Prospects

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Soapy
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Prospects

Post by Soapy »

Tidbits from the CANUCKS website. I didn't know Schulz was the playoff MVP, Schneider is so highly regarded & Edler is so big. I can hardly wait for camp to start !!

CANUCKS - Alain Vigneault will lead a new coaching staff up to Vernon this year. They'll be looking to fill a few roster spots left vacant after a busy summer.

The opportunities for a young player to step up and claim a starting role have never been better. Here’s a look at a few young prospects looking to state their case.

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Jesse Shultz

When Schultz finds the puck in front of the net, he scores. That’s a rare and highly coveted ability in hockey; which makes it hard to believe that a player with Schultz’s skills could slip undrafted out of junior hockey.


His professional career didn’t get legs until the Canucks signed the 6’0â€￾, 190-pound winger as a 20 year-old free agent in July, 2003 after Schultz topped the Kelowna Rockets with 53 goals and 104 points - second-best in the entire WHL. It was the same season Schultz led the Kelowna to their first ever Memorial Cup appearance and earned playoff MVP.

Starting out in Columbia of the ECHL, Schultz worked his way up to Manitoba in 2004. Last season, after leading the Moose in scoring, Schultz got his first look at the NHL – though he didn't dress for a last-second call-up against the Coyotes in January. Still, the call-up was a confidence boost for the 23 year-old winger from Strasbourg, Sask.

Schultz is looking to build on that confidence by securing himself a coveted right wing positions with Vigneault and the Canucks this season.

The Skinny:

Schultz has exceptionally good hands. He’s a gifted scorer who’s shifty in the offensive end. He’s rounded out his game since tearing up the WHL scoring chart in junior, and still scored 37 times in Manitoba last year.
As with all young players improved defensive radar wouldn’t hinder him any, but Schultz spent the summer training in Manitoba and will arrive in camp ready to go. He’s dropped five pounds and says he’s improved his quickness.

Stan Smyl: “Jesse has a knack for finding the scoring area. He’s got a quick release and is dangerous around net.â€￾

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Cory Schneider

His coach at Boston College, Jerry York, calls Schneider one of the best to ever suit up for the Eagles - and that was after his first season. Considering New Jersey Devils forward Brian Gionta is a Boston College alum, that's some heavy praise.

The Canucks drafted the skinny red-head out of Andover Phillips Academy in 2004 with the 26th overall pick after his heroics carried the US to its first ever gold medal at the Under-18 Junior World Cup. Since then the high-school prodigy has spilt his time between Boston College and the US national team.

Schneider started for Team USA at the 2006 World Junior Tournament in Vancouver last winter and twice won player-of-the-game honors. This spring he posted back-to-back shutouts in leading his Boston College Eagles to the 2006 NCAA Frozen Four championship game where he made 35 saves in a narrow 2-1 loss to Wisconsin.

At 20 years old, Schneider’s committed to going back to Boston for another season. But has said he’s not averse to coming out of college early, following in the footsteps of fellow US College draftee Canuck Ryan Kesler who turned pro after his rookie season at Ohio State.

Though he’s not signed, Schneider still wants to show the Canucks he can handle the speed and pressure of the professional game. That starts with a long training camp in Vernon.

The Skinny:

At 6’3â€￾, Schneider’s a goalie who blocks a lot of light. He can get across the net quickly, though most often he doesn’t have to. Schneider positions himself extremely well and rarely gets caught scrambling. His biggest asset is his head. For a kid who’s 20, Schneider’s exceptionally poised. If there’s one area he’d like to improve, it’s rebounding, though that’s a skill that usually develops with experience.

Dave Nonis: “If he’s not the best goalie in college hockey, he’s right up there.â€￾

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Alexander Edler

When the Canucks called his name with the 91st pick in 2004, the draft floor froze. Nobody had heard of him. For all they knew Edler was a new line of Ikea children's furniture. Well, not anymore.
The wonderkid from the far Swedish north - scouted out of a senior men’s league by Thomas Gradin - led all WHL rookie defencemen in scoring last season with 13 goals and 53 points in 62 games. He was a plus-21 and excelled with the Kelowna Rockets despite making his first foray outside of Northern Sweden last August.

Edler played for Sweden at the 2006 world junior tournament and signed with the Canucks this summer.

Edler wants to get up to camp in Vernon and prove to management that he can handle the more physical North American game. Being only 45 minutes away from his winter home in Kelowna should help his comfort factor, and he'll likely get lots of support from Rockets fans.

The Skinny:

At 6’4â€￾, 207-pounds, Edler is an intimidating presence on the blue line, though his game is more about skill and scoring than it is about bruising opposing forwards. Edler’s coach in Kelowna, Jeff Truitt, said his puck movement and awareness are strong enough to land him time in the NHL right now. His adjustment to the North American game has been quick since coming over last year, though Truitt says Edler will be even more effective as he adds a measure of aggression to his game. With a little seasoning, Edler has the potential to dominate.

Stan Smyl: “He’s active offensively and sees the ice well. He has the ability to be a set-up guy on the power play. There’s no question he has the skill package.â€￾
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gobi
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Post by gobi »

That's a pretty good scouting report. Thanks. I am really keen on these three. I really think Schultz has a real chance of making the team this year especially if Kesler is a holdout. I think he will do well with the Sedins. Who knows, maybe he will prove to have better hands than Carter.
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Post by MarkMM »

We've got a solid core, and the bulk of it was put in place by Nonis in a few short years. I'm not saying they'll all pan out or that it won't take a while, but I do think it's becoming evident Nonis has started improving things.

Schneider, Ellis-Plante and Vincent make us stronger in net than we've ever been.

On defense, Bourdon and Bieksa are already showing their value, Edler looks like he might be a steal, and Rahimi also seems he might be a diamond in the rough (I know, I know, they might not pan out, but Nonis has shown the ability and guts to draft players that other people overlook but who show good promise).

Now he's moved on the forwards, picking up Grabner as the centre-piece, with Mason Raymond showing some promise. He's got four picks in the first two rounds next year, so there's an opportunity to re-stock then.

The other thing I like about Nonis (other than his systematic way of taking risks in order to re-build, not only in trades, but in drafts, which is what we have to do if we want to acquire decent prospects without losing as much as Pittsburgh) is how he goes the extra mile to acquire assets. He's signed some undrafted players that turn into assets without costing the team picks or players, Burrows, Rypien and Schultz, and he looks like he might do it again with Slade.

All in all, great asset management. (I'm in the camp that does NOT regret the deadline deals, they didn't pan out, but I think it needed to be tried.)
Mark
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Post by Fred »

I believe the head of amateur scouting Ron Delorme deserves a lot more credit than he gets. Our dark days of scouting were really the Mike Penney era. It'll be interesting to see how long Penney last in the ex Quinn days. Although players like Koltsov may not have played for the canukcs, ditto Umberger they were none the less good selections. But players like Schneider, Bourdon, Raymond, Hansen Vincent Plante and Buthcherall look to have promise.

Penney was a disaster although very much influnenzed by Quinn
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Post by Fred »

actually Hockey futures has just updated the Canucks top 20 propspects

http://hockeysfuture.com/article.php?si ... ed&order=0
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Post by Soapy »

Thanks for the Hockey Futures report...very interesting that Bieksa is rated where he is...I love him as the Staios type middle weight fighter on our back line...Mitchell takes care of the heavey weights & Bieksa jumps on the granades...Edler is a bit of a wild card..good size & skill level at the junior level..a freebee with the Gradin ( #23 what a beauty..in the day) scouting report.
Someone should take a good look at what Delorme has done for this team in his time. Penny was pretty awful. I don't know what draft year things changed..when did Delorme take over?
Great Delorme stats:
1981-82 Vancouver Canucks NHL
gm g a p pim
59 9 8 17 177
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Post by The_Pauser »

I'm still not sold on the Canucks drafting or their prospects. Personally I think Michael Grabner was a wasted draft pick and they should have gone with Bobby Sanguinetti. Why? Well, yes we do have some depth in the back end, but Sanguinetti will turn out to be a better player than Grabner.

Grabner = Bust IMO.
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