Prospect Info: Vancouver Canucks Top 25 Prospects 2015 - #4

[Nuckles]

It's that time of year again! The HF Vancouver Canucks board will be ranking the team's top 20 prospects (including the 2015 draft selections). Polls will be left open for 24 hours.

Feel free to explain your choices and suggest who should be added to the list for the next poll.

Rank | Player | POS | HT | WT | DOB | Poll%
1| Jake Virtanen |RW|6.01|207|Aug 17, 1996| 80.00%
2| Jared McCann |C|6.00|185|May 31, 1996| 68.21%
3| Brock Boeser |RW|6.00|191|Feb 25 1997| 57.14%
4|???|???|???|???|???| ???

*Please note that only players that Hockey's Future considers to be prospects will be included, meaning Horvat, Baertschi, Vey, and Markstrom will be excluded from voting.

2014 ranking: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1719893
2013 ranking: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1486113

Click to read more...

 

[Icebreakers]

Cassels or Demko.

I go Cassels because I think Demko is like ~4 years away from seeing NHL action.

I guess Corrado/Shinkaruk could be an option as well. But at this point i have more confidence in Cassels turning into a #3C than Shinkaruk turning into a top 6 winger (that or bust imo). So i would go Cassels even though Shink has the higher ceiling.

 

[maroon 6]

Shinkaruk/Demko for me. Went with Shinkaruk.

 

[Nucker101]

Demko easily for me.

 

[Thad Castle]

Demko

 

[Pip]

Demko then Cassels for me

 

[Intoewsables]

Fully expect Demko to win this but I'm going with Cassels.

 

[PM]

Surprised Demko is winning by such a landslide. Goalies are extremely hard to predict. I'm going against the grain and picking Corrado. If he wasn't stuck in the press box for half the year last season and actually given a chance I think he would be a permanent fixture on our blueline. His handling has been awful since the new regime took over.

 

[StrictlyCommercial]

Demko by a wide margin. Last guy with top end potential.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Shinkaruk.

If he played in the WHL last year and ripped up the league he would no doubt be top 3 in this poll, but because he turned pro and struggled to start going through the growing pains of learning a pro game his stock is falling.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

If only Demko wasn't a goalie this would've been easy.

I'm going with Gaunce for a few reasons. His skating and shot seem to have improved tremendously. He's always been a good passer, I think his ceiling is a lot higher than previously believed. He's close to being able to help the big club, probably closer than anyone on this list except Corrado (who I find it increasing hard to get excited about). Can't see him not being at the very least a good 3rd liner.

Cassels could pass him quickly. I want to see him at the pro level first that's all. Subban and Shinkaruk have huge upside but that size is still a large hurdle to jump. Grenier's a wildcard. Demko is still a goalie.

 

[biturbo19]

Surprised Demko is winning by such a landslide. Goalies are extremely hard to predict. I'm going against the grain and picking Corrado. If he wasn't stuck in the press box for half the year last season and actually given a chance I think he would be a permanent fixture on our blueline. His handling has been awful since the new regime took over.

Yeah. I can see why Demko is getting all these votes here and it does make some sense. But at the same time, goaltenders can be such a crapshoot until they hit the Professional game. Until Demko clears that hurdle, it's hard for me to rate him quite that highly in our prospect pool.


I go with Cassels here. But this is clearly a point where the polls really open up, quite a few guys you could make a valid case for at this point.

 

[topheavyhookjaw]

Went Demko. I know goalies are voodoo, but can't help it I'm excited that he'll be excellent.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Part of me wonders what the results would be if Cassels was a first rounder. I think he's ahead of Shinkaruk right now but Hunter really showed some improvement the last part of the season. I think Shinkaruk could be the biggest surprise in terms of development next year.
But as of right now I probably would go:
1. Demko
2. Cassels
3. Shinkaruk.

 

[racerjoe]

Surprised Demko is winning by such a landslide. Goalies are extremely hard to predict. I'm going against the grain and picking Corrado. If he wasn't stuck in the press box for half the year last season and actually given a chance I think he would be a permanent fixture on our blueline. His handling has been awful since the new regime took over.

Yeah. I can see why Demko is getting all these votes here and it does make some sense. But at the same time, goaltenders can be such a crapshoot until they hit the Professional game. Until Demko clears that hurdle, it's hard for me to rate him quite that highly in our prospect pool.


I go with Cassels here. But this is clearly a point where the polls really open up, quite a few guys you could make a valid case for at this point.

For me it is not just that, but he has to come back from major surgery, and while most do just fine, he has more to prove to me.

Went with Shink, as I liked the fact even when it didn't show on the scoreboard for him, all I heard was improvemnt from the Utica crowd. Slow start, but a great learning year.

 

[Taelin]

Demko because he has the highest ceiling of all the prospects left.

 

[Intoewsables]

Yeah. I can see why Demko is getting all these votes here and it does make some sense. But at the same time, goaltenders can be such a crapshoot until they hit the Professional game. Until Demko clears that hurdle, it's hard for me to rate him quite that highly in our prospect pool.


I go with Cassels here. But this is clearly a point where the polls really open up, quite a few guys you could make a valid case for at this point.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat here. I just have a difficult time getting too excited about Demko until he starts playing pro hockey. Cassels seems like a much safer bet to me at this point.

 

[Tobi Wan Kenobi]

To me it's Cassels. Demko still has lots to prove and a few holes in his game. I wanna see how he does with his new mobility. He looked stiff before. If he looks more quick and agile then I'd move him up even higher. But if he's the same then I'd drop him even lower. He's definitely not as polished as Schneider at the same age.

Cassels
Demko
Shinkaruk
Gaunce
Brisebois

Are the next five in my opinion.

 

[ugghhh]

Shinkaruk.

If he played in the WHL last year and ripped up the league he would no doubt be top 3 in this poll, but because he turned pro and struggled to start going through the growing pains of learning a pro game his stock is falling.

I agree.

Shinkaruk has too much skill for me to pass up here. If we're trading with a team, and they wanted two of Shinkaruk, Cassels, Demko... I'm keeping Shinkaruk.

 

[WinterEmpire]

Demko has more volatility as a prospect than say Cassels, but for a crappy team like the Canucks I'm looking for highest potential over chance to hit.

 

[Pip]

Shinkaruk.

If he played in the WHL last year and ripped up the league he would no doubt be top 3 in this poll, but because he turned pro and struggled to start going through the growing pains of learning a pro game his stock is falling.

I think that it would have been a bad sign if Shinkaruk had went back to the WHL when he's pro-eligible

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

C'mon guys, Cassels is way overdue here.

 

[Addison Rae]

Thacher Demko

 

[Icebreakers]

Demko has more volatility as a prospect than say Cassels, but for a crappy team like the Canucks I'm looking for highest potential over chance to hit.

For a crappy team like the Canucks, they need NHL players period. Dont even worry about highest potential. We have had "highest potential" too many times already with Hodgson Schroeder Rodin Jensen Shinkaruk. We just need NHL players. Last Canuck prospect to make it full time as a regular outside of Horvat whose still on the team is Jannik Hansen...the other guy who made it as a regular after then on were Raymond and Hodgson..

Talking about skaters of course. Goaltending isnt the biggest problem for the Canucks, and it hasnt been since Luongo came on board.

 

[VC]

I'm rather high on Demko, then Shinkaruk then Cassels for me.