Bo Horvat | #53 | C

[73 Percent]

You have problems if you think that post you just quoted was wrong in anyway.

its my opinion. And I am entitled to it. My opinion is that your opinion is wrong.

[Tearloch7]

I find that even my own opinion on my opinion is often wrong.

[Guest Dasein]

There are politics everywhere, including Junior hockey .. fact!

Hunters don't give two shiz about politics. They run their own show IMO.

Also, guaranteeing someone a letter takes away from the legitimacy of it. If it's given and not deserved, clearly the room would not follow. It's just a letter - the real leaders are leaders regardless. The letter is there just to recognize it formally. It wouldn't matter if Bo had a C on his chest if he didn't deserve it - nobody would follow him.

So again, guaranteeing Bo a C upon return makes no sense.

[elvis15]

I don't care. The point is I'm not saying he can't be more than a 3rd liner because that's what I think he is going to be. It's an opinion.

It's a matter of understanding, and some of you have trouble with that.

You aren't even sure what you aren't winning people over on, so I'll leave it at that.

[Tearloch7]

Hunters don't give two shiz about politics. They run their own show IMO.

Also, guaranteeing someone a letter takes away from the legitimacy of it. If it's given and not deserved, clearly the room would not follow. It's just a letter - the real leaders are leaders regardless. The letter is there just to recognize it formally. It wouldn't matter if Bo had a C on his chest if he didn't deserve it - nobody would follow him.

So again, guaranteeing Bo a C upon return makes no sense.

Were I in Canucks Management, I would be concerned about Bo spending another year in Junior 'doing the same old thing' while others get the 'elite lime-light opportunities around him .. if the Hunters want him back, then the Canucks should approach London and specify just what they want Bo to be doing .. I KNOW this happens, where NHL clubs 'influence' Junior teams .. maybe they should push to get him traded to Kelowna.

Only my opinion, but before the Canucks send Bo back to Junior they are going to want to know exactly what BO will be 'learning' this year, and if it does not fit in with what Benning wants, then that may be a huge factor in Bo staying in the NHL this year.

In other words .. "Hey Dale .. Jim Benning here .. you want Bo back this year, we are going to need him further develop his leadership and offensive skills .. what are your plans for him?"

Edited August 7, 2014 by Tearloch7

[Gyllenhaal]

So again, guaranteeing Bo a C upon return makes no sense.

You don't think Bo deserves to be the Captain if he returns to the Knights? Who's a better option? Domi?

[Plum]

Were I in Canucks Management, I would be concerned about Bo spending another year in Junior 'doing the same old thing' while others get the 'elite lime-light opportunities around him .. if the Hunters want him back, then the Canucks should approach London and specify just what they want Bo to be doing .. I KNOW this happens, where NHL clubs 'influence' Junior teams .. maybe they should push to get him traded to Kelowna.

Only my opinion, but before the Canucks send Bo back to Junior they are going to want to know exactly what BO will be 'learning' this year, and if it does not fit in with what Benning wants, then that may be a huge factor in Bo staying in the NHL this year.

In other words .. "Hey Dale .. Jim Benning here .. you want Bo back this year, we are going to need him further develop his leadership and offensive skills this year .. what are your plans for him?"

You can't trade league to league in the CHL.

Dale Hunter is a great coach, Horvat is learning alot under him. I think we aren't giving Hunter enough credit for Horvat's leadership, two-way game and all the intangibles Horvat has in his game.

[Guest Dasein]

You don't think Bo deserves to be the Captain if he returns to the Knights? Who's a better option? Domi?

Where does it say I don't think Bo deserves it? Bo is definitely a leading candidate and I am all for him having it if it is deserved. The other guy is saying Bo should be guaranteed regardless if he is returned to London. Huge difference.

Were I in Canucks Management, I would be concerned about Bo spending another year in Junior 'doing the same old thing' while others get the 'elite lime-light opportunities around him .. if the Hunters want him back, then the Canucks should approach London and specify just what they want Bo to be doing .. I KNOW this happens, where NHL clubs 'influence' Junior teams .. maybe they should push to get him traded to Kelowna.

Only my opinion, but before the Canucks send Bo back to Junior they are going to want to know exactly what BO will be 'learning' this year, and if it does not fit in with what Benning wants, then that may be a huge factor in Bo staying in the NHL this year.

In other words .. "Hey Dale .. Jim Benning here .. you want Bo back this year, we are going to need him further develop his leadership and offensive skills .. what are your plans for him?"

You don't need a letter to lead. The true leaders lead their team regardless. If Bo is that guy in London's locker room, he will earn it. If he's guaranteed it, and it turns out he's not that guy, then nobody will follow him and he won't "develop his leadership" as you wish him to.

So guaranteeing a letter on a chest doesn't meet your goal.

EDIT: again, my post has nothing to do with Bo's leadership capabilities. I think he's a great leader and would be a prime candidate to wear the C in London if he is returned. I am just responding to the notion that somehow guaranteeing Bo a C upon return would help develop his leadership skills. That's not how captaincy works.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Dasein

[Canucks1219]

It was somewhere in one of the official London Knights threads in the OHL section. Take it with a grain of salt, but it was mentioned by a London fan. IIRC he said that someone was offered the captaincy but refused it and he speculated that it was Bo.

I think there's something to it given how they played in the Memorial cup. I know they had a month off, but they were so off. Everyone was playing selfishly, seemed like no team chemistry whatsoever.

Would also explain why they waited until the back end of the season to name a captain. I'm still looking for the original discussion, hopefully I can find it.

Any mention of what the cause is? Not knowing what the root of it is, I'm worried it could become a volatile situation for Bo if he returns.

Wasn't everyone sick/injured at the Memorial Cup? I think I heard somewhere on here that Bo was ill. Or was that during the OHL playoffs? I forget...

[Knucklehd]

its my opinion. And I am entitled to it. My opinion is that your opinion is wrong.

OMG too funny

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

CDC prospect drama!!!

[Brad Marchand]

CDC prospect drama!!!

It's always like this.

Player X gets drafted. For the next 8-9 months, he's the second coming of Gretzky and can't do anything wrong. For the next year or so after that, Player X is a giant bust who will never amount to anything and is a giant plug. Finally, Player X makes it to the NHL and people finally shut up about calling him a bust.

Happened with Hodgson, Grabner, Jensen, and likely will wind up the same way with Horvat.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Brad Marchand

[Robongo]

It's always like this.

Player X gets drafted. For the next 8-9 months, he's the second coming of Gretzky and can't do anything wrong. For the next year or so after that, Player X is a giant bust who will never amount to anything and is a giant plug. Finally, Player X makes it to the NHL and people finally shut up about calling him a bust.

Happened with Hodgson, Grabner, Jensen, and likely will wind up the same way with Horvat.

Pretty much. If Horvat doesn't crack our lineup this year, a ton more people will be calling him a bust. I understand because of the Schneider trade people want instant gratification but it simply doesn't work that way.

Watching Horvat in the memorial cup, I felt he would be better suited in junior. But thinking about it more, he's going to be cast into the same role by Dale Hunter. It's going to be much of the same for Horvat next year in junior and the more I think about it, the more I think him and Vey should split third line C duty next year. He plays a pro game, and sure he can still develop more offensively in junior, but I think because of the role he will be cast in and the system emphasis on team defense, taking the next step to pro would be just as beneficial to his development. There are pros and cons to both decisions and I trust Willie 100% to make the right call. Horvat was in fact one of the last to make the cut last year as an 18 year old and I'm not going to underestimate him.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Robongo

[Plum]

It's always like this.

Player X gets drafted. For the next 8-9 months, he's the second coming of Gretzky and can't do anything wrong. For the next year or so after that, Player X is a giant bust who will never amount to anything and is a giant plug. Finally, Player X makes it to the NHL and people finally shut up about calling him a bust.

Happened with Hodgson, Grabner, Jensen, and likely will wind up the same way with Horvat.

Who's calling Horvat a bust?

[Robongo]

Who's calling Horvat a bust?

Well you are because you're crapping on him constantly and calling him a 3c tops. a 3c with a top 10 pick in a supposed deep draft, is a bust.

For the record, you're out to lunch

[DeNiro]

Anyone who pretends they know what a player will become is just pulling stuff out of their butt anyways.

Even the experts can't pin down what a players potential is because they don't have crystal balls either.

Saying he'll only be a third line center means nothing. He might become one, he might become a first line center, or he might not even make the NHL. At this point, nothing is certain.

[Plum]

Well you are because you're crapping on him constantly and calling him a 3c tops. a 3c with a top 10 pick in a supposed deep draft, is a bust.

For the record, you're out to lunch

I've seen posts of a great 3rd liner still isn't bad. I think that's what he'll become, that isn't that bad after all. No one calls Couturier a bust who is a 3rd line centre, might be a bit more but as of right now he isn't more than a 3rd line centre.

Haven't heard Josh Bailey or Colin Wilson being called busts. Sure that's not where we want Horvat but that isn't a bust label.

I'm out to lunch because you know what he's going to be?

Anyone who pretends they know what a player will become is just pulling stuff out of their butt anyways.

Even the experts can't pin down what a players potential is because they don't have crystal balls either.

Saying he'll only be a third line center means nothing. He might become one, he might become a first line center, or he might not even make the NHL. At this point, nothing is certain.

I think he becomes a 3rd line centre, I'm not going to tell you what he will be. It's what I think from what I've seen and all the other things involved.

[Boudrias]

Both Hunter and the WJ coaches saw Horvat as a responsible C who they could count on. At WJ they had him on the PP with Reinhart. Cannot remember the LW but Reinhart was working the PP off the RW and Horvat and him were great on the boards.

Obviously coaches who see Horvat as a player who won't hurt them with some offensive upside.

If Horvat has a good camp I can see Van keeping him, especially because of WD's rep as a teacher. If WD can scratch TOI of 10 minutes a game they might decide he can advance faster in the NHL. Again, I go back to the new Van timeline. Van is going into the season with so many ? on their roster that it cannot be considered a serious CUP contender. If that is truly how management views their prospects then they might keep Horvat in Vancouver to have a more hands on development.

[elvis15]

I've seen posts of a great 3rd liner still isn't bad. I think that's what he'll become, that isn't that bad after all. No one calls Couturier a bust who is a 3rd line centre, might be a bit more but as of right now he isn't more than a 3rd line centre.

...

Interesting that you bring up Couturier. I'll give you three guesses on where he started playing with the

Flyers in his rookie season...

An article from his rookie year, during the playoffs against Pittsburgh when he was matched up with Malkin:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nhl--philadelphia-flyers-rookie-sean-couturier-talks-like-a-teenager-and-plays-like-an-old-pro.html

...The Flyers shook the foundation of their franchise last summer when general manager Paul Holmgren traded captain Mike Richards and sniper Jeff Carter. As part of the deal that shipped Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Flyers received the eighth pick in the draft. Couturier wasn't supposed to last that long, but scouts picked him apart and he fell. One of the reasons, according to an NHL exec, is that players coming out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League are tagged as not strong defensively.

Couturier fell to the Flyers in the draft. He showed up to training camp as an 18-year-old. He had a lot to prove to the veterans and the coaches, but he proved it. He made the team.

"This kid, I wasn't sold on him right off the bat in training camp and stuff like that, didn't know if he was going back to junior," said Flyers vet Scott Hartnell. "But every game, he's impressed me."

Coach Peter Laviolette started giving the kid eight or nine minutes. Then he started giving him 10 or 11 minutes. Then he started giving him 14 or 15 minutes – and not easy minutes, hard minutes. Tough matchups. Penalty kills. The last quarter of the season, Laviolette started pitting him against the best.

Couturier finished the regular season with 13 goals and 27 points, numbers that probably didn't earn him many votes for rookie-of-the-year honors. Didn't matter. He was plus-18. He had earned his coach's trust.

"He may not win the Calder because he didn't put up 50 points, but he had a terrific year," Laviolette said. "I do think that he plays older than he is."

...

Sound familiar to what anyone's been describing here?

Edited August 8, 2014 by elvis15

[73 Percent]

Interesting that you bring up Couturier. I'll give you three guesses on where he started playing with the

Flyers in his rookie season...

An article from his rookie year, during the playoffs against Pittsburgh when he was matched up with Malkin:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nhl--philadelphia-flyers-rookie-sean-couturier-talks-like-a-teenager-and-plays-like-an-old-pro.html

Sound familiar to what anyone's been describing here?

also note while couturier is playing on the third line in recent years and possibly next year, he is destined for the second line possibly first.