Welcome to the Dark Side Minions: The Top Draft Prospects'14

[Cousin Strawberry]

That is an impressive breakdown...something this team lacks is top end potential prospects. Quite a few 2nd liners projected but missing that pure offense.
Wonder what Trevor will do...

[ClamRussel]

Gotta say, I'm starting to really warm up to Virtanen. Guy doesn't seem to have superstar hands/pure skill but he is fast as hell, solid as a rock & has a big time shot. He will stick up for opponents, lay huge hits & gets alot of his goals from the dirty areas. Not afraid to get in the trenches & get the ugly ones. Seems exactly like Trevor's kind of guy, plus he's a BC boy playing in the Dub.

Ritchie is a behemoth, soft hands for a big guy (like Kassian), fast enough, tough enough, hits like a freight train, solid nose for the net (had a 5 goal 6pt game!)...but perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer (also like Kassian). I'll guess this guy will be a project like Zack, take a few years to put it together but if he does, look out!

Perlini probably had the highest upside of the 3 w/ pure skill. The guy is a major sniper from what I can gather. His goals are goalscorer's goals. Perhaps a little awkward out there like Anthony Mantha but deadly w/ the puck. Not going to get the sand paper goals like Virtanen.

Unless a surprise player like Dal Cole drops or we move up I'm predicting we take Virtanen if he's available.

[SKYO]

Naslund should be able to give us the straight goods then? No?

I'm not opposed to Nylander, but many scouts have him going in the 8-11 range.

For me, it's Ritchie or Ehlers. Both guys are playing in NA, for one, so both should have been scouted more regularly. Ritchie could go in the top-5, and Ehlers is looking like a dynamic player that could balance our attack nicely as a skill guy to compliment the size game we appear to be going for.

Kassian-Ritchie could be hard to pass up on the wings, and Ehlers has that top-end talent that could be a pure speed-sniper that we so desperately lack.

Thomas Gradin should be all up on this, especially the under18's in Finland.

Best case scenario is Ritchie/Ehlers goes 4th or 5th overall so we can land one of MDC or Draisaitl!

[rikster]

Ehlers is small. The Canucks don't need another lightweight, Shinkaruk will do nicely

Watching the World Juniors this past December, what I thought the Canadian team really missed was a player like Shinkaruk ...

Against the more talented opposition they looked slow and didn't have the speed to back off the opposition...

I don't see the need this draft to select size over talent, so if a Nylander is the most skilled player on the board when the Canucks take to the podium then I'd like to see them go that route...

If the best player is also a large bodied player, then all the better but talent should trump all else...

Take care...

[Chef Boi RD]

It is concerning looking back at the last 10 drafts and how little the number is on the amount of impact players who were selected between 5th pick 10th pick. It just boils down to luck really, does no good over analyzing the pros and cons I mean who would have thought a small defenseman named Erik Karlsson who was picked 15th would end up quite arguably the games current best defenseman. Take the gamble on Virtanen - big, fast, can score, mean streak. If he doesn't pan out he could end up being a serviceable energy player on the 3rd line, same goes with Ritchie.

Players like Nylander and Ehlers are boom and bust. If they work out, your laughing , if not, they play out their careers somewhere in Europe

Tough call really

[Chef Boi RD]

Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

[SKYO]

Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

[ClamRussel]

Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

Agreed but leery of what it would cost. Reinhart projects as a 2a center not a no.1 and we already have that in Horvat. Its not a deep draft and this is a good indication of why. Still, I think he'd be a good addition to our prospect pool. The big negative on Virtanen is he doesn't use his linemates very well, we've already got that in Booth/Kesler. Is Reinhart worth what it would cost to move up from a Ritchie/Virtanen?

[bckev]

The more I read about virtanen the more i like. His age is in his favour he is one of the younger guys, it gives him more time to develop.

[Lancer]

Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

Agreed but leery of what it would cost. Reinhart projects as a 2a center not a no.1 and we already have that in Horvat. Its not a deep draft and this is a good indication of why. Still, I think he'd be a good addition to our prospect pool. The big negative on Virtanen is he doesn't use his linemates very well, we've already got that in Booth/Kesler. Is Reinhart worth what it would cost to move up from a Ritchie/Virtanen?

The differences between a kid like Virtanen and guys like Kesler and Booth are:

A) He's a winger as opposed to a center like Kesler, so having a shoot-first mentality isn't a bad thing; and
B) He's younger and can be molded whereas you get what you see with Booth. Even so, it could be fool's gold but, Booth's performance towards the end of the season may be an indication of what he could do next year. But those are the teasers that can fuck a GM.

[ClamRussel]

I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

Agreed but leery of what it would cost. Reinhart projects as a 2a center not a no.1 and we already have that in Horvat. Its not a deep draft and this is a good indication of why. Still, I think he'd be a good addition to our prospect pool. The big negative on Virtanen is he doesn't use his linemates very well, we've already got that in Booth/Kesler. Is Reinhart worth what it would cost to move up from a Ritchie/Virtanen?

The differences between a kid like Virtanen and guys like Kesler and Booth are:

A) He's a winger as opposed to a center like Kesler, so having a shoot-first mentality isn't a bad thing; and
B) He's younger and can be molded whereas you get what you see with Booth. Even so, it could be fool's gold but, Booth's performance towards the end of the season may be an indication of what he could do next year. But those are the teasers that can fuck a GM.

I'm not opposed to a shoot first guy...but the "doesn't use his linemates very well" criticisms can still be worrisome. If he is that much of a sniper then pairing him w/ a sick setup man like Kesler could work wonders. Think Hull/Neely & Oates. You never really wanted Hull passing the puck too much (ie Daniel in the shooting lanes).

It sounds to me like Virtanen is a tad like Geoff Courtnall which would be a very welcome addition to this squad.

[Chef Boi RD]

What separates Virtanen from Booth for me is that Virtanen has a good shot and a mean streak. Not too mention how young he is. He could improve on learning to use his linemates more. I just like his intensity and energy. If all else fails at least we should have what we had hoped from Booth

[olpaddy]

What separates Virtanen from Booth for me is that Virtanen has a good shot and a mean streak. Not too mention how young he is. He could improve on learning to use his linemates more. I just like his intensity and energy. If all else fails at least we should have what we had hoped from Booth

Jake Virtanen as a 15 year old 2nd goal in the WHL he's a BC Boy...
he's a Canucks fan...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiMo-zviMiU

[Meds]

RD's top 6 mock draft

Florida - Ekblad
Buffalo - Reinhart
Edmonton - Draisaitl
Calgary - Bennett
Islanders - Dal Colle
Vancouver - Ritchie

What are the chances that Edmonton will trade up to get Ekblad? They desperately need blueliners in that system, and I can foresee them offering up their 3rd overall + Yakupov + 1st (2016) to get that. I really don't see the Oilers drafting another forward at this juncture.....I mean, as far as franchise and team building goes, they can't be that dumb.....can they?

[Island Nucklehead]

What are the chances that Edmonton will trade up to get Ekblad? They desperately need blueliners in that system, and I can foresee them offering up their 3rd overall + Yakupov + 1st (2016) to get that. I really don't see the Oilers drafting another forward at this juncture.....I mean, as far as franchise and team building goes, they can't be that dumb.....can they?

They would be fucking nuts to do that. Why not offer that package for Shea Weber? You'd probably get him...

They also have Nurse, Marincin and Klefbom developing and Schultz is already playing on the squad, is only 23, and is already a .5 PPG player. I think Ekblad would be a great addition to Edmonton, but they don't need to empty the bank for him. A guy like Bennet as the 2C would be great for Edmonton.