Prospect Info: Nicklas Jensen

[wings5]

Not too long ago Canuck nation were raving about this kid and couldn't wait until he turned pro especially after his great stint in the AHL at the end of the 2011-2012 season. He had a pretty good season in the SHL ( formerly SEL ) last year with some inconsistencies and followed with a less than stellar showing in his time in the AHL this past season. I'm curious to know what are the expectations for Jensen this upcoming season as he seems to be somewhat forgotten after the acquisitions of Horvat and Shinkaruk. Thoughts?

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[CCF23]

Still a good prospect with lots of potential, but still a year away yet from being a full time NHLer I think.

In his stint with the Canucks last year there were two things that were very, very noticeable. He had zero confidence and he isn't physically ready for the NHL game.

My expectations are for him to show some consistency with Utica this year and to be one of their top scoring forwards, and to seriously challenge for a roster spot on the Canucks in the 14-15 season.

 

[ihaveyuidonttouchme]

i always wonder how's his defensive game is....does he hustle for the puck, battle hard along the boards?

if he doesnt get ppg in his however many games, i bet everyone will call him a bust..just like schroeder...

 

[PG Canuck]

I expect him to be one of Utica's top scoring players, then challenge for a fulltime roster spot on the Canucks the following season.

 

[CCF23]

I expect him to be one of Utica's top scoring players, then challenge for a fulltime roster spot on the Canucks the following season.

The nice thing is we have a bit of depth in the pipeline at forward now, so we don't really need to rush him.

 

[MS]

He'll probably be in the AHL to start the season, and if that's where he is he should be expected to score at a 30+ goal clip at that level.

 

[Tables of Stats]

He did well in the SEL last season and then he came to the AHL after having his minutes slashed and being benched in the last few games over in Europe to a coach that was making some very strange choices with ice time. Is it any wonder that his confidence was pretty bad in the both the AHL and NHL at that point? Plus he was kind of banged up, so that could be part of the reason his ice time and confidence weren't as expected.

I think he'll do well with loads of ice in the AHL this season and will show why he was never off track to begin with.

 

[Pseudonymous*]

I expect him to be one of Utica's top scoring players, then challenge for a fulltime roster spot on the Canucks the following season.

I agree with this, except I have to add I believe he'll get a callup or two this year if faced with any injuries (which will inevitably happen)

Guy is going to be a good nhl scorer IMO

 

[Pseudonymous*]

i always wonder how's his defensive game is....does he hustle for the puck, battle hard along the boards?

if he doesnt get ppg in his however many games, i bet everyone will call him a bust..just like schroeder...

from what i've seen, hes pretty good with his stick and taking away from the puck and he does backcheck, has the speed to be able to so that helps

theres definitely nothing holding him back in his defensive game

and schroeder still hasn't made the canucks, so people calling him a bust could still be right. its still likely he doesn't become a regular NHLer

Jensen has a game and nhl size that suits the NHL, people will give him alot more time, the same way NHL teams give players with size much more opportunity.

 

[Aphid Attraction]

IMO he has as good a chance as our other prospects, except we have more depth at wing then at center, but the way I look at it, until we see what demands the coaches are going to put on these young guys, it is hard to predict what will happen, he could handle the pressure better then the others or be a shot blocking machine would be good to have that shot of his coming off the wing though.

 

[donut]

I see him spending most of next year and the year after that fighting hard for a roster spot but spending most of his season in Utica. IMO, in 2 years, he'll be a lock for the Canucks.

 

[How Ya Drouin]

He will definitely have every opportunity to make the roster this season, but even if he puts in a great camp, I see him being used like Schroeder this past season or Tanev the year before last.... much like many people think Corrado will be used like.

 

[arsmaster*]

He'll probably be in the AHL to start the season, and if that's where he is he should be expected to score at a 30+ goal clip at that level.

Yup.

Expectations should be 30 goals. It would also be nice to see him get away from the Cy Young stat line and back to his 50/50 split of goals and assists.

He needs to take a step forward.

 

[keslerburrows]

Really hope he improves in his consistency and confidence with the Comets.

 

[thefeebster]

from what i've seen, hes pretty good with his stick and taking away from the puck and he does backcheck, has the speed to be able to so that helps

theres definitely nothing holding him back in his defensive game

I don't know if i would say there is nothing holding him back defensively. There are definitely items that need to be addressed.

In his first partial season with the Wolves, he was caught standing around too much away from the puck, in his own zone. Just watching the play pass him by. But then as you mentioned there were times, where he is so aggressive in attacking the puck, lifting sticks and creating turnovers. He looked great at those times. A mixed bag, i'd say.

I have recently watched all of his games with the Wolves the past season. And i found his defensive play to be lacking. There were about a handful of distinctly poor giveaways that i remember off the top of my head. Two of them were facepalm worthy, where he is on the half wall, not much pressure, and clears the puck up the middle of the ice, right to an opposing defenseman who easily picked it off and it led to a scoring opportunities. The others were simply him not winning battles along the boards or being first on the puck. I found he was simply a passenger defensively and offensively this go-around, not as aggressive as the first stint. But he did find himself on the PK a couple of times, where I thought he was positionally sound.

I don't expect Selke caliber defense, but i think he needs to tidy it up.

 

[Hammer79]

He'll get a short call-up to the big club I think, assuming he is playing in Utica and not Sweden this season.

 

[Pseudonymous*]

He will definitely have every opportunity to make the roster this season, but even if he puts in a great camp, I see him being used like Schroeder this past season or Tanev the year before last.... much like many people think Corrado will be used like.

With how Corrado played, i'd be shocked if he wasn't a regular in the canucks lineup next year. Off topic though. Ill leave it at that.

 

[huntison]

In the 2014-2015 season which prospects will make the canucks?

Could the line up look something like...

Sedin - Sedin - Kassian
Jensen - Kesler - Shinkaruk
Burrows - Horvat - Higgins
Richardson - Gaunce - Hansen

I'm hoping for:

Sedin - Sedin - Vanek
Burrows - Kesler - Kassian
Higgins - Horvat - Jensen
Richardson - Gaunce - Hansen

Edler - Tanev
Hamhuis - Bieksa
Garrison - Corrado

Lu
Lack

 

[CanaFan]

So Jensen is a bust because we didn't send him to the OHL to dominate and instead let him tear up the SEL on a pretty terrible team? Some people...

I'm not in the Jensen bust camp by any means but not sure that you can defend his mediocre numbers in the OHL simply by saying he didn't have a chance to dominate junior in his 19 yo season, since he was also quite mediocre in in his 18 yo season where many players start to break out. Yes his SEL season was a bright spot, though it did end on a cloudy note and his 1/4 season in the AHL was very disappointing.

If one was to rate Jensen's progress so far it would be more stagnation than progress on the whole.

 

[Big Bad Bear]

He has all the skills the kid just has to apply them. His speed and creativity on the fly is impressive but what he lacks is largely defensive prowess and it has cost him more than once with the Wolves. But that doesn't take away from all his upside and if he learns to patch those holes I have a hard time believing he won't be cracking the lineup real soon. What I love most about him though is that he's still a big boy. Right now I don't know how ready is for a role in the big leagues but the potential is all still there. The big question is how much longer do we have to wait? Because while I do have hope in him? He hasn't exactly gotten better.

 

[Whale]

Some odd opinions here. As the OP mentioned, he progressed last year other than a short stint in the AHL, where he was playing with Bloomstrand and Lain on the third line.

Jensen is a pure goal scorer with a great sense of timing and a sense of where to be in order to score. I doubt he got many sweet feeds from Kellan Lain and was probably playing against the oppositions top lines as a checking forward, not really his best position.

I think he will make this team, and as a RW he will get some time with the twins, especially with Torts already saying that he wants Burrows playing with Kesler. If he excels, and I think he will be given every chance to, he will surprise a lot of people.

 

[wahoyaho]

How many players picked around 29th overall turns out to be 60-pt players?

 

[hockeywoot]

Consistency, defence need work.
Kid is skilled, but needs a little bit of seasoning.
He could surprise and make the team, but would be best if
he got top line minutes in Utica. (vs third line mins in Chicago)

People need to temper expectations with prospects.
Don't get too high, don't too low when they exceed or disappoint with your expectations.

 

[NoRaise4Brackett]

I don't think his NHL showing was that bad. What do you expect from a kid who obviously wasn't ready yet? He got his feet wet, and probably has a better idea of what he needs to improve on. I see a big body with good wheels and a great release on his shot. I see 2nd/3rd liner with 20-25g / 15-20 a upside. A year in the AHL with top minutes right out of camp, would be ideal. Next call-up, he would hopefully have the confidence he needs. Won't be surprised if he's still 2 years away though.

 

[thefeebster]

Some odd opinions here. As the OP mentioned, he progressed last year other than a short stint in the AHL, where he was playing with Bloomstrand and Lain on the third line.

Jensen is a pure goal scorer with a great sense of timing and a sense of where to be in order to score. I doubt he got many sweet feeds from Kellan Lain and was probably playing against the oppositions top lines as a checking forward, not really his best position.

That line was only together for one game, Rodin replaced Blomstrand for the next two games and then the line was disbanded altogether. The underlying idea that he wasn't playing with skilled players or wasn't used in the top 6 is valid, but they were not deployed like a shutdown line that would face the opposition's top line on a consistent basis.