Saw him twice, as a matter of fact. Saw him in Belleville when they lost to Oshawa 5-1 last October (was primarily looking at Jensen) and the only noticeable thing about him was him losing a draw which ended up in the back of the Belleville net. Saw him again in Ottawa and I didn't exactly notice him either. In fact, I had to do some thinking about it when the pick happened to try and remember anything that stood out about him because I had seen Belleville twice and the only thing that stood out for me was the lost draw. Absurdly small sample size? Yup. But what I did see didn't impress me any.Diehard1 wrote:You never did say, how many times have you watched Gaunce play? you obviously know him extremely well - please share your personal scouting report.
Sober this morning and can't say I hate the pick but again I'll have to wait to get excited about Gaunce as a prospect because I can't say as I'm excited about him. The fact that he is a devotee of the Gary Roberts training program is a plus as it's a sign that he's committed to strength, conditioning and the lifestyle of a successful athlete. Again, I can only wonder how he'll feel about the organization after a summer of bile coming from Roberts and Hodgson about the Canucks organization. To me, it comes down to his skating and reports vary - just as they did with Hodgson but it was evident that even with a couple of summers of training (albeit abbreviated by injury) that his skating was still a weakness last summer and a factor in how he was employed in sheltered minutes. People who point to the Sedins neglect the fact that Gaunce has nowhere near the skill or hockey IQ of the twins. If he can't improve his skating, then what else can he do to compensate? You can't teach size, but I would say it's also very difficult to teach skating as well.
Anyhow, this is what happens when one drunk-posts. I'm not a scout, but it's just my opinion (now minus the alcohol-fuelled emotion). I'm still not excited or overly impressed with Gaunce as a prospect and perhaps was spoiled by the fact Gillis was able to snag Jensen at 29. We'll see what happens with this kid, and perhaps Dave Gagner can justify Gillis' faith in him as a player development guru. That said, my hopes are guarded at best, and I still wouldn't bet more than $10 that Gaunce will become a poor-man's version of Richards, Getzlaff or Kesler.