Top 5 Prospects

[TheHockeyNerds]

Hey guys, first post as a new HFBoards user. Just wanted to list my top 5 Canuck Prospects with my reasoning as well. Also, I will give an NHL comparable for that particular player who shares a similar playing style to a current NHL player. Thanks for reading everyone!

1. Jake Virtanen: In the future, if developed properly, I see Jake being a front line player who can play anywhere in the line up. He has a skilled game which will allow him to get 20-35 goals a year, but also a physical, grinding game which will allow him to earn the trust of coaches.

NHL Comparable: Evander Kane

2. Brock Boeser: Much like Virtanen, Boeser has an elite shot which will allow him to be a goal scoring threat much of his career. Boeser also possesses a good two-way game and supposedly has a lot of character which could mean him being a future leader for Vancouver. Honestly, if he had better skating, I may have him ahead of Jake Virtanen

NHL Comparable: Patrick Sharp

3. Thatcher Demko: I truly believe one day Demko can become that prototypical number one goalie who everyone needs if they want a chance at the Stanley Cup. Described as a big, athletic goalie, Demko has been a standout goaltender for BC in the NCAA and will continue to grow as a goalie there until he is ready to turn pro.

NHL Comparable: Braden Holtby

4. Jared MacCan: In some weaker Prospect pools, MacCan would challenge for number one, he is that good. A two-way Centre who has a bullet of a shot much like Virtanen and Boeser. All he needs to do is gain some strength and he will be challenging for a spot in Vancouver within 1-2 years.

NHL Comparable: Logan Couture

5. Hunter Shinkaruk: A skilled, shifty winger who is learning to go to the net in the pro game. If all goes well he will be a solid top 6 winger who chips in with key goals on a good offensive team.

NHL Comparable: Jeff Skinner

Honourable Mentions: Cole Cassels, Sven Baertschi

Click to read more...

 

[themelkman]

MacCan is not that good...

 

[Canadian Canuck]

MacCan is not that good...

Yeah but McCann is really good

 

[TheHockeyNerds]

how good do you think MacCan will be? I see him as a solid top 6 six centre who will get around 45-65 points a year.

 

[Skirbs1011]

how good do you think MacCan will be? I see him as a solid top 6 six centre who will get around 45-65 points a year.

I think he could push for a top 6 center role, but i think if he becomes very good defensively he would be much more comfortable and better suited for a 3rd line role.

But with our depth we have now I can see him being moved to the wing, his shot on the wing could be deadly on the rush

 

[Numbers]

how good do you think MacCan will be? I see him as a solid top 6 six centre who will get around 45-65 points a year.

This is my hope.

 

[Luck 6]

Canuck fans are scared to estimate the potential of our prospects. Take Kesler for example, he had the upside of a 3C until he basically became a 1C, nobody predicted that. McCann is the same, he could very well end up that good... He has the tools. But if you want to play it safe, he's a 2/3C.

 

[HowDoIHockey]

(This is also my first post ever!)

I'm trying to learn more about the process of drafting to the point of actually playing in the NHL. I've been watching the Canucks for years but never really paid attention to the draft until about 2 years ago. I see a ton of excitement about the players we draft and value placed on trading active nhl players for picks (e.g. Bieksa).

Anyway,
Virtanen - drafted 2014, 6th overall
Boeser - drafted 2015, 23rd overall
Demko - drafted 2014, 36th overall
McCann - drafted 2014, 24th overall
Shinkaruk - drafted 2013, 24th overall
Cassels - drafted 2013, 85th overall
Baertshi - drafted 2011 (Calgary)

These are just some of the drafted players, too - the more promising ones. Are these guys all likely to make it into the roster? Or will some never really make it? I keep hearing about Corrado and Jensen and they never seem to really break into the roster. How long until some of these guys break in, like Horvat?

 

[ChilliBilly]

(This is also my first post ever!)

I'm trying to learn more about the process of drafting to the point of actually playing in the NHL. I've been watching the Canucks for years but never really paid attention to the draft until about 2 years ago. I see a ton of excitement about the players we draft and value placed on trading active nhl players for picks (e.g. Bieksa).

Anyway,
Virtanen - drafted 2014, 6th overall
Boeser - drafted 2015, 23rd overall
Demko - drafted 2014, 36th overall
McCann - drafted 2014, 24th overall
Shinkaruk - drafted 2013, 24th overall
Cassels - drafted 2013, 85th overall
Baertshi - drafted 2011 (Calgary)

These are just some of the drafted players, too - the more promising ones. Are these guys all likely to make it into the roster? Or will some never really make it? I keep hearing about Corrado and Jensen and they never seem to really break into the roster. How long until some of these guys break in, like Horvat?

Virtanen can't play in the AHL - so its Canucks or jrs. I think they will give him every chance this year.

Baertshi is a lock. He would have to clear waivers, which they will not do under any circumstances. To trade a 2nd for a player then loose him to waivers is disastrous.

Cassels has an outside chance if he really impresses at camp. Same with McCann. Shinkaruk didn't progress enough in Utica to seem likely ready for the NHL. Demo and Boeser are committed to school this year.

Corrado - probably the bubble guy on d, since Clendenning has to clear waivers to play in Utica. Jensen has been underwhelming in his development the last 2 years. Not much room for him to make the club unless he starts showing more in Utica.

 

[iceburg]

(This is also my first post ever!)

I'm trying to learn more about the process of drafting to the point of actually playing in the NHL. I've been watching the Canucks for years but never really paid attention to the draft until about 2 years ago. I see a ton of excitement about the players we draft and value placed on trading active nhl players for picks (e.g. Bieksa).

Anyway,
Virtanen - drafted 2014, 6th overall
Boeser - drafted 2015, 23rd overall
Demko - drafted 2014, 36th overall
McCann - drafted 2014, 24th overall
Shinkaruk - drafted 2013, 24th overall
Cassels - drafted 2013, 85th overall
Baertshi - drafted 2011 (Calgary)

These are just some of the drafted players, too - the more promising ones. Are these guys all likely to make it into the roster? Or will some never really make it? I keep hearing about Corrado and Jensen and they never seem to really break into the roster. How long until some of these guys break in, like Horvat?

Congrats on your first post!

There are some pretty good resources out there to project likelihood of success of drafted players. The link below is to one that projects based on the players draft year, draft+1, and draft+2 years. Just remember, the higher the number of comparables the better... if you use the draft+2 advanced search and end up with one comparable, it's probably not a good assessment.
http://www.theprojectionproject.com/Home/Search

You can also quickly scroll through the draft years on hockeydb.com and you'll see from a very rough calculation that about a third of 2nd rounders go on to have decent NHL careers and about 10-20% from the 3rd round and beyond.

Beyond these general comparisons you can get into looking at the specific attributes of a player (speed, size, IQ, etc). Eliteprospects.com does a pretty good job of this and links to other resources (e.g. various draft rankings).

As a general rule, fans overvalue their team's prospects. The chances of all of the guys you list above making it, let alone becoming stars, is very low. All, with the exception of Cassels, are projected to be top 6 forwards or a starting goalie in Dempko's case. In reality it would be a huge win if two or three meet their projected upside.

 

[HowDoIHockey]

Thanks billvanseattle and iceburg! I started looking through some of those links - there's sure a lot of information out there to absorb!

I've been hearing a lot about Cole Cassels about how he helped shut down Connor McDavid in the Memorial Cup this year. It doesn't sound like he's rated all that high in your books though. Is the success against McDavid being read into too much? He had 81 regular season points and 19 points in playoffs which sounds pretty good to me. Or is it just that he is still a year or two away, still young yet?

 

[Zombotron]

I've been hearing a lot about Cole Cassels about how he helped shut down Connor McDavid in the Memorial Cup this year. It doesn't sound like he's rated all that high in your books though. Is the success against McDavid being read into too much? He had 81 regular season points and 19 points in playoffs which sounds pretty good to me. Or is it just that he is still a year or two away, still young yet?

That was the collective effort of the entire Generals roster. However, the recent revelation that Cole Cassels played through the entire Memorial Cup run with an abdominal injury could be a blessing in disguise - if he contributed the way he did while nursing an injury, who knows what he would have been capable of if he were healthy.

 

[Pip]

Thanks billvanseattle and iceburg! I started looking through some of those links - there's sure a lot of information out there to absorb!

I've been hearing a lot about Cole Cassels about how he helped shut down Connor McDavid in the Memorial Cup this year. It doesn't sound like he's rated all that high in your books though. Is the success against McDavid being read into too much? He had 81 regular season points and 19 points in playoffs which sounds pretty good to me. Or is it just that he is still a year or two away, still young yet?

Cassels is a promising prospect but his skating issues are worrisome, and may hold him back once he turns pro. Hopefully they can be improved upon over the next couple years. I'm a bad fan of him and have watched him more than any other Canuck prospect over the past couple years.

 

[Virtanen2Horvat]

Cassels is a promising prospect but his skating issues are worrisome, and may hold him back once he turns pro. Hopefully they can be improved upon over the next couple years. I'm a bad fan of him and have watched him more than any other Canuck prospect over the past couple years.

Its okay Horvat will give him skating lessons.

 

[iceburg]

Thanks billvanseattle and iceburg! I started looking through some of those links - there's sure a lot of information out there to absorb!

I've been hearing a lot about Cole Cassels about how he helped shut down Connor McDavid in the Memorial Cup this year. It doesn't sound like he's rated all that high in your books though. Is the success against McDavid being read into too much? He had 81 regular season points and 19 points in playoffs which sounds pretty good to me. Or is it just that he is still a year or two away, still young yet?

I actually really like Cassels as a prospect. He probably has the closest to a professional game. His skating has been cited as an issue but it doesn't seem to bother him playing against some of the faster players in the OHL. A big difference between him and the other prospects you mention is that his upside is probably as a third line shut down centre whereas a Shinkaruk's upside is top six....but it's more likely that Cassels reaches his potential.