2017 NHL Draft - Chicago, Illinois June 23-24 2017

[appleboy]

So we just signed Guddy for one season. Then he becomes a UFA. Could we see Benning trade him instead of Tanev? Fans will crucify this management crew if he walks for nothing. I will lead the way!

It is time to blow this mess up. Trade Tanev and Guddy. Lets do a proper rebuild over the next few years. Lets take our lumps and look to the future.

[Odd.]

16 minutes ago, PassittoBoeser said:

Its such an weird draft. Someone taken 3-15 could end up being the best player and its going to place alot of pressure on Benning and the Scouting staff to get it right.

 

Like most here, I haven't watched many of these kids play any serious amount of hockey so you go by Youtube clips, WJC, and the odd game you see them on TV. However, from what I've seen I have not been convinced that any of the following are going to be top 6 centers so its a gamble regardless:

 

Vilardi -yes alot of hype given his Mem cup play and his size but I didn't see the type of skating I think you want to see from a top six center and his point totals while solid would put him in the middle of the first round in a decent draft year. 

 

Glass - Love his 5 on 5 numbers and compete but again, skating is an issue - key for both, and scouts would know this best, which one has a more 'correctable' issue?

 

Mittlstadt - Competition level obviously -hard to know how he will translate

 

So that being said, I then think of two Euros that are further down the list who have oodles of talent but not many talk about, primarily because the media see's little of them and for whatever reason, an elite offensive European has to be MILES ahead of a decent offensive North American to get recognized.

 

Petterson and Necas to me, are the guys we NEED to be looking at seriously. I will qualify it again with the point above, limited viewing but

 

Both have elite puck skills

Both are elite skaters both with speed and in traffic

Both are playing against men when they are 17 years old and not physically developed and doing well

Both played well at the WJC

Both of their Ceilings are as good or better than the names above

Only issues they have is size right now, and they will grow (and if both won't you take the one you think will fill out the most based on the family)

We need an elite center to replace Henrik - one of both of these two guys (and I like Necas more) is going to be a 1C and very offensive in the league, we need to go after pure skill now and high ceilings not the safe 200ft player, We have that in Bo. 

 

Mark this post but in 4-5 years people will see. I am not saying the North Americans won't be solid players, but these two players I see as steals if they drop down to the 7-12 spots which they likely will given North American Bias by teams.

 

IMHO Nucks should trade down this year or hopefully with a Trade of Tanev you get a Dman at 5 and one of these guys at whatever other pick you have.

 

To be honest, not sold on Necas. Haven't seen him play, and the highlights that I have seen him he really didn't stand out to me. Not someone I'd use with my 5th overall and I would be extremely disappointed if we came away with Necas. Pettersson had a poor WJC performance and had troubles adjusting to NA ice.

 

I like Petterson though but I would not take him before Mittlestadt and Glass. 

[PassittoBoeser]

4 minutes ago, Odd. said:

To be honest, not sold on Necas. Haven't seen him play, and the highlights that I have seen him he really didn't stand out to me. Not someone I'd use with my 5th overall and I would be extremely disappointed if we came away with Necas. Pettersson had a poor WJC performance and had troubles adjusting to NA ice.

 

I like Petterson though but I would not take him before Mittlestadt and Glass. 

Necas looked terrific in the WJC and he's playing against 20-37 year old men at 17 and 178 lbs, so that has a bearing

[messier's_elbow]

Vilardi or Glass please. Have a feeling we are taking Petterson or Makar though....

[Odd.]

2 minutes ago, messier's_elbow said:

Vilardi or Glass please. Have a feeling we are taking Petterson or Makar though....

Mittlestadt! Mittlestadt! Mittlestadt!

[The Great 8]

Vilardi, Necas, Heiskanen, Makar in that order. I originally thought highly of Glass but Necas played excellent during the WJC and you can really tell he's got high hockey IQ. I hope we get another top 5 pick via a trade involving Tanev but that probably won't happen.

[higgyfan]

19 minutes ago, appleboy said:

So we just signed Guddy for one season. Then he becomes a RFA Could we see Benning trade him instead of Tanev? Fans will crucify this management crew if he walks for nothing. I will lead the way!

It is time to blow this mess up. Trade Tanev and Guddy. Lets do a proper rebuild over the next few years. Lets take our lumps and look to the future.

Trade Tanev...

[messier's_elbow]

10 minutes ago, Odd. said:

Mittlestadt! Mittlestadt! Mittlestadt!

Mittelstadt reminds me of Phil Kessel.

[messier's_elbow]

Bob Mackenzie has Vilardi at 5th overall. If he's there when we pick we better damn well take him. He's a winner and his numbers are great for how young he still is...

[Canucks Curse]

21 minutes ago, messier's_elbow said:

Vilardi or Glass please. Have a feeling we are taking Petterson or Makar though....

Forcthe love of god I hope we draft a C, we have no good C in the pipeline other than Gaudette and u can't put all your eggs in that basket cuz he has just come out of nowhere 

 

trade Tanev and 33rd for the 3rd and draft vilardi sbd makar

 

but beware no one really good has come out of Ajhl

[higgyfan]

6 minutes ago, messier's_elbow said:

Mittelstadt reminds me of Phil Kessel.

He's nothing like Kessel.  He's an incredible playmaker, very competitive, fleet footed, shields the puck, great fore-check and never takes a shift off.  The only thing he has in common with Phil the Thrill is his insane ability to create scoring chances in the o-zone.

[Alflives]

2 minutes ago, Canucks Curse said:

Forcthe love of god I hope we draft a C, we have no good C in the pipeline other than Gaudette and u can't put all your eggs in that basket cuz he has just come out of nowhere 

 

trade Tanev and 33rd for the 3rd and draft vilardi sbd makar

 

but beware no one really good has come out of Ajhl

Mark Messier begs to differ.

[higgyfan]

5 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Mark Messier begs to differ.

Nice one Alf!

[nergish]

We already have the best player on Petterson's team. I don't have to tell anyone who that is.

If they had insane chemistry it would be something cool to sell to this fanbase, but it doesn't really appear that they do.

Not that they wouldn't/couldn't create chemistry in Vancouver, they're both fantastic offensive players...

But we'd certainly be taking him based on his own merit, and that is something that can definitely be justified.

I just don't know if he's good enough to warrant a no. 5 selection.

 

I just don't know.

If Jim can't get another 1st round pick, there's gonna be so much pressure on the one guy we end up with to deliver.

There's only one guy who checks off all of our boxes, and that guy will be long guy by the time we hit the podium (Protip: it's Nico).

 

I'd be fine with Vilardi, Mittelstadt, Necas, Petterson, or Glass. 

My preference is still for Glass. He, unfortunately, is not going to have the flash or blow-you-away ability that our fans will pick up on right away.

But he is smart, skilled, and levelheaded. Very Sedin-like, actually. And if we were gunning for Sam Reinhart, he'll be our own version of Sam.

Anybody that can rack up assists as a centre that has the size to play in the West, and can play somewhat responsibly on the defensive end, is somebody we need to strongly consider. A lot of us are jumping the gun with predicting the careers of our current prospects, but I do genuinely believe that Brock Boeser is the future of the Vancouver Canucks, and we need a centre that can feed him a perfect pass to take advantage of that deadly one-timer.

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by nergish

[kenhodgejr]

With Montreal picking up Jonathan Druin and trading away Sergachev, The Canadians are in need of a D. Tanev is at a win now age and would help them out. Galchenyuk is 6 foot 3 205 and 23 years old. He could fit in on our second line allowing us to go after a RD puck moving defence man like Makar. 

 

Next Year line

 

Sedin Sedin Granlund

Beartchi Horvat Boesser

Boucher Galchenyuk Erikkson

Gaunce Sutter Molino 

Chaput Shore

 

Edler Stetcher

Hutton Gudbranson

Holm Biega 

Juolevi Subban 

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

 

CaCanucks Top Five At Five: Versatile Vilardi’s ability to score, grind opposition ranks No.1

 

He's a double draft threat as centre and winger

 

Gabriel Vilardi was writing a high school exam Thursday.

If it was a physics or mathematics test about applications to hockey, the versatile Windsor Spitfires’ centre/winger would have aced it. He understands formulas to impose his physical will and his skills added up to 29 goals and 32 points in 49 Ontario Hockey League games en route to capturing the 2017 Memorial Cup.

 

nsAll that has caught the attention of the Vancouver Canucks.
If the National Hockey League draft dominoes don’t fall as predicted June 23 in Chicago after centres Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier go in the top two — either Dallas trading the third-overall pick or standing pat to possibly select defenceman Cale Makar — then what Colorado does next and what the Canucks could do at No. 5 should be must-see TV Top Fi

ve

At Five: Versatile Vilardi’s ability to scoreAs much as they covet Makar, he’ll probably be off the board unless general manager Jim Benning gets bold and packages Chris Tanev to meet the Stars’ pressing need. The Canucks would wind up with the third and fifth picks and could address positional needs, but that may not play out.

More importantly, it’s who the Avalanche select at No. 4 that will directly affect the Canucks. If Colorado finally decides to trade centre Matt Duchene, that void could be filled by Valardi or Cody Glass of the Portland Winterhawks, who has better foot speed.

The Canucks like them both, but if Vilardi is still sitting there, they won’t need to call a timeout. They can rush the podium.

 

It’s his size and strength,” Benning said of the 6-3, 201-pound Kingston, Ont. native. “His ability to protect the puck is his biggest asset. You see some of the bigger players in our division and how they buy time. That’s Vilardi’s big asset from the top of the (faceoff) circle down to get to the net.
“He also has a high-end release on his shot and he’s an interesting guy because he’s got a pro body already.”

Vilardi is also a double threat.

 

He was moved to wing because the Spitfires were loaded down the middle. It didn’t affect his ability to produce and being versatile is something that works to his draft advantage.

“It was tough at first, but I just got better with the experience and as the season went on, I got more comfortable and it’s going to help me moving forward where I can slot into a team’s lineup — whether it’s at centre or the wing,” said Vilardi. “You never know.”

Vilardi has always been comfortable with a physical game because it came to him naturally. The NHL game has changed to a speed element, but scouts say size matters at centre or the wing. You need a presence and push back to play those positions and Valardi embraces that — down the middle or on the wall.

It’s why he’s so highly ranked.

“I work on my hands and my work ethic and I take a lot of pride in that,” said Vilardi. “In practise not giving up the puck and doing everything to get it back and make smart plays.

 

I’m a physical player. I’m not going to go and try to kill guys — or line up the big hit or anything like that — but if I’m on the forecheck, I’m going to finish my hit. And if I’m working down low, I use my body well to play a physical game the right way.”

Vilardi missed six weeks at the outset of this season. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) revealed damage from a knee-on-knee collision during Hockey Canada’s under-18 camp last summer for the annual Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

 

I didn’t have surgery and it hasn’t bothered me at all,” said Vilardi, who had seven assists in the Memorial Cup, and found the experience to be another building block.

“It just teaches you what it takes to win,” he said. “You have so many guys playing different roles and if you’re a PK (penalty killing) guy, you take pride in that kind of thing. It’s about stepping up.”

 

There’s little that bothers scouts about the centre turned winger. You’re splitting hairs when comparing him to Glass and if his skating improves, Vilardi is going to be an impactful NHL player.

“That’s the biggest thing for me this summer,” he said. “I’m working on my skating and it’s huge — it’s the whole emphasis of my summer and I’m looking forward to getting more explosive.

 

What I like the most is his ability to make plays in traffic under duress when there are a lot of players around him,” said Shane Malloy, who has scouted NHL prospects for a dozen years, is author of The Art of Scouting and co-host of Hockey Prospects Radio on Sirius XM, NHL Network Radio and TSN Radio.

“He has the vision and ability to hold off players to make a play — whether it’s driving to the net, taking a shot or making a pass. And below the circles, he’s the best on the (draft) board. That translates. We’ve seen it in the NHL playoffs this year.

“You need somebody who commands the middle of the ice physically and he can do that. He can play the game down low and wear out defenders. That’s his best attribute.”

 

http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-top-five-at-five-versatile-vilardis-ability-to-score-grind-opposition-ranks-no-1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

, grind opposition ranks No.1

[monkey2]

4 hours ago, guntrix said:

What do you consider a playmaker? Glass had 32 goals and 62 assists this past season for 94 points in the WHL, a very defensive league. He has a good work rate, vision, and size (6'2"), not to mention the fact that he'll most certainly grow and round out to 6'3"/6'4" as he nears 21 years old. To top it off, a big chunk of Skyler McKenzie's 42 goals (the second highest point-producer on the Winterhawks) were assisted by Glass. Essentially, 17 year-old Cody carried that team for large stretches of the season. 

 

After watching him play, I liken his play style (I stress on style as I'm not projecting!) to Joe Thornton. He prefers to dish out the puck but he also pitches in with goals. Very lean and slender player who has decent speed (although not great) but compensates with vision.

This post is real good

[Crabcakes]

 Interesting interview on 1040 of Grant McCagg of Recruits.com.  Says that the first 3 are clearly the top tier.  He has them rated 1. Hescheir, 2. Heiskanen, 3. Patrick.  Next is Makar and Glass.  After that, he says, players 6 through 12 are difficult to rank clearly.  Now, every scout has their own opinion for all sorts of reasons and I take each of them with a grain of salt.  His mock draft runs as follows.

 

1.  Heiskanen - NJ has drafted centres with their first pick 3 years running.  It only makes sense that they take the best D available this year.  Heiskanen is the best all round.

2.  Heschier

3. Patrick

4. Makar

5. Glass

6. Vilardi

 

https://recrutes.ca/

 

He is calling Makar the best skater and best playmaker in the draft.  

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

7 hours ago, garthsbutcher said:

Agree with this, I may flip Glass and Vilardi  but I just dont like the risk factor on Makar. We are not in a position where we are so deep that we can take a chance , go the safe route in this draft.  If we decide to move Tanev the return has to be huge or just dont do it at this stage.

Agree with the flipping Glass and Vilardi either as 1 and 2 followed by Casey, Pettersson then Makar. So like this...

1) Glass/Vilardi 

2) Vilardi/ Glass

3) Mittelstadt 

4) Pettersson 

5) Makar 

 

[Bandwagon38]

If Benning starts to believe some of these projections then I think it is all the more important that we do whatever it takes to get #3.  If there is a growing chance that Patrick could actually fall to 3, we need to have that pick.