Prospect Info: Canucks draft LW Jackson Kunz 113th Overall (USHS / Green Bay Gamblers --> North Dakota commit)

[The Iron Goalie]

Picked up a primary assist , and added 2 shots today in Green Bays 5-1 loss.

 

[VanJack]

Don't follow the USHL that closely, but wondering if others can advise how they've managed to resume playing a regular season when so many other leagues are still shut down.

Assume they're playing in empty arenas with COVID restrictions in the place. But according to experts, hockey rinks are venues with much higher virus risks than other places. But haven't heard whether or not the USHL has been forced to cancel any games.

But it's great that Canuck prospects like Kunz and Jack Malone are at least back playing hockey somewhere.

 

[StreetHawk]

Don't follow the USHL that closely, but wondering if others can advise how they've managed to resume playing a regular season when so many other leagues are still shut down.

Assume they're playing in empty arenas with COVID restrictions in the place. But according to experts, hockey rinks are venues with much higher virus risks than other places. But haven't heard whether or not the USHL has been forced to cancel any games.

But it's great that Canuck prospects like Kunz and Jack Malone are at least back playing hockey somewhere.

Didn’t realize that Malone went back to the USHL. Had a tough season offensively at Cornell last season and with the Ivy League pausing sports he needed to play so good that he’s getting game action.

 

[timw33]

 

[VanJack]

Not sure how the Canucks are doing it these days, but you'd have to say that virtually every draft pick in the last couple of years has exceeded expectations in their draft-plus one seasons.

Kunz will attend that hockey factory at the University of North Dakota next season. Another big winger to watch, who could follow in the footsteps of Aiden McDonough. Any time you can draft guys that late who look like they could actually play, you have to give props to somebody in the scouting department.

Certainly over the years they've got their share of brick-bats on these boards. But you have to give credit where credit is due.

 

[Canucks LB]

Not sure how the Canucks are doing it these days, but you'd have to say that virtually every draft pick in the last couple of years has exceeded expectations in their draft-plus one seasons.

Kunz will attend that hockey factory at the University of North Dakota next season. Another big winger to watch, who could follow in the footsteps of Aiden McDonough. Any time you can draft guys that late who look like they could actually play, you have to give props to somebody in the scouting department.

Certainly over the years they've got their share of brick-bats on these boards. But you have to give credit where credit is due.

We have incredible scouting, this is nothing new.
People thinking it was just Judd is silly

 

[StreetHawk]

Not sure how the Canucks are doing it these days, but you'd have to say that virtually every draft pick in the last couple of years has exceeded expectations in their draft-plus one seasons.

Kunz will attend that hockey factory at the University of North Dakota next season. Another big winger to watch, who could follow in the footsteps of Aiden McDonough. Any time you can draft guys that late who look like they could actually play, you have to give props to somebody in the scouting department.

Certainly over the years they've got their share of brick-bats on these boards. But you have to give credit where credit is due.

NCAA route offers a longer timeline to make a decision on a player, same goes for European leagues, where players play against 18-23 years olds in NCAA and 16 year olds and older in Europe. CHL is between 16-20. So, players should be more dominant as they age due to physically being more mature.

Canucks have not been drafting that many CHL players later in the draft from rounds 4 onwards.

 

[4Twenty]

We have incredible scouting, this is nothing new.
People thinking it was just Judd is silly

People thinking a college aged kid being less than a PPG in tier 2 junior being incredible scouting is silly.

Let me guess if only he was getting more ice time ....

 

[krutovsdonut]

People thinking a college aged kid being less than a PPG in tier 2 junior being incredible scouting is silly.

Let me guess if only he was getting more ice time ....

not nearly as silly as people who think throwing shade for being "less than ppg" is fair comment about a player only 9 games into the season who has 8 points.

 

[4Twenty]

not nearly as silly as people who think throwing shade for being "less than ppg" is fair comment about a player only 9 games into the season who has 8 points.

So you think this player is worth praising the scouting staff about? Like what would one have to do to not be considered a great scouting find at this point? Die?

I was also poking fun at Luc, since he's always got an ice time excuse for every prospect. Joni Jurmo was critiqued recently and Luc's idea was to give him more ice time, when the gist of the complaint is that he's playing too much at a level beyond his ability as it is.

Anyways, if you want to write home about Jackson Kunz and the "incredible scouting" his pick shows, all power to you.

 

[krutovsdonut]

So you think this player is worth praising the scouting staff about? Like what would one have to do to not be considered a great scouting find at this point? Die?.

i think exactly what i said. your comment was even sillier than his comment.

 

[TheOtherGM]

So you think this player is worth praising the scouting staff about? Like what would one have to do to not be considered a great scouting find at this point? Die?

I was also poking fun at Luc, since he's always got an ice time excuse for every prospect. Joni Jurmo was critiqued recently and Luc's idea was to give him more ice time, when the gist of the complaint is that he's playing too much at a level beyond his ability as it is.

Anyways, if you want to write home about Jackson Kunz and the "incredible scouting" his pick shows, all power to you.

I'm not super excited about this player, but context does matter.
An 18 year old with eight points in nine games is solid considering he only has seven previous games experience at the junior A level. In the BCHL, there is often an adjustment period for players who are 'rookies,' and you'll see many of them take a step coming out of the Christmas break.
Add in the fact that this season has been anything but normal.
I haven't looked at the USHL too closely, but I imagine at this point they'd normally have played more than eight games. I'm sure practices and games have been disrupted by COVID just as they have in college and junior hockey, making it hard for any player to settle in.
I would like to see what this player does without a worldwide pandemic before I make any determinations.

 

[vancityluongo]

So you think this player is worth praising the scouting staff about? Like what would one have to do to not be considered a great scouting find at this point? Die?

I was also poking fun at Luc, since he's always got an ice time excuse for every prospect. Joni Jurmo was critiqued recently and Luc's idea was to give him more ice time, when the gist of the complaint is that he's playing too much at a level beyond his ability as it is.

Anyways, if you want to write home about Jackson Kunz and the "incredible scouting" his pick shows, all power to you.

Well he was right about our 2013 and 2014 drafts!

Canucks Free Agent Frenzy 2014! Part 2!

Just need to give Dane Fox some time!

 

[4Twenty]

i think exactly what i said. your comment was even sillier than his comment.

Disagree.

 

[4Twenty]

I'm not super excited about this player, but context does matter.
An 18 year old with eight points in nine games is solid considering he only has seven previous games experience at the junior A level. In the BCHL, there is often an adjustment period for players who are 'rookies,' and you'll see many of them take a step coming out of the Christmas break.
Add in the fact that this season has been anything but normal.
I haven't looked at the USHL too closely, but I imagine at this point they'd normally have played more than eight games. I'm sure practices and games have been disrupted by COVID just as they have in college and junior hockey, making it hard for any player to settle in.
I would like to see what this player does without a worldwide pandemic before I make any determinations.

So you’re saying it’s a bit early to call this an incredible piece of scouting?

 

[krutovsdonut]

Well he was right about our 2013 and 2014 drafts!

Canucks Free Agent Frenzy 2014! Part 2!

Just need to give Dane Fox some time!

are we doing track records now? that seems like a can of worms.

 

[VanJack]

When you look at the prospect depth chart, McDonough, Kunz, Truscott, Zlodeyev, Costmar, Silovs and Persson were all drafted after the third round. And if you include the third round, then you can add in Jurmo, Madden and Lockwood. And currently playing on the Canuck roster are Rathbone, Gaudette and MacEwen, signed as a UFA out of junior.

And those are the most prominent ones. On the 'B list are Focht, Utenen, Keppen, Plasek and Malone. Obviously not all of these guys are going to be signed. But you have to concede it's a pretty impressive haul of prospects considering most of them were drafted after more than 100 players had already been selected in their draft class.

So I guess Kunz coming out of high school hockey and playing well in the USHL shouldn't come as a big surprise. And if he develops at North Dakota (who don't exactly offer full-ride scholarships to stiffs) then he'll be another big forward to watch.

 

[canuckking1]

Need to see him at the NCAA level. I’m not really that high on Kunz because of how awful his skating is.

 

[canuckfan75]

scored a empty night goal for his 6th of the season

 

[The Iron Goalie]

Need to see him at the NCAA level. I’m not really that high on Kunz because of how awful his skating is.

I remain skeptical of his upside as well, but at least he should get 3/4 years at UND to work on his game. Reminds me a lot of Gadjovich, and not in a good way.

 

[CHEESE]

Need to see him at the NCAA level. I’m not really that high on Kunz because of how awful his skating is.

Lee Goren

 

[VanJack]

Need to see him at the NCAA level. I’m not really that high on Kunz because of how awful his skating is.

That's virtually the same thing they said about McDonough. But after just one season in the NCAA his skating has picked up dramatically. It might still not be NHL quality yet, but he's closed the gap fast. So there's hope for Kunz to dramatically improve his stride once he gets into a full off-ice training program at UND, which has one of the best development programs in the entire NCAA.

Always a mystery to me that some big men can pick up their skating dramatically after they're drafted, while others just plateau. I guess that's the crapshoot with players drafted in rounds 4-7.

 

[IComeInPeace]

That's virtually the same thing they said about McDonough. But after just one season in the NCAA his skating has picked up dramatically. It might still not be NHL quality yet, but he's closed the gap fast. So there's hope for Kunz to dramatically improve his stride once he gets into a full off-ice training program at UND, which has one of the best development programs in the entire NCAA.

Always a mystery to me that some big men can pick up their skating dramatically after they're drafted, while others just plateau. I guess that's the crapshoot with players drafted in rounds 4-7.

I was just listening to a podcast the other day with a scout and he said something I’d never really thought of: they will look at a number of different things when evaluating players, but when it comes to assessing skating if a guy isn’t the greatest skater, they will study his stride to see how much his skating can be worked on and improved.

He didn’t say what can and what can’t be improved, but did mention there are things they look at in a skating stride as things that are much easier to improve and others that they regard as things that can’t be improved upon.

 

[StreetHawk]

I was just listening to a podcast the other day with a scout and he said something I’d never really thought of: they will look at a number of different things when evaluating players, but when it comes to assessing skating if a guy isn’t the greatest skater, they will study his stride to see how much his skating can be worked on and improved.

He didn’t say what can and what can’t be improved, but did mention there are things they look at in a skating stride as things that are much easier to improve and others that they regard as things that can’t be improved upon.

Hodgson for example had shorter legs than someone his height. That can’t be changed.

leg strength can be improved.

Skating stride is something that scouts and skating experts need to break down to determine if it is fixable.

then you need to factor in the players will to improve that area of their game.

 

[VanJack]

It's an interesting theory....that some scouts can look at a big guy with skating issues, and project which one will improve dramatically and which one will morph into another Lee Goren.

In the case of Jackson Kunz, he was playing high school hockey. And as one of the biggest and strongest guys on his team, he was probably coasting a bit out there. It appears now that he's rapidly adjusted to the faster pace in the USHL.

Of course the final determiner will be what he does at the University of North Dakota. But one of the strengths of Brock Boeser's old alma mater is their off-ice development and skating programs. So he's picked the right school if he wants to pick up that extra step he needs to be a pro.

But still a good gamble as a 113th overall pick. Hockey DB lists him at 6'3" and 215, and just turned 18 in August. The kid is monster, and could be a beast if he ever develops.