I am sure someone can dig into these even more if they have time on their hands but andrew ladd for instance had 19 points in 25 ahl games. Virtanen has 7 in 19. I hope he proves me wrong, but i dont see the similarities and i had held out hope for awhile.
Technically, if you add his 10 games in the 2015 AHL playoffs and 2 GP last season to the 19 this year, he totals 8 points in 31 AHL GP. He has looked as clueless in every one of them.
I have stated repeatedly that Jake's development course was not the right one. He should have done Jrs last season and the AHL this year and had no sniff of the NHL yet other than preseason camps. If his greatness was showing, he should've have had the fan base drooling by now for his addition to the team next year along with the arrival of Boeser and his team mate in Utica, McCann. However, that's a whole other discussion.
His demotion this season was warranted, but the tool box hasn't revealed much in Utica. His speed is only seen on an occasional shift. His shot only once or twice a game and from too far out. He does not hit like the dump truck mentioned a few posts back. His hitting has barely been what you would call hitting. It's more bump and run. He coasts all over the place and hangs out on the periphery of all the action. It's like he thinks the puck will be acquired by others and then delivered to him.
He has to cover the points, but approaches the point man like he's skating on mica thick ice and it will break if he pushes too hard and thus never gets to the point and never blocks the shot. Even his attempts at interfering with passes in the neutral zone are ill completed half assed reaching dangles with his stick on a coasting half circle somewhat in the direction the pass might go. He never touches the puck in these efforts. I don't think he has broken up or intercepted a single pass.
He does muck along the half boards in his own end. I wouldn't strongly define it as battling, but he holds his own there. At least he doesn't blind backhand the puck into the field of play to be intercepted and become scoring chances like Gaunce used to do and Grenier still does several times a game.
Speaking of Grenier, I do so wish I could report having seen this high NHL level hockey IQ I'm reading about here this morning, but I have seen little evidence of it from Jake's play. Right now he is rivaling Grenier for the bottom of the list of Utica players and that's not good. I mean that's really not good. It's the #1 reason a player with all the natural tools of an NHL player remains mired in the AHL.
I will say that the so called feeling of entitlement has not been evident here. I think what many are calling his lack of humility is his lack of IQ. He's been a hockey player all his life, not a top notch academic. He isn't skilled in public speaking and doesn't understand the concept of giving the right answer and keeping what you really think to yourself. He's a kid who wants to be an NHL player and I don't really think he knows just how that will happen. He's stated here that he has lots to learn. I firmly agree. I, for one, hope it works out for him.
As a huge fan of a minor league team, I wish every one of these kid's achieves their dream, but also realize most of them won't and the reasons are as numerable as the number who fail. I hope Jake figures it out, but it won't happen overnight. This isn't going to be a 30-day refresher course and then a retake of the exam. I think he is the kind of player who can be lost due to mismanagement. BO was the type who could fight through the brasses BS. Jake wasn't. What it will take for him to catch up will be a tough climb. I will continue to factually describe his progress or lack of it, but realize I'm in his corner, even if it at times it may not sound it.
