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William Lockwood | RW


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  • 2 months later...
1 hour ago, AlwaysACanuckFan said:

 

To be expected I'd think. Another year of college schedule with more work out time to gain strength/size (and get healthy) is likely best for him before he turns pro. Especially the way he plays.

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11 minutes ago, aGENT said:

To be expected I'd think. Another year of college schedule with more work out time to gain strength/size (and get healthy) is likely best for him before he turns pro. Especially the way he plays.

Totally agree. This kid has a lot of potential, but really getting concerned about his ability to stay healthy. Needs to curb his playing style a little, or there won't be anything left of him to make it to the NHL.

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22 hours ago, MoneypuckOverlord said:

was anyone actually expecting him to turn pro so quickly? but good decision for him to stay back for one more year. 

I don't think anyone expected Lockwood to play on the Canucks next year and, as for the choice between Utica and staying at Michigan for another year, I agree with pretty much everyone else that staying at Michigan makes more sense for Lockwood.

 

There would be some immediate apparent financial advantage to turning pro now (a bonus), but his AHL salary, net of the cost of living, is probably worth less than the long run value of getting closer to a degree from Michigan. Next year will be his third year at Michigan and should put him close enough to graduating that he could do that with a some summer courses here and there (as many other players have done).

 

And he is not at the ability level where turning pro early is likely to affect his long run earnings (unlike Boeser, for example). In fact, there is no way he can count on becoming an NHL player at all. We hope he does, but it is far from a sure thing, in which case a degree from Michigan would be an important asset.

 

And especially given his size and his injury, staying at Michigan for another year makes a lot of sense.

 

It is interesting to compare Boeser, Gaudette and Lockwood. By turning pro late in his second year at North Dakota, Boeser got a huge financial advantage. He has one more year on his entry level deal and will then probably sign for something of $5 million per year, maybe 6. By giving Boeser the chance to play for Canucks at the end of his draft+2 year, Benning made a Boeser a huge financial gift. Staying at North Dakota for an extra year would have cost Boeser about $5 million, maybe more. Also, from the developmental point of view, Boeser was obviously ready to move on.

 

For Lockwood, staying at Michigan for an extra year costs very little. First of all he does not have the option to burn a year off his entry level deal by playing now. Second, he would be unlikely to play on the Canucks for a least a couple of years and, when he re-signs his first RFA contract, it will probably be for something similar to his entry level deal (assuming he plays in Utica for a couple of years). Depending on how things go next year, it might even make sense for Lockwood to stay at Michigan for his 4th year in order to graduate.

 

Gaudette is in between. Last year at this time it would not have made sense for him to sign. This year, given his monster year in the NCAA, it probably does make sense both financially and from a developmental point of view for him to turn pro after his current hockey year ends. (Financially, the issue is mainly about when a guy expects to play in the NHL rather than in the low-paid AHL).

 

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On 3/19/2018 at 10:55 AM, RetroCanuck said:

Unfortunate year for him. Probably best he goes back for another year and learns more at a slightly less physical level. I have high hopes for him but injuries often derail prospects careers so lets hope he can come out strong next year

Hopefully he now takes to heart the Canucks' admonition that he tone down his aggressiveness a bit.

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So Lockwood is going to play his junior year just like Gaudette did and people are worried?

 

Its best for him to recover from his injury in a league with minimal wear and tear...College is what less than 40 games? let's hope he is healthy next year and in a year from now there are talks of him signing with us...maybe as a pro tryout to end the year with Utica

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14 minutes ago, Canuckster86 said:

So Lockwood is going to play his junior year just like Gaudette did and people are worried?

 

Its best for him to recover from his injury in a league with minimal wear and tear...College is what less than 40 games? let's hope he is healthy next year and in a year from now there are talks of him signing with us...maybe as a pro tryout to end the year with Utica

I don’t think anyone is worried about him returning for another year of college. 

 

I think some people are legitimately concerned as to how well his shoulder will hold up. And whether or not he can be as effective a player if he changes his playing style (to try to avoid further injuries).

 

I get a little worried when Lockwood says he needs to change the way he plays and be a little less physical. I get it if he means during the months following his rehab. But if he recovers completely, I’d hate to see him lose some of his edge.

 

He has never really been hurt because of playing physical. His first shoulder injury was from taking a bad hit. Maybe he gets targeted more because he’s an agitator out there, but anybody can get smashed into the boards and get hurt. Same goes for the second injury. He got spun around while going to the net and fell awkwardly. Didn’t help that the play happened during some dodgy conditions at an outdoor game. But neither injury was really from him playing too physical. So hopefully he won’t get it into his head than he needs to dial back his aggression, because I think that’s the wrong message.

 

Absolutely he should take time and care with his recovery. And make sure he’s 100% cleared and feels completely recovered before he starts to really push himself. But part of the spark this kid had is that he plays like a wrecking ball and shows no fear. I’d hate to see a couple rather freak injuries make him feel like he needs to play the game differently for the rest of his career.

 

If the shoulder becomes weak and injury prone, that’s a different story. But if that ends up being the case, it means his upside/potential takes a serious hit as he becomes damaged goods. I haven’t seen anything to suggest he can’t recover completely though. So hopefully when all’s said and done, he’s back to his old tricks.

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15 hours ago, Canuckster86 said:

So Lockwood is going to play his junior year just like Gaudette did and people are worried?

 

Its best for him to recover from his injury in a league with minimal wear and tear...College is what less than 40 games? let's hope he is healthy next year and in a year from now there are talks of him signing with us...maybe as a pro tryout to end the year with Utica

It's what they do on here. Another year in college is the best thing for Lockwood. I'm really getting concerned about whether or not he will make it to the AHL, much less the NHL. The kid has the talent to make it and be a good middle guy for us, but he's been completely destroying himself in college. If he doesn't curb his playing style a little more, there won't be anything left of him. 

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20 hours ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

I get a little worried when Lockwood says he needs to change the way he plays and be a little less physical. I get it if he means during the months following his rehab. But if he recovers completely, I’d hate to see him lose some of his edge.

Nah, that's the way he is.  He has to force himself not to play that way, so if he heals up fully he can slowly push harder on the throttle again.  Ideally to find a happy medium.

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  • 1 month later...

At least it's good that his shoulder should be fully rehab by the time the season starts.  I am sure that outdoor game looked good on paper, it didn't look so good on tv. 

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On 3/24/2018 at 4:19 PM, Ghostsof1915 said:

He's coming off a shoulder injury. He wants to go play for another year, why would anyone freak at that? Makes sense to me. 

It does make sense. But that's even more reason that people would freak out.

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On 3/28/2018 at 7:02 PM, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

I don’t think anyone is worried about him returning for another year of college. 

 

I think some people are legitimately concerned as to how well his shoulder will hold up. And whether or not he can be as effective a player if he changes his playing style (to try to avoid further injuries).

 

I get a little worried when Lockwood says he needs to change the way he plays and be a little less physical. I get it if he means during the months following his rehab. But if he recovers completely, I’d hate to see him lose some of his edge.

 

He has never really been hurt because of playing physical. His first shoulder injury was from taking a bad hit. Maybe he gets targeted more because he’s an agitator out there, but anybody can get smashed into the boards and get hurt. Same goes for the second injury. He got spun around while going to the net and fell awkwardly. Didn’t help that the play happened during some dodgy conditions at an outdoor game. But neither injury was really from him playing too physical. So hopefully he won’t get it into his head than he needs to dial back his aggression, because I think that’s the wrong message.

 

Absolutely he should take time and care with his recovery. And make sure he’s 100% cleared and feels completely recovered before he starts to really push himself. But part of the spark this kid had is that he plays like a wrecking ball and shows no fear. I’d hate to see a couple rather freak injuries make him feel like he needs to play the game differently for the rest of his career.

 

If the shoulder becomes weak and injury prone, that’s a different story. But if that ends up being the case, it means his upside/potential takes a serious hit as he becomes damaged goods. I haven’t seen anything to suggest he can’t recover completely though. So hopefully when all’s said and done, he’s back to his old tricks.

He's just prepping for being a Canuck. It's par for the course with this team.

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