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- Aug 22, 2013
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Confirmed with Link: Vancouver Canucks Draft Jake Virtanen "The Rifleman"
- Thread starter canuckfan75
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No it wouldn't have. I've been reading that some scouts don't like him at all. The closest thing to being Kyle Beach 2.0 in the top 15
SillyRabbit
Trix Are For Kids
- Jan 3, 2006
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I'm literally dumbfounded as to how you can pass up both Nylander and Ehlers for this guy.
Benning off to a horrible start.
Benning off to a horrible start.
Canucker
Go Hawks!
What scouts are saying this? Draisaitl is a near consensus top 5 pick. Your off the mark again here.
KuemperTantrum
Registered User
Yup, I wanted us to take Ehlers all season long, but I'm pretty excited to see how Virtanen develops. The fact that he's only 17 and scored 45 goals in the WHL is pretty great. Also loving how fast and physical he is, and from what I've read, Desjardins is an offense first coach, so I think he'll fit in well.
yapperface
Bo Knows
The Horvatian One
228 LBS of Pain
- Aug 22, 2010
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Our fanbase though after the 'bad' trades when there was nothing Benning could really do more to gain out of it should be a prime example.
I'm happy with this trade and understand the expectations were high....but still a bit ridiculous considering there were only 2 teams he would say yes to.
And look at this thread itself. Kid's going to get chased out of town really quick considering he won't even get a chance to prove himself. I feel bad for the kid already. *cough* Neely *cough*
BenningHurtsMySoul
Unfair Huggy Bear
We made the right choice in keeping our package and taking JV.
Will be fun to watch at the WJC, maybe he'll even play with McDavid.
Will be fun to watch at the WJC, maybe he'll even play with McDavid.
No Creativity on this Team
After the Sedins and Hunter, who the Canucks apparently tried to trade all day, the team has virtually NO creative skill.
They passed up on Nylander who literally makes everyone he plays with better and would have formed a great 1-2 punch down the Centre with BoHo. He also completely dominated the Ivan Hlinka tourney where he played against other players in his age group. Was rated by swedish national team officials as being the best offensive player since Nicklas Backstrom. He has some serious skill.
The Canucks will likely regret this-baffling.
After the Sedins and Hunter, who the Canucks apparently tried to trade all day, the team has virtually NO creative skill.
They passed up on Nylander who literally makes everyone he plays with better and would have formed a great 1-2 punch down the Centre with BoHo. He also completely dominated the Ivan Hlinka tourney where he played against other players in his age group. Was rated by swedish national team officials as being the best offensive player since Nicklas Backstrom. He has some serious skill.
The Canucks will likely regret this-baffling.
Feel a bit better now that I've researched Virtanen's year in Calgary.
-one of the youngest players in the draft
-not much icetime. Around 17-18 minutes only a night compared to other draft eligibles in the 20s.
-not a ton of pp time, and not a large percentage of his production with man advantage.
-not a huge supporting cast or overly offensive team in Calgary. An overager finished tied for 1st w/ 85 pts....JV was 3rd as a young 17 yr old
-finished the year with a torn labrum and still produced
-fast, wicked shot, physical as everyone here already knows
If this kid is a late bloomer, we may have a homerun here. His lack of hockey sense and playmaking skills still makes me wish we took Nylander or Ehlers though.
-one of the youngest players in the draft
-not much icetime. Around 17-18 minutes only a night compared to other draft eligibles in the 20s.
-not a ton of pp time, and not a large percentage of his production with man advantage.
-not a huge supporting cast or overly offensive team in Calgary. An overager finished tied for 1st w/ 85 pts....JV was 3rd as a young 17 yr old
-finished the year with a torn labrum and still produced
-fast, wicked shot, physical as everyone here already knows
If this kid is a late bloomer, we may have a homerun here. His lack of hockey sense and playmaking skills still makes me wish we took Nylander or Ehlers though.
The hometown connection is a big one. Too often the Canucks DON'T take player from Vancouver.
Thats my main fear.
I'll get this out of the way first. Nothing personal against the kid. Wish him the best and truly hope he exceeds all my expectations. My beef is with Benning.
Notice how TSN rates the ice Q of our pick as 3/5, or worst in the top 15 thus far. Next take a look at NHL scoring leaders list. I see lot of variety regarding the other traits. Some guys are big, some are small, some are fast, others are slow, some have good shots, others not so much, etc. But few or none have questionable ice Q. That is the crux of the matter.
At 6th overall you simply have to go for broke. Benning went the safe route. Almost a guaranteed NHLer but one with questionable ceiling. Also, if him being a homeboy played any role in his selection, as most suspect it did, even if only ever so slightly, than I'm at a loss for words.
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