Prospect Info: Canucks select William Lockwood in 3rd Round, 64th Overall

[Megaterio Llamas]

I don't think a prospect without the skills of a Gaudreau at 17/18 can develop the skills of a Gaudreau. Just not possible. But that's ok. There were some Hansen comparisons. I would take a Hansen or Hagelin.

Or a Ryan Callahan even. Why not eh. I like this pick; I didn't know anything about him at the draft but he seems to have some of the same qualities as a player I was interested in, Will Bitten.

 

[Frank Garrett]

"That name sounds like royalty!"

 

[Scumbag Frank]

"That name sounds like royalty!"

I live in Stilwell Oklahoma

 

[Frank Garrett]

I live in Stilwell Oklahoma

Duncan Construction

 

[WTG]

Here's his shift by shift for October 22nd

The last 15 minutes of the game was corrupted so I couldn't get that. But still, a solid game from Lockwood.

You can see he has all sorts of skill and just amazing straight line speed.

 

[F A N]

Here's his shift by shift for October 22nd

The last 15 minutes of the game was corrupted so I couldn't get that. But still, a solid game from Lockwood.

You can see he has all sorts of skill and just amazing straight line speed.

Thanks for that. He looks really good. Skilled and has a soft touch. Love his compete level and willingness to hit. I didn't expect him to produce offensively so early. He actually tied his last year's US national team numbers in 15 less games.

 

[Zombotron]

Hah, he got props from Yosoo (GoCanucksGo). Interesting to see prominent names from separate Canucks fan communities interact with each other.

I digress.

 

[WTG]

Thanks for that. He looks really good. Skilled and has a soft touch. Love his compete level and willingness to hit. I didn't expect him to produce offensively so early. He actually tied his last year's US national team numbers in 15 less games.

Yeah, Lockwood is the type of player that will finish every hit.

Skilled, gritty, fast as hell (like McDavid fast). Awesome tools, but his offensive instincts might not be that great. But that might be to him being used to playing a crash/bang style. I have no idea how the US national development team works, but if he was playing on the 3rd/4th line there it shows he really committed to the role. Lockwood plays how you'd like every bottom 6 player to play.

I wonder if there is more to him offensively, he does have that skill that stands out when you watch him. Plus that speed, but he kind of hardly deviates from his crash/bang north/south game. Maybe as he becomes more comfortable in the league he'll start exploring his offensive play more. Maybe this is all he has to offer.

Personally, I feel Lockwood will probably be a really damn good bottom 6 player. But he has the toolset to become much more. This is the 4th game I've watched him play and I grow more and more intrigued by his play each game. I really wonder if he has more offensive instincts there. With prospects in the NCAA, you really don't know what you have till about December. That's when the players start to settle into their role and get comfortable.

 

[WTG]

Hah, he got props from Yosoo (GoCanucksGo). Interesting to see prominent names from separate Canucks fan communities interact with each other.

I digress.

What are you talking about, all the prominent names on Canucks fan communities all interact on HFVan, the best canucks fan community of course.

 

[JA]

The part that scares me is he won't be ready for 3-4 years, so at that point why would he sign with us? These USHL/NCAA guys have low risk if you know they're too good to stay in school all 4 years, but this kid is not that. He looks like he could be a nice player but I don't see why he would choose us over the other 30 teams in the league.

He likes Vancouver. That should help:

http://mihockeynow.com/2016/06/16-draft-will-lockwood-joins-a-childhood-favorite-in-vancouver/

’16 Draft: Will Lockwood joins a childhood favorite in Vancouver
– June 30, 2016
By @MichaelCaples –

Rogers Arena, the home of the Canucks, is 2,500 miles away from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Will Lockwood has never been to Vancouver.

Neither of those details kept the Canucks from being one of Lockwood’s favorite teams growing up, however.

Why, might you ask?

Vancouver was one of Lockwood’s ‘go-to’ teams when he was playing video games growing up.

“I know a lot about Vancouver, they were one of my favorite teams growing up,” Lockwood told MiHockey shortly after the draft. “But I’ve never been to Vancouver. I’ve heard a lot of great things about it, how beautiful it is up there, so I’m really excited to go up there and visit there.

With the Sedin twins being on the roster, few could blame the Bloomfield Hills native for making the Canucks a team-of-choice for ‘chel battles with his friends.

“I just remember the twins being on the team, and I used to always love playing with them in NHL,” Lockwood said with a laugh.

Lockwood, a University of Michigan commit and product of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, will soon have the chance to visit Vancouver for the first time; the Canucks drafted him No. 64 overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.

...

“Actually, there was a commercial going when my name was called, so I got a text, one of my buddies saw it online, so everybody kind of went crazy after that.”

From there, it was a phone call from Vancouver GM Jim Benning for more congratulations.

“It was crazy,” Lockwood said. “Just to talk to him was cool, for them to really believe in me and take me in the third round was really special.”

...

He also has an appreciation for being selected much earlier than most analysts had ranked him. It demonstrates to him that the Canucks believe in him and want him more than others.

http://vancouversun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/iain-macintyre-canucks-call-on-will-lockwood-who-had-a-way-about-him

Iain MacIntyre: Canucks call on Will Lockwood, who 'just had a way about him'
Iain MacIntyre
Published on: July 5, 2016 | Last Updated: July 5, 2016 7:00 PM PDT

...

At a development camp where nearly everyone seems to fly, Will Lockwood’s skating stands out. He turned 18 a week before the draft but looks you in the eye when he speaks. The Canucks see something in him.

...

“I like his speed and I think he’s got a bigger offensive upside than he has shown,” Canuck hockey operations president Trevor Linden said of Lockwood. “But I like that he has a hardness about him, too. He can skate and he likes to hit. He comes across as a really nice, polite kid, but he plays aggressive. In our interview, he just had a way about him that I liked. He’s the kind of kid who’s going to find a way to play.”

...

“I think I can speak for a lot of players in that the draft is a pretty stressful experience,” Lockwood said of his decision not to travel to Buffalo. “I tried to take it easy; it wouldn’t really have mattered where I went (in the draft order). So I was at home. I kind of did a thing at my house with friends and family. I had nine or 10 of my best friends there, my mom and dad and my old coaches. There were probably 20 people there, and another 20 or 30 came later to celebrate.

“We were watching the draft on the NHL Network. They went to a commercial. I got a text from my adviser saying ‘congrats.’ But the TV was on a commercial so I was like, ‘Who did I go to?’ When I saw it was the Vancouver Canucks, it was a huge relief. To go to Vancouver is incredible. It’s really nice there. I like it.”

Asked what the call from Linden was like, Lockwood said: “It was totally surreal. It was kind of a moment I’d been dreaming about my whole life, then to get that call …

“Not being at the draft didn’t matter to me. Either way, the moment was going to be big. So to get that call from him and be welcomed to the Vancouver Canucks was just an incredible experience.”

Lockwood has an adviser, not an agent, because he’s playing college hockey in the fall at Michigan. He said the Canucks let him choose between university or major junior hockey, so he’s following his mom and dad to Ann Arbor.

“Yeah, it surprised me a little bit,” he said of going 64th. “But I just kind of think of it like Vancouver really wanted me, and to go earlier where maybe it wasn’t expected was a great thing. They jumped up and grabbed me early. To feel wanted is nice.

“I just love the game of hockey. So going out there and playing with a lot of passion, competing every shift, is my type of game. But I also bring some skill and I’m able to make plays. I think skating is my best attribute.”

...

 

[krutovsdonut]

lol, he's got a benning no filter. the "huge relief" when he found out it was the canucks who got him after they came back from commercial must have been for not being drafted by one of edmonton or calgary.

 

[F A N]

I wonder if there is more to him offensively, he does have that skill that stands out when you watch him. Plus that speed, but he kind of hardly deviates from his crash/bang north/south game. Maybe as he becomes more comfortable in the league he'll start exploring his offensive play more. Maybe this is all he has to offer.

I think there is more to him offensively. I remember the main criticism of him was that the was quite raw and like you said because he hardly deviated from his style of game he was seen as possibly lacking hockey sense. I hope he grows a little bit and really learn how to play defensively to significantly up his chances of playing in the NHL.

 

[Pip]

I would not mind it at all if we picked more from the USHL/college system. They seem to be tracking quite well for us.

 

[F A N]

I would not mind it at all if we picked more from the USHL/college system. They seem to be tracking quite well for us.

Dare I say this is Weisbrod and Adessa territory?

 

[WTG]

Dare I say this is Weisbrod and Adessa territory?

Judd Brackett, gotta give him props man.

 

[WTG]

Lockwoods 4th goal, not sure if it went in but it counts
https://streamable.com/acrg

 

[WTG]

Lockwood's beauty
https://streamable.com/5il9

 

[ginner classic]

Lockwood's beauty
https://streamable.com/5il9

#10 jersey is notable.

Some Todd Marchant in his game.

 

[Hit the post]

OT:

Dare I say this is Weisbrod and Adessa territory?

Just looked up some stats on the Stockton Heat...noticed Mark Jankowski seems to be doing fine so far in the AHL. What's the word on this guy nowadays? I remember all the ridicule Weisbrod got for this selection (heck, I was probably one of those posters ).

 

[JA]

Lockwood's beauty
https://streamable.com/5il9

Hey WTG,

Would you be able to upload these clips on to YouTube as well? YouTube is still the premier platform for video, so to have footage of this player archived on that service would be very helpful for future reference.

 

[Siludin]

5 goals, 3 assists in 8 games

 

[WonderTwinsUnite]

I don't know if he's got the annoying-as-all-get-out thing going on, but he reminds me a fair bit of Brad Marchand on the ice. Slight, great speed, underrated hands, and a knack for the net. For those who have seen him more (calling WTG), is that comparison at all accurate?

Happy to say that I seemed to have jumped the gun on this pick at the draft, at least so far. It's early days yet, but he certainly seems to be tracking well.

 

[WTG]

Hey WTG,

Would you be able to upload these clips on to YouTube as well? YouTube is still the premier platform for video, so to have footage of this player archived on that service would be very helpful for future reference.

I prefer single goals to be on streamables, I'm planning on collecting all that I have on lockwood at the end of the weekend and putting it in a highlight package and uploading it to youtube. It makes a lot more sense, since in college you only really play on weekends so it's easy to collected footage.

Same goes for Boeser.

That'll mean you'll have to wait till tomorrow evening. You archive geek

 

[WTG]

I don't know if he's got the annoying-as-all-get-out thing going on, but he reminds me a fair bit of Brad Marchand on the ice. Slight, great speed, underrated hands, and a knack for the net. For those who have seen him more (calling WTG), is that comparison at all accurate?

Happy to say that I seemed to have jumped the gun on this pick at the draft, at least so far. It's early days yet, but he certainly seems to be tracking well.

Well, he plays with a chip on his shoulder and will hit absolutely everything on the forecheck. Not sure if you'd call that "marchand", if you are looking for extra post whistle activities I do not think Lockwood fits that bill.

To me, he seems like a guy like Dorsett when he's on. Not that I like Dorsett but it reminds me of Dorsett. I can't really describe it, but Lockwood looks like a guy trying to leave a mark. "Playing to make a impression", might be an apt description. I can see why the coaches like him, he hustles every shift, he forcechecks hard. He has skill, and is willing to grind it out. This is why I say he's an "ideal bottom 6 guy", the guy just exudes energy.

Lockwood is a incredibly skilled/talented "grinder". I have absolutely no doubts that he will be a NHL player. But can he be a top 6 player? I have no idea. What grinder plays in the top 6 and succeeds?

 

[WonderTwinsUnite]

Well, he plays with a chip on his shoulder and will hit absolutely everything on the forecheck. Not sure if you'd call that "marchand", if you are looking for extra post whistle activities I do not think Lockwood fits that bill.

To me, he seems like a guy like Dorsett when he's on. Not that I like Dorsett but it reminds me of Dorsett. I can't really describe it, but Lockwood looks like a guy trying to leave a mark. "Playing to make a impression", might be an apt description. I can see why the coaches like him, he hustles every shift, he forcechecks hard. He has skill, and is willing to grind it out. This is why I say he's an "ideal bottom 6 guy", the guy just exudes energy.

Lockwood is a incredibly skilled/talented "grinder". I have absolutely no doubts that he will be a NHL player. But can he be a top 6 player? I have no idea. What grinder plays in the top 6 and succeeds?

Wayne Simmonds, maybe? Burrows did for a long time. Ryan Callahan, or Pascal Dupuis in Pittsburgh. I think, from the Burrows and Dupuis examples, we can kind of extract that chemistry with linemates is so vital for a grinder skill set to survive in a top-six role.