Jake Virtanen Part IX: Cheerful...WANTS TO MURDER YOU

[The Drop]

Burr's celebration of Virtanen scoring was him in a nutshell.

The guy has NEVER been selfish and was so happy for a young kid getting his first NHL goal.

 

[Hansen]

Man Virts lost so much of his shot accuracy following that shoulder surgery. If he can get that back that would only add yet another dimension to his game

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Man Virts lost so much of his shot accuracy following that shoulder surgery. If he can get that back that would only add yet another dimension to his game

That's just a cop out.

To expand: I can buy that you lose velocity after a shoulder surgery, but not accuracy. Accuracy from far, far out perhaps. But not from the dots. Accuracy is more confidence and looking to where you shoot than anything.

 

[WhiteCurse]

That's just a cop out.

To expand: I can buy that you lose velocity after a shoulder surgery, but not accuracy. Accuracy from far, far out perhaps. But not from the dots. Accuracy is more confidence and looking to where you shoot than anything.

Its muscle memory more then anything

 

[StIllmatic]

That's just a cop out.

To expand: I can buy that you lose velocity after a shoulder surgery, but not accuracy. Accuracy from far, far out perhaps. But not from the dots. Accuracy is more confidence and looking to where you shoot than anything.

Last year he never displayed his lethal shot nearly as much as he had in his draft year. Not sure if it is from the surgery or not, but that was what I noticed.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Last year he never displayed his lethal shot nearly as much as he had in his draft year. Not sure if it is from the surgery or not, but that was what I noticed.

I'd say above all, it's that you get more time to let it go in junior than the NHL. You don't get a lot of clean looks in the majors. The PP and broken plays are pretty much the only time you can.

Muscle memory too. Forgot that one. It's late.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

well after that insane highlight reel from around the draft, we all could have predicted that his first big league goal would be a backhander on the rush right?

 

[Jimson Hogarth*]

You can't send the most electrifying player on the team back to Juniors

 

[DL44]

Floodgates!

3pts in 4games now..
Found a home with Burrows and Sutter.. Looks like they'll have time to gel together. (Expect Higgins to start on the 4th)

Watching him gives me the feel like he's starting to find his groove...

 

[Love]

I still kinda hope that Benning decides to release McCann and Virtanen to play in the WJC.

If Prust and Higgins are both back at that point I could see it happening. We'll see though, if JV and JM are hot then I don't think they go but if they're struggling a bit up here then let them go.

 

[Pip]

I still kinda hope that Benning decides to release McCann and Virtanen to play in the WJC.

If Prust and Higgins are both back at that point I could see it happening. We'll see though, if JV and JM are hot then I don't think they go but if they're struggling a bit up here then let them go.

Why? There's no point in going to the WJs unless they're playing a minimal role and getting regularioy scratched. I hope that both prove to be big enough parts of this team so that we don't send them.

 

[Love]

Why? There's no point in going to the WJs unless they're playing a minimal role and getting regularioy scratched. I hope that both prove to be big enough parts of this team so that we don't send them.

Because it is still an awesome experience for these kids.

When Patrice Bergeron made the NHL as a teenager, he played a WAY bigger role on the Bruins than either of our teenagers will this season and the Bruins still released him to the WJC and it looks like it was a good decision.

 

[Pip]

Because it is still an awesome experience for these kids.

When Patrice Bergeron made the NHL as a teenager, he played a WAY bigger role on the Bruins than either of our teenagers will this season and the Bruins still released him to the WJC and it looks like it was a good decision.

I strongly believe that if you're playing a big role for your NHL club then there's no point in running off to some Junior tournament. Said the same thing last year with Horvat.

On Bergeron- hard to say that the WJs helped or hurt his development or if he was simply such a good prospect that he would have turned out either way.

Edit- CanaFan is absolutely right on the money here.

 

[CanaFan]

Because it is still an awesome experience for these kids.

When Patrice Bergeron made the NHL as a teenager, he played a WAY bigger role on the Bruins than either of our teenagers will this season and the Bruins still released him to the WJC and it looks like it was a good decision.

I doubt playing at the WJC's had much impact on Bergeron's trajectory. He was playing in the NHL at 18 which probably said more about his future success than going to the WJC.

The WJC is great ... for kids who are still in junior. Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang, Mitch Marner would all LOVE to make TC and represent their country rather than drudge through a few weeks of riding the busses in junior during the dead of winter. No doubt it is a huge deal for those players.

But for guys who are already in the NHL? It's a demotion plain and simple. Sure they'll say the right things and make the best of it, but going from the best league in the world which has been their dream their whole lives to play in a junior tournament... it's not a positive for them.

If they are playing 5 minutes a game - which I sure as hell hope they won't be - then sure, the WJC's can give them a lift. Otherwise keep them in the NHL and let them keep learning and growing at this level.

 

[fancouver]

well after that insane highlight reel from around the draft, we all could have predicted that his first big league goal would be a backhander on the rush right?

I think it's more of his hockey IQ he displayed on that goal more than anything. You don't get 40 goals in junior just from slapping the puck. Looking over at Burrows just before cutting to the net was a smart play. It forced Mason to cheat a bit.

 

[DL44]

Iirc.. Bergeron only played because of the lockout.. thay was the stacked WJR team with Crosby et al...

I don't feel the value of World Jr's for the kids unless they are in and out of the lineup at that point.
The style of play and extended shifts aren't the best for NHL habits. Primary benefit is gaining a confidence boost if they dominate.. only necessary if they are struggling badly with the Canucks.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Virtanens "NHL ready" body is still very much a 19 yr olds frame. A few seasons of training and growing and he should be a force.

 

[Hyzer]

Virtanens "NHL ready" body is still very much a 19 yr olds frame. A few seasons of training and growing and he should be a force.

still has kid strength and not man strength. can only wait until power skating practices, good diet and excellent workouts finally start showing up when he starts growing into his body

 

[opendoor]

Iirc.. Bergeron only played because of the lockout.. thay was the stacked WJR team with Crosby et al...

Yeah, not sure where anyone's getting the idea that Bergeron went to the WJC in the middle of an NHL season. He was with the Bruins all year as an 18 year old and only went to the WJC when he was in the AHL as a 19 year old.

 

[VanillaCoke]

still has kid strength and not man strength. can only wait wait power skating practices, good diet and excellent workouts finally start showing up when he starts growing into his body

Exactly, from what ive seen in clips his upper body is still very much that of a teenager.
If hes 208 now by 22/23 id think he may be playing at 220. And probably twice as strong.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

He has Jagr legs. That's where most of his power comes from.

Once he develops more of an upper body he will be able to push off guys in front of the net and power through defenders with ease. Scary to think of what a force he'd be at a solid 225.

 

[The Jesus*]

He has Jagr legs. That's where most of his power comes from.

Once he develops more of an upper body he will be able to push off guys in front of the net and power through defenders with ease. Scary to think of what a force he'd be at a solid 225.

And when we teach him to count to 4, he'll be able to know Willie's system a lot better.

I kid, I kid. Was super impressed with Virtanen last night. Love the line with him, Burr, and Sutter. If he keeps playing like that, I'll quickly forget about Nylander and Ehlers.

 

[WonderTwinsUnite]

He has Jagr legs. That's where most of his power comes from.

Once he develops more of an upper body he will be able to push off guys in front of the net and power through defenders with ease. Scary to think of what a force he'd be at a solid 225.

Jake's going to be a ballistic missile on skates by the time he's done growing.

 

[WTG]

It's so frustrating to watch Virtanen because 1 game he'll play like last night which makes you think "this kid is going to be a absolute star", then the next he is invisible it is so frustrating.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

And when we teach him to count to 4, he'll be able to know Willie's system a lot better.

I kid, I kid. Was super impressed with Virtanen last night. Love the line with him, Burr, and Sutter. If he keeps playing like that, I'll quickly forget about Nylander and Ehlers.

If McCann (a smaller skilled player like Nylander and Ehlers) continues to raise his stock and play like he should have been a top ten pick, then who cares if we missed out on the other two? You need a variety of players to succeed, and it looks like we have now found quality prospects of different types instead of two similarly designed players.

Even if Nylander and Ehlers outscore Virtanen (which they most likely will due to their higher skillsets), the fact that McCann has shown such promise has taken a lot of the pressure off JV to put up huge numbers. He can go out there and play his game, contributing in ways the other three can't. And by all accounts he is now doing exactly that, and the points are starting to come.