westcoastsniper Posted December 28, 2018 Share Posted December 28, 2018 3 hours ago, Horvat is a Boss said: Alright so some general thoughts on the game that Sweden beat Finland 2-1 last night: - Sweden had the advantage in play most of the game. They played a disciplined game and didn't give Finland any chance to breath. - Special teams was the biggest difference as Sweden scored 2 powerplay goals. Brannstrom scored them both and looked very dangerous, almost had a hat trick. - The top line for Finland controlled play when they were on. Kupari specifically was tough to contain. Jokiharju and Vaakainen were great on the back end. - The backend for Sweden was a clear strength all night. Boqvist took a lot of shots and created a great chance that the Finnish goalie robbed Sweden on early on. Brannstrom was deadly and Sandin looked good too. Now that some background has been provided, here are my thoughts on Kakko: He didn't attract as much attention as Kupari did by carrying the puck all night and didn't get as many cheers from the crowd, but he was effective all night. There was one shift where he outmaneuvered two Swedish defenseman out of the corner and retained possession. It was impressive to see someone with that size with that kind of agility down low. He made a similar play where he stripped the Swedish defenseman and then tried to stuff it in, but the impressive part is that he retained possession after. He effectively shields the puck with his body, so the only option is to seal him off, but then his feet are quick enough to cut back into open space. He was causing fits for smaller Swedish defense all night. Kakko gained confidence as the game went on, which is reasonable given he's one of the younger players in the tournament. The second unit powerplay which ran through Kakko looked better than the stacked first unit for the first half of the game. He tried the Pettersson/Sedin shot-for-a-tip in the slot and was generally threatening. The play he made on Finland's only goal was pretty nice as well. He looked like he was going to do something by the time he hit his own blue line and the pass he made to finish it was pretty. However, there were a couple of times where the puck would go up his boards as a winger in the defensive zone and he would lose the battle. He was slow getting to his mark and lost body position on smaller players. That's a details thing that shouldn't be difficult to clean up. It's the first game of the tournament, so hopefully he can be just as fun to watch in the other 1-2 games I can see him. Kakko is sounding more and more like the perfect linemate to Pettersson and Boeser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noble 6 Posted December 28, 2018 Share Posted December 28, 2018 18 minutes ago, westcoastsniper said: Kakko is sounding more and more like the perfect linemate to Pettersson and Boeser. Kakko would be a great fit with either of our top 2 centers to he honest. Kakko + Horvat gives us two big bodies who can dominate down low on the same line, overloading on strength. Kakko + Pettersson would be an extremely dangerous mix of hockey IQ, hands, strength and agility. You're right though, a line of Kakko - Pettersson - Boeser would have a deadly mix of everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaSwede Posted December 28, 2018 Share Posted December 28, 2018 Sat daydreaming right now. Canucks get the 2nd overall pick. Draft Kakko. I drewel and get dehydrated until we watch a line of Kakko - Pettersson - Boeser dominate the league for the next 10+ years. Lot's of beer and highfives all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepe Silvia Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 Haven't been out to a Giants game in ages, can someone fill me in on Bowen Byram? I don't know much about him. Who does his play style resemble? Seems to be hype around him, why wasn't he selected for team Canada? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flickyoursedin Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 12 minutes ago, Pepe Silvia said: Haven't been out to a Giants game in ages, can someone fill me in on Bowen Byram? I don't know much about him. Who does his play style resemble? Seems to be hype around him, why wasn't he selected for team Canada? He’s pretty good at everything. I haven’t seen him a tone but a guy I’d compare measurables handedness and style would be Mark Giordano. He’s not there because Canada is so deep in every position that it makes it really hard for underagers to make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyoung Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 6 hours ago, Pepe Silvia said: Haven't been out to a Giants game in ages, can someone fill me in on Bowen Byram? I don't know much about him. Who does his play style resemble? Seems to be hype around him, why wasn't he selected for team Canada? Not often Canada picks undrafted, he woulda been a long shot. I find he plays like a smaller Ryan Suter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isam Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 7 hours ago, cyoung said: Not often Canada picks undrafted, he woulda been a long shot. I find he plays like a smaller Ryan Suter. Interesting comparison, but i think byram has got a higher offensive upside. Loved watching this year with the giants carrying the puck. Kid has got some swagger and it felt like he thought he owned the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks Curse Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 On 12/27/2018 at 4:51 PM, Horvat is a Boss said: Kakko would be a great fit with either of our top 2 centers to he honest. Kakko + Horvat gives us two big bodies who can dominate down low on the same line, overloading on strength. Kakko + Pettersson would be an extremely dangerous mix of hockey IQ, hands, strength and agility. You're right though, a line of Kakko - Pettersson - Boeser would have a deadly mix of everything. but looks like we gonna draft in the 12-18 range, anything can happen, would love this kid or byram. We are one top 3 forward and one top d man away from completing a rebuild with the best group of U-25 players we have ever had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isam Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 18 minutes ago, Canucks Curse said: but looks like we gonna draft in the 12-18 range, anything can happen, would love this kid or byram. We are one top 3 forward and one top d man away from completing a rebuild with the best group of U-25 players we have ever had. Newhook and suzuki would be in that range. Both good picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyoung Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 1 hour ago, Isam said: Newhook and suzuki would be in that range. Both good picks. Personally, if we are in the range to grab boldy...I would even trade up 2-3 spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isam Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 21 hours ago, cyoung said: Personally, if we are in the range to grab boldy...I would even trade up 2-3 spots. Boldy is another good pick. There are alot of good forwards in this draft. We should be able to hit with our first for sure. Caufield is another guy too to look at. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noble 6 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I was able to watch Broberg play against the US last night. First off, he didn't play much at all, which is fair considering who Sweden has ahead of him on the depth chart. I don't think he played at all the second half of the game. There were really only two shifts where I noticed him due to different reasons. The first shift I noticed him was the assist he got on Sweden's second goal. He made a nice outlet pass to start the play. I'm not sure if he got an assist, but he started the play. The second time wasn't as good. He had the puck at the offensive blue line and ended up throwing it away. Then he compounded his mistake by pinching and pressuring the player who intercepted his pass, which almost lead to an odd man rush against. Luckily Sweden's forwards are very disciplined and were able to cover for him. That just showed to me that his decision making still needs some work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noble 6 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I was at the USA vs. Finland game and got a look at Kakko and Honka. Kakko was one of Finland's better players again. He showed how tough he is to contain down low once again. There was one play where Kakko was in the corner against three American defenders and he was able to shield the puck from all three of them and make a pass to an open teammate. He would rotate his body very quickly on his skates to simultaneously hold off the three players and he had the weight and strength not to get pushed off the puck. He also was effective on the powerplay again creating some nice chances. Finland as a whole couldn't get much going at all and the difference in depth between the two teams became apparent. Kakko was very good though. Honka played more in this game than against the Swedes. He was very confident with the puck but didn't have a fair opportunity to show his offensive game. He held on to the puck for what felt like 30 seconds constantly backtracking against the American forechecker on the first goal against, but it wasn't really his fault. I just point it out because he's not afraid to hold onto the puck, even as one of the younger players. He got outmuscled fairly easily and it was difficult for him to get body position, which made defending a challenge for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noble 6 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Jack Hughes played his first actual game of the tournament tonight and I was able to watch it. Early on, it looked as though the coaching staff was trying to control his minutes as it felt like he would go a while sometimes between shifts. It's probably due to him nursing his injury and making sure he doesn't overexert himself. His first two shifts were electric and then it felt like he sat for about 5 minutes. I don't know for sure what was going on, but his injury is the most likely factor in his time. Hughes was one of the most influential players on the ice in this game. The puck would follow him around a lot and he always seemed to be making smart plays. One underlying reasons for this is how calm he is high traffic lanes on the rush. He would frequently cut through the slot and identify open passing or shooting lanes instantly, whereas most players would need to glance down for the puck or take a second to recompose themselves. He's able to do this because of his edgework and stickhandling. When he cuts through the middle, he does it faster than the average player, so he has slightly more time and space than normal. His edgework is also so good that he could likely dodge a hit coming from the middle if he saw it. Those two components lead to him being really calm in tight areas and generate a lot of offense. The first American goal contained examples of that. The play started with Hughes stickchecking his man in the defensive zone and skating away with the puck. He then held of a defender in the neutral zone and pulled in over the blue line. He then cut across the middle, surveying everything that was happening around him and identified the best option. That ended up being a slip pass to the man driving the net, who finished off the play with some nice hands in tight. That play highlighted how easily Hughes can get to the high traffic areas with his skating and how good his decision making is. Hughes was effective offensively the entire night though. He was constantly driving by defenders to the outside, skating around the zone with the puck and finding open teammates to create scoring chances. It felt like he could've finished with 2 or 3 more points. However, the real magic happened whenever Jack was on with Quinn. Those two would interchange positions seamlessly and hold on to the puck with their skating. And the entire time they were looking for each other for back door plays and one timers, which almost connected several times. They singlehandedly broke down the Czech defense from within the zone multiple times by dragging players out of position and moving into space themselves. The though of them doing that in the NHL down the line entered my mind and made me pretty happy. The one negative with Hughes that showed itself as the game went on was his lack of strength. He got outmuscled and lost body position against bigger opponents, but only when they could catch him or slow him down. He would hang around after he lost the puck to see if he could win it back with a quick stick check and sometimes get ahead of his man to angle them off. There was one play where Hughes was forechecking the Czech defenseman with the puck. The defenseman saw Hughes coming and simply braced himself, which was enough to knock Hughes down. The size difference was considerable, but he didn't really even hit him, he just bounced off. The NHL is trending towards smaller, skilled players, but it's obvious that physical play is the way to counteract Hughes' game. Overall Hughes showed why he's probably the most electrifying player eligible for this draft. His combination of speed, quickness, agility and stickhandling win him a lot of open ice, which he's more than smart enough to use to his advantage. Kakko also showed very well in the games I saw him play, but there were times where it turned into Hughes' game on the ice today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Boudreau Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Horvat is a Boss said: Jack Hughes played his first actual game of the tournament tonight and I was able to watch it. Early on, it looked as though the coaching staff was trying to control his minutes as it felt like he would go a while sometimes between shifts. It's probably due to him nursing his injury and making sure he doesn't overexert himself. His first two shifts were electric and then it felt like he sat for about 5 minutes. I don't know for sure what was going on, but his injury is the most likely factor in his time. Hughes was one of the most influential players on the ice in this game. The puck would follow him around a lot and he always seemed to be making smart plays. One underlying reasons for this is how calm he is high traffic lanes on the rush. He would frequently cut through the slot and identify open passing or shooting lanes instantly, whereas most players would need to glance down for the puck or take a second to recompose themselves. He's able to do this because of his edgework and stickhandling. When he cuts through the middle, he does it faster than the average player, so he has slightly more time and space than normal. His edgework is also so good that he could likely dodge a hit coming from the middle if he saw it. Those two components lead to him being really calm in tight areas and generate a lot of offense. The first American goal contained examples of that. The play started with Hughes stickchecking his man in the defensive zone and skating away with the puck. He then held of a defender in the neutral zone and pulled in over the blue line. He then cut across the middle, surveying everything that was happening around him and identified the best option. That ended up being a slip pass to the man driving the net, who finished off the play with some nice hands in tight. That play highlighted how easily Hughes can get to the high traffic areas with his skating and how good his decision making is. Hughes was effective offensively the entire night though. He was constantly driving by defenders to the outside, skating around the zone with the puck and finding open teammates to create scoring chances. It felt like he could've finished with 2 or 3 more points. However, the real magic happened whenever Jack was on with Quinn. Those two would interchange positions seamlessly and hold on to the puck with their skating. And the entire time they were looking for each other for back door plays and one timers, which almost connected several times. They singlehandedly broke down the Czech defense from within the zone multiple times by dragging players out of position and moving into space themselves. The though of them doing that in the NHL down the line entered my mind and made me pretty happy. The one negative with Hughes that showed itself as the game went on was his lack of strength. He got outmuscled and lost body position against bigger opponents, but only when they could catch him or slow him down. He would hang around after he lost the puck to see if he could win it back with a quick stick check and sometimes get ahead of his man to angle them off. There was one play where Hughes was forechecking the Czech defenseman with the puck. The defenseman saw Hughes coming and simply braced himself, which was enough to knock Hughes down. The size difference was considerable, but he didn't really even hit him, he just bounced off. The NHL is trending towards smaller, skilled players, but it's obvious that physical play is the way to counteract Hughes' game. Overall Hughes showed why he's probably the most electrifying player eligible for this draft. His combination of speed, quickness, agility and stickhandling win him a lot of open ice, which he's more than smart enough to use to his advantage. Kakko also showed very well in the games I saw him play, but there were times where it turned into Hughes' game on the ice today. Jack sounds like a rich man's Clayton Keller. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flickyoursedin Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Sooooo top 5 pick back on now :p? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetroCanuck Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 1 hour ago, flickyoursedin said: Sooooo top 5 pick back on now :p? If Pettersson is out for a month then I see no way that the Canucks aren't sellers at the deadline and falling down the league rankings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bure_Pavel Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 (edited) Im thinking we most likely end up in the 7-14 range of the draft hopefully there are some fallers at the top of the draft. If we draft in the 12-18 range I would like to grab one of Soderstrom or Seider. Edited January 4, 2019 by Bure_Pavel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kootenay Gold Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 16 hours ago, RetroCanuck said: If Pettersson is out for a month then I see no way that the Canucks aren't sellers at the deadline and falling down the league rankings. I think they would be sellers regardless if he was out or not as I just don't see MDZ in their future plans. Not sure if they will make any other moves though as at one time I thought they might move another D man as well but given the dearth of long term injuries to defensive prospects down in Utica; that is now, IMO, unlikely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isam Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Sweet. The more i watch trex aka albin grewe, the more i like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now