Prospect Info: Vancouver Canucks Top 25 Prospects 2015 - #5

[Nuckles]

If someone could post the poll tomorrow (Friday) around 11am I would appreciate it, I won't be able to do it until late in the afternoon/early evening.



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| Thatcher Demko |G|6.04|195|Dec 8, 1995| 48.87%
5|???|???|???|???|???| ???

*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...

 

[Pip]

Cassels. Great progression every year

 

[DL44]

I think this is where our prospects tier down a level..

I like Cassels in the 5 spot here for now.... Captain of a championship team... If he can be Mike Richards-like player... (early yrs)...

I say for now because i want to see how Shinkaruk comes into camp after a healthy off season... I expect Shinkaruk to really take a significant step this fall.. IF he has it in him, i think we'll see it this fall.

 

[racerjoe]

Shink edges Cassels to me. Cassels needs to work on both his skating and his shot, will be interesting to see how they both do in the AHL.

 

[Nuckles]

I went with Cassels. Although there are guys with higher potential still on the board, I think he's a lot more likely to reach his potential. I see him becoming a 2nd/3rd line tweener with leadership abilities.

 

[alternate]

Shink cuz he's a natural goal scorer.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Shinkaruk. Cassels showed well in junior hockey, but we don't know how he will be at the pro level. Shinkaruk showed enough in the second half last year to look promising enough to still be a top prospect.

 

[waka waka]

Shinky. Speed and great shot.

 

[StrictlyCommercial]

Tough one for me as well. Cassels had a great year, but it was his D+2 junior year.

Shink had a solid second half, but he was bad in the playoffs. Nowhere near as good as Baertschi who himself may struggle as a top 6 forward.

Then there is Corrado who is NHL ready, and could be a second pairing D.

Corrado
Cassels
Shinkaruk

Is where I'm leaning.

 

[Southern_Canuck]

Here's where it gets interesting!

Do you choose:
Cassels (20) - maybe not the best skater, but seems to have a lot of heart and desire... and playmaking/scoring ability
Shinkaruk (20) - shifty, clever winger, but maybe doesn't play big enough to make it in the NHL
Hutton (22) - forward converted to defence with a great shot and good skating - but who knows if he can play defence
Brisebois (17) - supposed smooth skating, high skills defenceman - have not seen
Subban (20) - high skills and good skating defenceman, but maybe too small to play defence in the NHL
Zhukenov (18) - high skills center - have not seen
Jasek (17) - high skills winger - have not seen

I'm going with Cassels - however this could be a close vote.

By the way, please add Jasek - I think he's a viable choice

S_C

 

[25Bieksa3]

Voted Corrado as based on what's left, he's the only one that with almost 100% certainty will have an NHL career.

 

[Nuckles]

Here's where it gets interesting!

Do you choose:
Cassels (20) - maybe not the best skater, but seems to have a lot of heart and desire... and playmaking/scoring ability
Shinkaruk (20) - shifty, clever winger, but maybe doesn't play big enough to make it in the NHL
Hutton (22) - forward converted to defence with a great shot and good skating - but who knows if he can play defence
Brisebois (17) - supposed smooth skating, high skills defenceman - have not seen
Subban (20) - high skills and good skating defenceman, but maybe too small to play defence in the NHL
Zhukenov (18) - high skills center - have not seen
Jasek (17) - high skills winger - have not seen

I'm going with Cassels - however this could be a close vote.

By the way, please add Jasek - I think he's a viable choice

S_C

I agree, these next group of picks will be close for me.

As for Jasek, I was planning on adding him on the next poll. I didn't want to add too many choices at once, I'm capping it at 17 per poll.

 

[banme*]

I agree, these next group of picks will be close for me.

As for Jasek, I was planning on adding him on the next poll. I didn't want to add too many choices at once, I'm capping it at 17 per poll.

Add Mackenze Stewart.

 

[rypper]

Voted Corrado as based on what's left, he's the only one that with almost 100% certainty will have an NHL career.

I voted Shinkaruk but completely skimmed over Corrado. He's probably the next player to make the nhl out of the group.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Here's where it gets interesting!

Do you choose:
Cassels (20) - maybe not the best skater, but seems to have a lot of heart and desire... and playmaking/scoring ability
Shinkaruk (20) - shifty, clever winger, but maybe doesn't play big enough to make it in the NHL
Hutton (22) - forward converted to defence with a great shot and good skating - but who knows if he can play defence
Brisebois (17) - supposed smooth skating, high skills defenceman - have not seen
Subban (20) - high skills and good skating defenceman, but maybe too small to play defence in the NHL
Zhukenov (18) - high skills center - have not seen
Jasek (17) - high skills winger - have not seen

EDIT: 0:40 was one of the more memorable plays I saw in all the Utica games I watched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iKgmDi2ssQ

I'm going with Cassels - however this could be a close vote.

By the way, please add Jasek - I think he's a viable choice

S_C

How the heck do you leave Gaunce off that list of prospects ???

I'm basing my vote more on what I watched (mostly late season and playoffs) than stats, but it is interesting that Gaunce and Shinkaruk had nearly identical production. Shink more goals, Gaunce more assists, same points.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Add on Gaunce: Couldn't edit above for some reason

0:40 seconds was one of the more memorable plays I saw watching Utica last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iKgmDi2ssQ

 

[Southern_Canuck]

How the heck do you leave Gaunce off that list of prospects ???

I'm basing my vote more on what I watched (mostly late season and playoffs) than stats, but it is interesting that Gaunce and Shinkaruk had nearly identical production. Shink more goals, Gaunce more assists, same points.

With Gaunce, I think the skating he has demonstrated so far leaves him below the others - despite his hockey smarts.
And, although you don't mention Corrado, I didn't include him in this group because at 22 he seems to have leveled out.

My first choices for Top Prospects are the ones who have higher potential for top 6 forward or top 4 defence - before the players who might become an NHL roster player.

S_C

 

[MS]

Cassels pretty easily here.

Where is Kenins? I'd vote for him next.

 

[StrictlyCommercial]

How the heck do you leave Gaunce off that list of prospects ???

I'm basing my vote more on what I watched (mostly late season and playoffs) than stats, but it is interesting that Gaunce and Shinkaruk had nearly identical production. Shink more goals, Gaunce more assists, same points.

Gaunce was also a far superior hockey player to Shinkaruk all around. Hopefully Shinkaruk is rejuvenated at camp because the version that played for Utica in the playoffs was not a future NHL player.

 

[Reign Nateo]

1. Virtanen
2. Demko
3. McCann
4. Boeser
5. Cassels

That's my top 5, so Cassels...

 

[Andy Dufresne]

With Gaunce, I think the skating he has demonstrated so far leaves him below the others - despite his hockey smarts.
And, although you don't mention Corrado, I didn't include him in this group because at 22 he seems to have leveled out.

My first choices for Top Prospects are the ones who have higher potential for top 6 forward or top 4 defence - before the players who might become an NHL roster player.

S_C

\

Fair enough. Although, where does that leave Cassels? I predict Gaunce looks like the better skater at the start of camp, although I hope i'm wrong because skating might be the only thing holding Cassels back from starting the year as our #4c.

I think Gaunce improved his skating a lot, but it's still obviously not a strength.

 

[Verviticus]

lol whoops, i voted for cassels because i didnt even entertain the possibility of shinkaruk losing #4

 

[Intoewsables]

Cassels pretty easily here.

Where is Kenins? I'd vote for him next.

I think he's too old to be considered a prospect by HF standards.

Cassels for me as well.

 

[Nuckles]

Where is Kenins? I'd vote for him next.

He's 24 years old, not a prospect anymore according to HF's rules.

 

[Tobi Wan Kenobi]

Cassels. It scares me that Corrado has 7 and Brisebois has 0. Sorry but Corrado is not a better prospect than him.