Voracek has 12 pts in his last 5 games (Feb. 25: Named NHL first star of the week)

[Rexor]

I don't believe he came into camp out of shape, he had played 23 KHL games and a few international ones before the lock-out ended. Maybe he just needed some time to adjust to a different rink size/style of play.

 

[Larry44]

Imagine what Voracek could become if he works out coming summer in the "Gary Roberts training camp and gets shooting lessons.

Seriously, Flyers mamagement should hire one of the former players and get a deal done.

Work out in the morning with G. Roberts staff, get shooting instructions from -insert name- (Leclair?,Recchi?even Tocchet?) in the noon and still enjoy mama's home-cooking in the evening. I know she has to live in the States.

Do this 5 days a week, relax on week-end and BAM we may see Jagr 2.0/lite the following season.

In fairness to Voracek, he has been working out for the last two summers in Montreal instead of drinking beer in Czech Republic.

He's in the video here in a light coloured baseball cap working out with Letang.
http://www.adrenalineperformancecenter.com/

 

[Bill_Meltzer]

I don't believe he came into camp out of shape, he had played 23 KHL games and a few international ones before the lock-out ended. Maybe he just needed some time to adjust to a different rink size/style of play.

He's never been a player with an impressive looking physique, but he he was definitely a few pounds over his ideal playing weight in mid-January, regardless of him playing during the lockout. In training camp, he had a little bit of belly fat on him (relative to what you normally see of a current-day pro athlete; for the average person, he was in great shape). Hartnell and others teased him about it. That's long since forgotten about by now.

 

[Clown Baby*]

Imagine what Voracek could become if he works out coming summer in the "Gary Roberts training camp and gets shooting lessons.

Seriously, Flyers mamagement should hire one of the former players and get a deal done.

Work out in the morning with G. Roberts staff, get shooting instructions from -insert name- (Leclair?,Recchi?even Tocchet?) in the noon and still enjoy mama's home-cooking in the evening. I know she has to live in the States.

Do this 5 days a week, relax on week-end and BAM we may see Jagr 2.0/lite the following season.

Except Gary Roberts' training regimen revolves almost entirely around nutrition.

 

[tymed]

As with the rest of our extremely young offensive core, I think it's pretty clear that this is simply a matter of their confidence coming back around, individually and as team in whole. Voracek has always had the tools and has been working to bridge his gaps ever since arriving in the NHL. When G was tearing up the QM after we drafted him, the younger Voracek was the only threat to his scoring title. I followed this race game by game and had always hoped Jake landed here. His vision is phenomenal and he always had speed as a teen. When he arrived in the NHL he simply did not have the size and strength to protect the puck and play his game, so the very next year he showed up nearly 20 pounds heavier but considerably slower. He continued to refine himself the next year by holding his new size and working speed back into his game. The next was a bit of a struggle with the rest of his terrible team and that led into Homer absolutely fleecing CBJ for him. He's a top line talent who continues to work very deliberately on removing his flaws and doesn't have a whole lot left to figure out. He's on the verge of finding himself and confidence is the only thing toying with the young talent on this team. Glad to have ya Jake.

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

As with the rest of our extremely young offensive core, I think it's pretty clear that this is simply a matter of their confidence coming back around, individually and as team in whole. Voracek has always had the tools and has been working to bridge his gaps ever since arriving in the NHL. When G was tearing up the QM after we drafted him, the younger Voracek was the only threat to his scoring title. I followed this race game by game and had always hoped Jake landed here. His vision is phenomenal and he always had speed as a teen. When he arrived in the NHL he simply did not have the size and strength to protect the puck and play his game, so the very next year he showed up nearly 20 pounds heavier but considerably slower. He continued to refine himself the next year by holding his new size and working speed back into his game. The next was a bit of a struggle with the rest of his terrible team and that led into Homer absolutely fleecing CBJ for him. He's a top line talent who continues to work very deliberately on removing his flaws and doesn't have a whole lot left to figure out. He's on the verge of finding himself and confidence is the only thing toying with the young talent on this team. Glad to have ya Jake.

I remember watching streams of qmjhl games back then and thinking that Voracek was going to be a superstar in the nhl one day. Admittedly, I kind of wrote him off more recently. I didn't think he was ever going to be more than a ~60 point 2nd line winger at best, but he seems to be figuring "it" out if you will. He looks so strong on the puck and is able to beat almost anyone for the puck coming off the boards.

The patented 'circle off the boards on his forehand above the circle into the high slot' move that he's seemed to master could have resulted in about 5 more goals than he has if his accuracy was better.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

Hilarious how badly the guy was ripped earlier in the season on this board. This should be the eye opener for some of you that you are way too reactionary.

It was clear form the start that Voracek was just finding his game and settling in. He wasn't playing nearly as badly as everyone was making it out to be. He was getting involved but the puck just wasn't sitting for him. He's worked that all out and not surprisingly he's killing it. I love this guy's game

 

[Beef Invictus]

Hilarious how badly the guy was ripped earlier in the season on this board. This should be the eye opener for some of you that you are way too reactionary.

It was clear form the start that Voracek was just finding his game and settling in. He wasn't playing nearly as badly as everyone was making it out to be. He was getting involved but the puck just wasn't sitting for him. He's worked that all out and not surprisingly he's killing it. I love this guy's game

No, he was definitely terrible. He was easily the worst forward on the team for the first couple weeks.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

No, he was definitely terrible. He was easily the worst forward on the team for the first couple weeks.

Disagree. Schenn was just as bad, easily. Briere didn't play for a bit but he's sucked ass the entire season.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Disagree. Schenn was just as bad, easily. Briere didn't play for a bit but he's sucked ass the entire season.

Schenn was bad, but not quite as bad as Voracek. Voracek couldn't receive or make passes without screwing up, or win any puck battles. Schenn could at least hit.

For someone who's sucked ass, Briere has managed to produce at about his normal rate and has been on a 5 game point streak.

Edit: and he's created quite a few offensive opportunities during that streak, while being more defensively reliable than he's been in years since he's not a center anymore. Yeah, he looks off compared to what we're used to, but he's far from the worst guy out there.

 

[Clown Baby*]

Schenn was bad, but not quite as bad as Voracek. Voracek couldn't receive or make passes without screwing up, or win any puck battles. Schenn could at least hit.

For someone who's sucked ass, Briere has managed to produce at about his normal rate and has been on a 5 game point streak.

Edit: and he's created quite a few offensive opportunities during that streak, while being more defensively reliable than he's been in years since he's not a center anymore. Yeah, he looks off compared to what we're used to, but he's far from the worst guy out there.

Briere's created nothing. He's capitalizing on the chances others are creating, and that's about it.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Briere's created nothing. He's capitalizing on the chances others are creating, and that's about it.

I guess Briere had nothing at all to do with that though.

Has Briere become the new Carter in these parts? There's still plenty to criticize him for, let's not fabricate things.

 

[Ryker]

Briere's created nothing. He's capitalizing on the chances others are creating, and that's about it.

Not really true. Take the second goal against the Pens, for example. That play he made to Simmonds was awesome. Most players would have played the puck straight away, but that half a second to a second's worth of patience in waiting out the Pen going for him and only then passing to Simmonds made all the difference. Simmonds then also made a great play, but without Briere he doesn't get that chance.

I agree he's underwhelming, but to say he's created nothing isn't really true. And like has been said, he's on his usual scoring pace, so while it's frustrating to see him play and not really stand out, he still gets on the scoreboard. For what his cap hit is, he definitely should get there more often, but nonetheless.

 

[blinds]

Briere's created nothing. He's capitalizing on the chances others are creating, and that's about it.

I know the Briere-hate is going strong lately, but people are ripping him too much now. He is creating opportunities, last game he was responsible for Schenn's first goal, for instance. And like someone just mentioned, as atrocious as his defensive play has been in the past, it's been marginally passable this year now that he's on wing. He's actually putting effort into the backcheck now.

I'm in favor of moving him, but he's not as bad as last season, despite his slow start (coming off a wrist fracture).

Edit: Ah, beat to the punch twice. Oh well haha.

 

[Cmoneyflyguy]

* Jakub Voracek is richly deserving of NHL Player of the Week honors. With his three assists yesterday, he produced four goals and seven assists in four games over the past week. For his last 46 games as a Flyer (combined regular season and playoffs), Voracek has racked up 47 points . That's getting to be pretty extended period of time as a point-per-game player to simply dismiss his recent hot stretch as an anomaly.

from meltzer

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Hilarious how badly the guy was ripped earlier in the season on this board. This should be the eye opener for some of you that you are way too reactionary.

It was clear form the start that Voracek was just finding his game and settling in. He wasn't playing nearly as badly as everyone was making it out to be. He was getting involved but the puck just wasn't sitting for him. He's worked that all out and not surprisingly he's killing it. I love this guy's game

No he easily was our worst player and deserved every bit of criticism at the beginning of the season.

 

[Laveuglette]

Hilarious how badly the guy was ripped earlier in the season on this board. This should be the eye opener for some of you that you are way too reactionary.

It was clear form the start that Voracek was just finding his game and settling in. He wasn't playing nearly as badly as everyone was making it out to be. He was getting involved but the puck just wasn't sitting for him. He's worked that all out and not surprisingly he's killing it. I love this guy's game

This x1000. Some people were talking about tanking 2 games in the season, too.

I also made a thread about Hartnell last year ( http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1011941 ), people were saying he would help this team better if he played on the 4th line because he sucked for the first 7 games. Pretty hilarous now. This board needs to relax. Players go through good and bad streaks. Teams too. Our team is good, seriously. The only thing we need is some experience and we'll need someone to replace Kimmo soon. Doesn't have to be Seth Jones.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

Schenn was bad, but not quite as bad as Voracek. Voracek couldn't receive or make passes without screwing up, or win any puck battles. Schenn could at least hit.

For someone who's sucked ass, Briere has managed to produce at about his normal rate and has been on a 5 game point streak.

Edit: and he's created quite a few offensive opportunities during that streak, while being more defensively reliable than he's been in years since he's not a center anymore. Yeah, he looks off compared to what we're used to, but he's far from the worst guy out there.

I'm not buying your stance on Briere, especially the defensive comments. I've seen the exact same thing defensively as always. His recent ice time totals reinforces my feelings, as well.

 

[thelos]

I'm not buying your stance on Briere, especially the defensive comments. I've seen the exact same thing defensively as always. His recent ice time totals reinforces my feelings, as well.

yeah Briere has been extra tentative this season, maybe because of his wrist injury. Hopefully he improves as we progress this season

 

[Beef Invictus]

I'm not buying your stance on Briere, especially the defensive comments. I've seen the exact same thing defensively as always. His recent ice time totals reinforces my feelings, as well.

The stats support what I'm seeing.

I don't know how you're getting this TOI thing...he's getting between 13-16 minutes a night, which puts him right with everyone else. The exception is the last game, where he had reduced minutes after taking a high hit/stick.

Edit: He's 4th amongst forwards for average ice time.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

The stats support what I'm seeing.

I don't know how you're getting this TOI thing...he's getting between 13-16 minutes a night, which puts him right with everyone else. The exception is the last game, where he had reduced minutes after taking a high hit/stick.

Edit: He's 4th amongst forwards for average ice time.

You're right about the ice time. I remembered him not playing much in the Pittsburgh game either. I guess it's wishful thinking that lavi is coming around to how useless he is.

I'm not seeing how his stats are indicative of anything impressIve, to be honest. He's a mediocre one dimensional player.

 

[Beef Invictus]

You're right about the ice time. I remembered him not playing much in the Pittsburgh game either. I guess it's wishful thinking that lavi is coming around to how useless he is.

I'm not seeing how his stats are indicative of anything impressIve, to be honest. He's a mediocre one dimensional player.

I'm not calling him a defensive specialist. I'm just saying he's improved over his past performances.

He's certainly one dimensional...he's more or less a PP specialist now. I've detailed my thoughts in the Briere thread, I'm gonna duck out of here to stop dragging the thread off topic.

 

[Clown Baby*]

I guess Briere had nothing at all to do with that though.

Has Briere become the new Carter in these parts? There's still plenty to criticize him for, let's not fabricate things.

We're about 20 games in now and you point to one YouTube clip? Come on, man. I know it's a contradiction to what I originally said about him creating absolutely enough, but to blatantly ignore his piss-poor play thus far (to say nothing of that contract) is an egregious oversight.

Next game, I want you to count how many times Briere is separated from the puck in the offensive zone, how many times those turnovers go the other way, and how much time is spent in the defensive zone as a result. If you don't feel like counting them, that's fine. But at least take note of the moments, so we can revisit this debate.

The Detroit Red Wings showed the world how important puck-possession is, and how insignificant goons are.

 

[Ryker]

We're about 20 games in now and you point to one YouTube clip? Come on, man.

What is he supposed to do, look for all great plays that are on YouTube and post them here, so that you'll be satisfied? You ignored my response, which included another recent example, and you probably also forgot about his OT winner and one of the goals against the Islanders. Obviously, I don't have all of his plays memorized, but that's 4 of his 11 points already. I mean, if you ignore the data that doesn't suit your view, fine, but what's the point of arguing the point then?

 

[Beef Invictus]

We're about 20 games in now and you point to one YouTube clip? Come on, man. I know it's a contradiction to what I originally said about him creating absolutely enough, but to blatantly ignore his piss-poor play thus far (to say nothing of that contract) is an egregious oversight.

Next game, I want you to count how many times Briere is separated from the puck in the offensive zone, how many times those turnovers go the other way, and how much time is spent in the defensive zone as a result. If you don't feel like counting them, that's fine. But at least take note of the moments, so we can revisit this debate.

The Detroit Red Wings showed the world how important puck-possession is, and how insignificant goons are.

He does have alot of turnovers. If I'm not mistaken, he has the most per game. However, I've never claimed that he doesn't turn it over. In the Briere thread I've stated several times that he can't operate under pressure anymore and gets bullied around constantly.

What I'm disputing is your claim that he creates nothing. He creates chances. He doesn't do it consistently though, especially at even strength. But he's definitely making plays.