Prospect Info: Vilmer Alriksson: 107th Overall 2023 Draft (Djurgadren Jr.) - LW

[VanJack]

Any chance they could convert this kid to center? Canucks have nothing down the middle who even come close to him.

 

[petterdaddy]

Probably ~0.6 PPG, which sounds weird, but we have a pretty good comparable in Toropchenko Alexey Toropchenko - Wikipedia

Obviously also depends on how good Guelph is (they're not) and what his usage will be.

It took me 30 seconds to realize you weren’t talking about the goalie we signed.

 

[F A N]

I hope the Canucks have a good development plan for him. Don't turn him into something he's not. Which begs the question. What type of player is he and projects to be?

 

[Yultron]

Any chance they could convert this kid to center? Canucks have nothing down the middle who even come close to him.

Yes there is absolutely a chance that they can convert him to centre as he has a history of playing centre even tho he is a natural left winger so I honestly don’t see that as likely .

I am even more confident now because it wasn’t too long ago the Guelph Storm developed a player who is also 6 foot 6 , a 4th round pick in the NHL and now a NHL regular and that is Alex Toropchenko on the St Louis Blues .

Guelph did wonders for him and really helped mould him into the player he is now and he was also a project at that time and helped them go all the way to the Memorial Cup playing with the likes of Nick Suzucki , Sean Durzi and Mackenzie Entwistle

 

[RobertKron]

I hope the Canucks have a good development plan for him. Don't turn him into something he's not. Which begs the question. What type of player is he and projects to be?

I feel "plans" are overrated in the sense that it's just talking. Find me an NHL star that attributed his success to management's "plan" for the player. The stories you here are about players doing their own training.

 

[Siludin]

He will have the opportunity to win the hearts of Vancouver it's when with the Abbotsford team

 

[nucksflailtogether]

I told you all he would report to the OHL !! Can’t wait to see what he can do, maybe he will be my new Lockhart

The Lockhart trophy shall be awarded yearly to yultrons chosen underdog prospect.
Interestingly he’s almost a foot taller.

 

[Yultron]

The Lockhart trophy shall be awarded yearly to yultrons chosen underdog prospect.
Interestingly he’s almost a foot taller.

Lockhart also was apart of the old regime , That definitely played a factor aswell , along with the fact he didn’t produce when he needed two which ultimately sealed his fate and he didn’t deserve a spot in the AHL or a contract .

It’s way different now with Alriksson. He is Alvin’s property and if he progresses these next two seasons he will 100% get a contract as he projects long term as a power forward like Toropchenko who plays on the 3rd line .

And because he is European prospect we have him under control for 4 years instead of just the two . So we can be patient with him like we can be with Forrsell, Jurmo etc and help him develop

 

[LemonSauceD]

If he’s around PPG in the OHL, that is still good for a 19 year old D+1 4th round pick.

 

[F A N]

Lockhart also was apart of the old regime , That definitely played a factor aswell , along with the fact he didn’t produce when he needed two which ultimately sealed his fate and he didn’t deserve a spot in the AHL or a contract .

It’s way different now with Alriksson. He is Alvin’s property and if he progresses these next two seasons he will 100% get a contract as he projects long term as a power forward like Toropchenko who plays on the 3rd line .

And because he is European prospect we have him under control for 4 years instead of just the two . So we can be patient with him like we can be with Forrsell, Jurmo etc and help him develop

Lockhart's OHL production was just underwhelming. Hard to envision an NHL future at his size. It's too bad. Was worth a flyer.

 

[MS]

Lockhart's OHL production was just underwhelming. Hard to envision an NHL future at his size. It's too bad. Was worth a flyer.

Yeah, there was nothing wrong with the pick logic there.

With no OHL season that year, was worth a flyer on a guy who had been a high OHL draft pick and had good 16 y/o production. Toronto did the same thing with Ty Voit just before and Voit has blown up and led the OHL in assists/2nd in points last year. Other guys like Ethan Del Maestro (4th round) have been home runs for their teams and would have been selected miles higher had there been a season that year. Our shot just didn't work out.

 

[VanJack]

We're probably getting little spoiled with all the seventh rounders the Canucks have picked who've actually worked out, and at least earned a contract.

Lockhart was a high pick in the OHL Bantam Priority draft, but the year off during the pandemic really hurt his development. And at this point, he's just not much of a pro prospect.

 

[Yultron]

We're probably getting little spoiled with all the seventh rounders the Canucks have picked who've actually worked out, and at least earned a contract.

Lockhart was a high pick in the OHL Bantam Priority draft, but the year off during the pandemic really hurt his development. And at this point, he's just not much of a pro prospect.

Agree with you there ,

Todd Harvey has done phenomenal finding Forsell and Kudryavstev in the 7th round in back to back years and both players have a shot to make it to the NHL if they can both take big step forwards this year and progress in development.

Yeah sorry Jimbo Forsell wasn’t yours , that’s Todd Harvey and the scouting staff

 

[biturbo19]

Yes there is absolutely a chance that they can convert him to centre as he has a history of playing centre even tho he is a natural left winger so I honestly don’t see that as likely .

I am even more confident now because it wasn’t too long ago the Guelph Storm developed a player who is also 6 foot 6 , a 4th round pick in the NHL and now a NHL regular and that is Alex Toropchenko on the St Louis Blues .

Guelph did wonders for him and really helped mould him into the player he is now and he was also a project at that time and helped them go all the way to the Memorial Cup playing with the likes of Nick Suzucki , Sean Durzi and Mackenzie Entwistle

The thing is, even in his draft year...Toropchenko was a far more coordinated mover on the ice than what little i've seen of Alriksson.


Guelph has also recently taken another six and a half foot tall "monster" in Isaac Ratcliffe, and turned him into basically nothing. Underwhelming AHL player.


The biggest thing (pun intended) about developing these types of players is that realistically, there are extremely few quality NHLers that tall. It typically becomes a huge hurdle to overcome in mobility, coordination, agility. That's where Toropchenko always seemed like a better bet to me. He was a really solid skater, for a big lanky prospect like that.


Who knows if Alriksson pans out. Odds aren't great with any pick in that range, and i can see what the intent is there. I just think that realistically, drafting this big tall vines for limbs sort of project is a bit like drafting really small little players. NHL size outside of a couple standard deviations from that 6' average on either side, tends to be a real outlier. Small number of actual 6'4"+ sort of players in the same way there are very few 5'8"- players.


Particularly when it seems this guy is a bit of a gentle giant. That kind of reach can be a powerful tool, but it's rare to see it used effectively.

 

[F A N]

@RobertKron I wasn't able to quote your post above since it was blank. I want to say "Good One" but my comments were made in an entirely different context. Clearly, Alriksson is in a completely different situation than 19 year old McCann and Virtanen who had cracked the Canucks lineup.

In Alriksson's case, he's a project who hasn't really established an identity, but regardless, whatever he is isn't good enough if he wants an NHL future. So I hope the Canucks have a good development plan for Alriksson because he's a stage where he's a raw project who can be moulded into a different type of player.

That's different from McCann and Virtanen in the context I was saying that development plans are overrated. The "plan" for McCann was to develop him into a top 2 two-way C and the "plan" for Virtanen was develop him into a goal scoring powerforward (who isn't a defensive liability). The point I made is that usually, at least at the NHL level, players often do their own thing.

Even here, who was the last star positional player who took a big step in his development who attributed his developmental success to the team's "development plan?" Like I asked, did Canucks management tell Kesler to shoot lots of pucks in the off season?

 

[F A N]

The thing is, even in his draft year...Toropchenko was a far more coordinated mover on the ice than what little i've seen of Alriksson.


Guelph has also recently taken another six and a half foot tall "monster" in Isaac Ratcliffe, and turned him into basically nothing. Underwhelming AHL player.


The biggest thing (pun intended) about developing these types of players is that realistically, there are extremely few quality NHLers that tall. It typically becomes a huge hurdle to overcome in mobility, coordination, agility. That's where Toropchenko always seemed like a better bet to me. He was a really solid skater, for a big lanky prospect like that.


Who knows if Alriksson pans out. Odds aren't great with any pick in that range, and i can see what the intent is there. I just think that realistically, drafting this big tall vines for limbs sort of project is a bit like drafting really small little players. NHL size outside of a couple standard deviations from that 6' average on either side, tends to be a real outlier. Small number of actual 6'4"+ sort of players in the same way there are very few 5'8"- players.


Particularly when it seems this guy is a bit of a gentle giant. That kind of reach can be a powerful tool, but it's rare to see it used effectively.

I agree. I don't know much about Alriksson so I didn't want to comment too much about his game or comparisons.

Toropchenko seems to me a different type of player. I think at the time of the draft he was closer to 6'3" and he's more 6'5" rather than 6'6" now. Regardless, Toropchenko's scouting report in his draft eligible year suggested that he had decent skating, was a checker, played the game hard, and had average skill. So Guelph did successfully develop him in that he became an NHL 4th line player.

I think it does come down to his skating and ability to use his size and reach. Even a guy like Justin Bailey was poor defensively even though he was a fast straight ahead skater.

 

[biturbo19]

I agree. I don't know much about Alriksson so I didn't want to comment too much about his game or comparisons.

Toropchenko seems to me a different type of player. I think at the time of the draft he was closer to 6'3" and he's more 6'5" rather than 6'6" now. Regardless, Toropchenko's scouting report in his draft eligible year suggested that he had decent skating, was a checker, played the game hard, and had average skill. So Guelph did successfully develop him in that he became an NHL 4th line player.

I think it does come down to his skating and ability to use his size and reach. Even a guy like Justin Bailey was poor defensively even though he was a fast straight ahead skater.

Yeah. The reason i liked Toropchenko in his draft (i think i even took him in one of those "think you can draft"? posts), was that he was a big guy who was actually a pretty fluid, powerful skater. I noted that his speed and the ice he could cover stood out to me. And he played a game that seemed very translatable to that "4th line banger" sort of role. Very direct and physically willing to use his size.

I'm not very familiar with Alriksson so i could be completely off on that...but everything about him and what little i've seen, suggests a very different type of player. One who is still really growing into his frame and struggling with power and coordination despite being extraordinarily tall, and one who is still kind of figuring out what he is as a player.

That seemed to be a point of emphasis for them in this draft. A lot of guys with "developmental headroom". But he seems to profile a lot closer to Ratcliffe than Toropchenko. A bit of a big ol' softy who wants to play a very tall finesse game, but may or may not actually have the skill to do so effectively. You know coaches are going to try everything they can to get him to play as big as he is tall...but some players just don't really have that mentality in them to bring out.

 

[IComeInPeace]

But he seems to profile a lot closer to Ratcliffe than Toropchenko. A bit of a big ol' softy who wants to play a very tall finesse game, but may or may not actually have the skill to do so effectively. You know coaches are going to try everything they can to get him to play as big as he is tall...but some players just don't really have that mentality in them to bring out.

In the one interview of him after the draft, he said he envisions himself as a power forward, so that’s nice to hear.

“I want to be a goal-scoring power forward.”

“My goal is to be a power forward with good hands. But I want to be skilled too and use my power to my advantage.”

Of course the term power forward is very, very different than it used to be. But, if he can simply use his size to his advantage, that would be a huge plus, and it sounds like he’s more than willing to do that.

It also sounds to me more like he just doesn’t know how to use his size to his advantage.

Canucks prospect Vilmer Alriksson has size; now he needs to use it

"My goal is to be a power forward with good hands."

www.vancouverisawesome.com

 

[VanJack]

The thing is, even in his draft year...Toropchenko was a far more coordinated mover on the ice than what little i've seen of Alriksson.


Guelph has also recently taken another six and a half foot tall "monster" in Isaac Ratcliffe, and turned him into basically nothing. Underwhelming AHL player.


The biggest thing (pun intended) about developing these types of players is that realistically, there are extremely few quality NHLers that tall. It typically becomes a huge hurdle to overcome in mobility, coordination, agility. That's where Toropchenko always seemed like a better bet to me. He was a really solid skater, for a big lanky prospect like that.


Who knows if Alriksson pans out. Odds aren't great with any pick in that range, and i can see what the intent is there. I just think that realistically, drafting this big tall vines for limbs sort of project is a bit like drafting really small little players. NHL size outside of a couple standard deviations from that 6' average on either side, tends to be a real outlier. Small number of actual 6'4"+ sort of players in the same way there are very few 5'8"- players.


Particularly when it seems this guy is a bit of a gentle giant. That kind of reach can be a powerful tool, but it's rare to see it used effectively.

Maybe a guy like Tage Thompson will eventually flip the switch on drafting 6'6" forwards. He looked awkward in his early years, despite the Blues making him a high pick. Then they surrendered him in the Ryan O'Reilly trade. And of course he exploded with Buffalo.

And seems to me that Nick Bjugstad carved out a decent career for himself as another 6'6" forward. So you just never know.

Besides, by the time you reach pick #107 in the fourth round, it's wishing, hoping and praying time anyway.

 

[MS]

The thing is, even in his draft year...Toropchenko was a far more coordinated mover on the ice than what little i've seen of Alriksson.


Guelph has also recently taken another six and a half foot tall "monster" in Isaac Ratcliffe, and turned him into basically nothing. Underwhelming AHL player.


The biggest thing (pun intended) about developing these types of players is that realistically, there are extremely few quality NHLers that tall. It typically becomes a huge hurdle to overcome in mobility, coordination, agility. That's where Toropchenko always seemed like a better bet to me. He was a really solid skater, for a big lanky prospect like that.


Who knows if Alriksson pans out. Odds aren't great with any pick in that range, and i can see what the intent is there. I just think that realistically, drafting this big tall vines for limbs sort of project is a bit like drafting really small little players. NHL size outside of a couple standard deviations from that 6' average on either side, tends to be a real outlier. Small number of actual 6'4"+ sort of players in the same way there are very few 5'8"- players.


Particularly when it seems this guy is a bit of a gentle giant. That kind of reach can be a powerful tool, but it's rare to see it used effectively.

?

In the videos I've seen Alriksson moves exceptionally well for a big man, and looks very well coordinated.

This was linked a few pages back and the explosive turn at 23 seconds and the quick first steps up to speed at 34 seconds stand out.

 

[hockeyprospects9]

Was anyone able to catch his game against the Mississauga Steelheads? How’s he holding up against competition in the OHL? (Pre-Season)

 

[VanJack]

I'm wracking my brains trying to remember if the Canucks have ever drafted a 6'6" forward, and I'm having trouble come up with anybody.

The biggest knock on really big guys is their skating and lateral agility, which is so critical in today's game. But every so often, one guy develops into the second coming of Tage Thompson, so you just never know.

Considering he was the 107th overall selection last season, he's well worth the risk. And coming to the OHL and adjusting to the smaller rink is probably the best thing he could have done for hid development.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

I'm wracking my brains trying to remember if the Canucks have ever drafted a 6'6" forward, and I'm having trouble come up with anybody.

The biggest knock on really big guys is their skating and lateral agility, which is so critical in today's game. But every so often, one guy develops into the second coming of Tage Thompson, so you just never know.

Considering he was the 107th overall selection last season, he's well worth the risk. And coming to the OHL and adjusting to the smaller rink is probably the best thing he could have done for hid development.

Andrew Sarauer was a 6'4 forward drafted in the same draft class as Edler, Schnieder and Hansen. Closest to a 6'6 guy.

 

[RobertKron]

Andrew Sarauer was a 6'4 forward drafted in same draft class as Edler, Schnieder and Hansen. Closest to a 6'6 guy.

Labate ended up being 6'5" but I think he was drafted shorter.

Also kind of wondering how many 6'6" players have "every so often" become the second coming of Tage Thompson when Thompson only arrived like a year ago.

 

[PavelBure10]

Another name to add to the list

Chris McAllister was 6'7 235 when drafted by the Canucks in round 2 #40 overall 1995 NHL Entry Draft.