ll get a lot more room out there, and for me to be able to go up and down the wall and winning puck battles shows the stronger attributes of my game,” said Gaunce.
“I’m lucky to have a brother who has gone through it and have someone to lean on. The best teams in the league have good third and fourth lines and I’ve learned it’s not a sprint. You’re trying to make an impression for when you’re 23 or 24 and on to 30.
“It’s special to play in the NHL at a young age. I’m looking to have a long career and not a quick one, and I’ve changed my mindset in the last couple of years.”
Willie Desjardins was quick to cite Gaunce as a possible replacement for Higgins, for good reason. The knock on Gaunce was that he needed to develop an edge to his game to play at this level, and the move to the wing is a natural progression to bring that about.
But something has to click with the player. Gaunce is better than he was a year ago because he not only accepted the challenge to get out of his comfort zone, he excelled at it.
“I think he took a different approach in how hard he had to work,” said Desjardins. “He’s a good skater, real smart and a good person, so he had a lot, and other parts of his game, too. He seems like a more complete player and better than he was last year.”
You can usually learn a lot by just watching how veterans go about their business. Higgins could have bailed on the shot block instead of doing what comes instinctively as a key member of the league’s second-ranked penalty kill last season. That’s not lost on Gaunce.
“They all play the right way — that’s one thing you notice in pro hockey,” said Gaunce. “You saw that in the first game (Monday) and a small rink. He (Higgins) didn’t have to get in front of the shot, but he did and he’s just programmed to do that. It’s something you don’t take out of your game.”

Extra tidbit: Here's Kuzma's predictions on our opening night roster

What's My Line

Canucks general manager Jim Benning said he could carry 14 forwards this NHL season. Here’s a look at how it may shake out for the Oct. 7 opener in Calgary:

D.Sedin-H.Sedin-Burrows

Baertschi-Sutter-Vrbata

Gaunce-Horvat-Hansen

Prust-Vey-Dorsett

(extras: Kenins, Virtanen)

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Rollieo Del Fuego Canucks First-Line

Rollieo Del Fuego

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there's no chance bo and jake are back to their exact draft weights. it's been stated repeatedly this offseason that jake is between 212 and 215 and bo started last year at 216-220 so there's no way he's back down to 206 again.

Agreed they are both over 210 and down from up to 228 at their largest...now they are all muscle and 212-215 like you say.

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Gerbera Abbotsford Regular

Gerbera

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While this can be argued to be more along the lines of "thinking out loud" by Kuzma, it's nice to see Gaunce continuing to trend upwards.

Link to article here, and quoted for those who would like to read it:

Extra tidbit: Here's Kuzma's predictions on our opening night roster

Thanks for posting the article. Love Gaunce. I think he will be a great middle 6 forward for the Canucks in the future and score some clutch goals for us in the playoffs when Canucks can make the playoffs as a... maybe not contender.. but at least a team that can cause some noise in the playoffs.

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sharbinder Abbotsford Regular

sharbinder

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The Canucks website has updated player profiles as measured at training camp.

Horvat is 6'0" 206

Virtanen is 6'1" 208

McCann is 6'0" 179

this is incorrect , as Virtanen is 212 right now.

quoted in many recent articles surrounding training camp/Penticton.

he was 6'1 - 208 at the draft , also Bo was 6'0 - 206 last preseason.

I don't believe these are updated. although McCann's could be true.

September 14th - Jake 212 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/jake-virtanen-wants-to-bring-bruising-style-scoring-touch-to-canucks/article26362204/

in may , Bo 220... http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Iain+MacIntyre+Canucks+rookie+Horvat+knows+huge+gains/10878161/story.html

September 20th - The Province

6. Horvat Keeps Pumping Them Up;

“Most players lose weight during the season. Bo Horvat puts it on and reduces body fat. At 220 pounds and with nine-per-cent body fat, Horvat is more than physically ready for the challenges of his sophomore season. His regimen in the weight room has his teammates raving and it’s given him additional explosiveness in the first three strides. ‘I love to do my squats & Olympic lifting and clean-and-jerks and this year I’ve really hammered down on it to get stronger.’ He said. ‘My jumping has really improved and I’ve never been able to go so high and I’m lifting more than in the past’.” - Ben Kuzma and Jason Botchford

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