Prospect Info: Vancouver Canucks Top 25 Prospects 2015 - #1

[Siludin]

McCann is looking to be our best prospect and most likely to be a top 6 player one day. It just annoys me that Virtanen is destroying him in the polls despite not showing anything to project him as a top 6 player.

He is a top-6 player, he just isn't the type of player you throw out first on your power play. There's a huge difference. In the NHL, if you can dominate with speed AND size, while potting even .5 ppg and drawing penalties, you are a top-6 player because of your versatility. Start thinking of Jake Virtanen as Mason Raymond with size and grit and you'll see why people are getting excited.

 

[The Jesus*]

He is a top-6 player, he just isn't the type of player you throw out first on your power play. There's a huge difference. In the NHL, if you can dominate with speed AND size, while potting even .5 ppg and drawing penalties, you are a top-6 player because of your versatility. Start thinking of Jake Virtanen as Mason Raymond with size and grit and you'll see why people are getting excited.

That's already how I think of Virtanen. A bigger Mason Raymond is basically a perfect comparison.

 

[racerjoe]

McCann has shown progression and put up numbers similar to other players who ened up good top 6 players. Virtanen hasn't.

So why is Virtanen ahead when McCann is trending better? I don't get it. There is no other explanation other than draft pedigree and hopes and wishes while refusing to accept the fact that we blew the pick.

Why? First Jake did progress this season, it was his goals that went down, most likely from a shoulder surgery, and taking away accuracy on his shot. I posted the numbers before, but if he scored the same number of goals as the season before, his production actually jumps. I did this on a per game basis too, taking into account Jake missed a few chunks of the season, and not giving him the same actually goal total.

Also roles on their team. McCann was the focal point for his dominant and stacked team, Jake was forced down the lineup, primarily to pull tough defensive match ups away from the hit an top line.

Also Jake played agains some of the stiffest comp in junior, and put up amazing projected points per 60.

So looking at his game in context, with advanced stats I would say Jake still projects better than jared. I wish I saw some more of Jake in Utica though.

 

[Hammer79]

Virtanen - has a high ceiling and is a realistic candidate to make the team this fall.

 

[Numbers]

When the vote is a landslide like this one, can we not close this and move on to the next prospect?

 

[stexx]

He scores at a .5 gpg pace when asked to play in a scoring role, and without any kind of decent linemates. What's the problem here again? The fact that his draft+1 year didn't blow you out of the park because he was injured to start the season? Or because he scored less than Adam Tambellini? Virtanen had dominant stretches of games last year, where he took over the ice for weeks at a time. WHL.ca doesn't track power play points but I am going to assume that 90% of his points came at even strength or off the rush.

he actually regressed at even strength goal scoring this year he scored 10 PP goals in his draft year out of 45, and this season went 7/21 on the PP. I think if i went through all of his assists this year his ES assists would be way up though.

 

[The Jesus*]

Why? First Jake did progress this season, it was his goals that went down, most likely from a shoulder surgery, and taking away accuracy on his shot. I posted the numbers before, but if he scored the same number of goals as the season before, his production actually jumps. I did this on a per game basis too, taking into account Jake missed a few chunks of the season, and not giving him the same actually goal total.

Also roles on their team. McCann was the focal point for his dominant and stacked team, Jake was forced down the lineup, primarily to pull tough defensive match ups away from the hit an top line.

Also Jake played agains some of the stiffest comp in junior, and put up amazing projected points per 60.

So looking at his game in context, with advanced stats I would say Jake still projects better than jared. I wish I saw some more of Jake in Utica though.

Projected points per 60? You guys will reach at any lengths to defend the guy, huh?

Well, I've said my piece. Nothing more needs to be said. We'll see what he does this year.

 

[Hyack57]

I went with Demko...I'm not sold on Virtanen as the #1 prospect. I can see Demko being a top end goalie in the NHL.

Not sold on a guy who had an average season following off season shoulder surgery but consider Demko a future top end goalie after having hip surgery (on one or both hips?) and not seeing the future results from that?

I'm not a Virtanen cheerleader by any means but i really think JimBen is going to give Virtanen all the opportunities necessary to succeed being his marquee first pick he ever made. If I ignore draft position I don't think Virtanen is miles ahead as our results show.

 

[Hyack57]

Virtanen

Cassells
McCann
Boeser
Demko

Shinkaruk
Corrado
Subban<------------- Add to your poll for future polls please
Kenins

Clendening
Brisbois

Gaunce
Jensen

 

[Canucker]

Not sold on a guy who had an average season following off season shoulder surgery but consider Demko a future top end goalie after having hip surgery (on one or both hips?) and not seeing the future results from that?

I'm not a Virtanen cheerleader by any means but i really think JimBen is going to give Virtanen all the opportunities necessary to succeed being his marquee first pick he ever made. If I ignore draft position I don't think Virtanen is miles ahead as our results show.

He can give Virtanen all the opportunities in the world, it doesn't mean he's going to end up the best player amongst our current prospects.

And its not necessarily Virtanen's injury that makes me question his ranking, I just don't see him as a prolific scorer at the NHL level....and I believe Demko is a better prospect. Virtanen might actually be 3rd or 4th on my list behind Boeser and McCann.

 

[racerjoe]

Projected points per 60? You guys will reach at any lengths to defend the guy, huh?

Well, I've said my piece. Nothing more needs to be said. We'll see what he does this year.

It's project only cause the minutes per game are not 100% accurate, but either way it is better than anything you have written in this thread. You started by saying he regressed, when he actually did the opposit in 90% of measurable stats. Only his goal scoring went down. Then went on to give nothing but opinion.

 

[m9]

Not sold on a guy who had an average season following off season shoulder surgery but consider Demko a future top end goalie after having hip surgery (on one or both hips?) and not seeing the future results from that?

I'm not a Virtanen cheerleader by any means but i really think JimBen is going to give Virtanen all the opportunities necessary to succeed being his marquee first pick he ever made. If I ignore draft position I don't think Virtanen is miles ahead as our results show.

This last sentence is the problem with how people interpret polls. Nobody says Virtanen is "miles ahead", but the vast majority think he is at least slightly ahead.

 

[Tobi Wan Kenobi]

Boeser will end up being the best imo. I voted him. He's a lot more polished then Virtanen. He sees the ice more and is strong in the corners. Virtanen has the best tools but Boeser has a better box and will end up being better. His playmaking is underrated and I think his style of play will mesh real well with Horvat.

 

[CCF23]

01. Virtanen
02. Boeser
03. McCann
04. Shinkaruk
05. Corrado
06. Gaunce
07. Clendening
08. Demko
09. Cassels
10. Grenier
11. Subban

 

[StrictlyCommercial]

Virtanen
McCann
Demko
Boeser
Kenins

Add Hutton

 

[Vankiller Whale]

Add McNally and Forsling

 

[Tim Calhoun]

McCann is way better than Virtanen.

Virtanen is a garbage prospect. Would be difficult for him to crack my top-5.

 

[Mofletz]

McCann is way better than Virtanen.

Virtanen is a garbage prospect. Would be difficult for him to crack my top-5.

Virtanen has all the tools to be a real good player in the NHL.

Right now he might have the best shot on the team and he is already faster than Henrik, Bonino, Horvat.

If you think Virtanen is a garbage prospect, I would like to know what you think about Stewart, Liberati, Fox, Valk. etc.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Looks good. But I have Boeser higher than Shinkaruk and maybe higher than McCann

Virtanen
McCann
Boeser
Demko
Shinkaruk
Cassels
Kenins
Subban
Corrado
Gaunce
Clendenning

Im happy with the forwards in our pipeline, and thats about it. Youth in goal is decent with Demko and Markstrom, but either of them becoming a Vezina candidate seems far-fetched, and defence is by far one of the worst in the entire NHL. We need to get on it, and fast.

 

[Jimson Hogarth*]

Virt, then McCann, then Demko

 

[The Jesus*]

It's project only cause the minutes per game are not 100% accurate, but either way it is better than anything you have written in this thread. You started by saying he regressed, when he actually did the opposit in 90% of measurable stats. Only his goal scoring went down. Then went on to give nothing but opinion.

lol no he didn't. He scored half as many goals, and scored at like a whopping .01ppg more than his draft year.

He was a year older, a year more mature, and was taken 6th overall in the NHL draft. Going barely ppg playing against the same teenagers you've already been playing against for 2 years is not progress. Especially scoring half as many goals. It's serious regression.

Virtanen was ppg in his draft year. People were expecting him to put up around 90 points in his draft+1 year. That is normal progression for a top pick in the NHL draft. And what did he do? 50 something points and 20 something goals? Basically putting up PPG again?

But yeah. Projected points per 60. That's not reaching at all. Sure thing. Why can't people just admit it was a stupid pick? Nylander almost matched Virtanen's production, but playing in the AHL as a dainty 18 year old. Ehlers almost doubled Virtanen's production. Not to mention the 10-15 other prospects taken after him in the 1st round who had better draft+1 years.

 

[Jimson Hogarth*]

Draft gripe thread please and thanks

 

[Hardyvan123]

McCann I think has the highest upside on that list.

I tend to agree and he also is a better bet to play in the NH, in a meaningful role, than most of the other prospects on the list.

People should get excited about McCann long term IMO.

 

[Numbers]

lol no he didn't. He scored half as many goals, and scored at like a whopping .01ppg more than his draft year.

He was a year older, a year more mature, and was taken 6th overall in the NHL draft. Going barely ppg playing against the same teenagers you've already been playing against for 2 years is not progress. Especially scoring half as many goals. It's serious regression.

Virtanen was ppg in his draft year. People were expecting him to put up around 90 points in his draft+1 year. That is normal progression for a top pick in the NHL draft. And what did he do? 50 something points and 20 something goals? Basically putting up PPG again?

But yeah. Projected points per 60. That's not reaching at all. Sure thing. Why can't people just admit it was a stupid pick? Nylander almost matched Virtanen's production, but playing in the AHL as a dainty 18 year old. Ehlers almost doubled Virtanen's production. Not to mention the 10-15 other prospects taken after him in the 1st round who had better draft+1 years.

There were some similar opinions towards Horvat. I would reserve judgement until we see Virtanen for an entire NHL season.

 

[Wilch]

Virtanen.

Highest upside, most important prospect we need to have pan out for this organization.