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Don't take this the wrong way, but it wouldn't bother me to see London get eliminated.
Juolevi looked good in the first game. Big time shot for a goal and some good physical play too.

I would like to see him at the Worlds, playing with/against some pretty good men, mostly NHL.

Pretty sure he gets an invite from Finland, if he's free...

Strangelove wrote:Nylander has had at least two concussions so far, we'll see.

Wobbly Blob complains "Where's the beef?"... and then complains about young Virtanen.

Everyone knows power forwards take longer to develop and that y'gotta have patience in a rebuild...

Just because it took a couple power forwards like Bertuzzi and Leclair time to develop doesn't make this true.

Lindros, Shanahan, Lucic,Iginla and a pile of others played well by the time they were 19-20. This whole power forwards take longer than other players to develop is a load of shit. Furthermore Virtanen hasn't resembled a power forward whatsoever and apparently not been physical at all this season. Could be an injury or could be the beating he got from Booby Farnham. Pretty sad to see your 215 pound power forward get the piss punched out of him by a 175 lb minor league punching bag.

Blob Mckenzie wrote:This whole power forwards take longer than other players to develop is a load of shit.

YOU'RE a load of shit Mr Poopy Pants!

Waaaay too soon to give up on potential power forward Jake Virtanen....

When Jake gets back to Vancouver his role, and team expectations, will be much clearer for him. He won't be fighting wth a ton of vets for precious ice time. He'll be fighting with his peers, his age group, to be part of a building block for a new foundation. He'll show he's either grown up and learned how to stay in the league, or not. Then we can write the book on him. I still have hope, even though I think his hockey IQ is pretty low.

Hockey Widow wrote:When Jake gets back to Vancouver his role, and team expectations, will be much clearer for him. He won't be fighting wth a ton of vets for precious ice time. He'll be fighting with his peers, his age group, to be part of a building block for a new foundation. He'll show he's either grown up and learned how to stay in the league, or not. Then we can write the book on him. I still have hope, even though I think his hockey IQ is pretty low.

These days, there almost needs to be a new category: Player's careers lost due to social media.
Not as bad as substance abuse but pretty bad with some.

My comcern with Jake is does he have the mental toughness and desire to do what it takes to be a player in the NHL? With all the recent younger forward acquisitions and kids coming up the competition has gotten a lot tougher for him. We will soon see what he's made of but judging by what his biggest issues are - practice habits, conditioning, preparation, lifestyle, IQ I'm starting to have my doubts.

Hockey Widow wrote:When Jake gets back to Vancouver his role, and team expectations, will be much clearer for him. He won't be fighting wth a ton of vets for precious ice time. He'll be fighting with his peers, his age group, to be part of a building block for a new foundation. He'll show he's either grown up and learned how to stay in the league, or not. Then we can write the book on him. I still have hope, even though I think his hockey IQ is pretty low.

It's more than just his IQ. In today's NHL there are no free passes. Skill, size or toughness isn't enough to land you a job in the NHL anymore. You look at how focused and determined Horvat is during the season and off season that is pretty much the barometer if you want a job in the NHL. I'm just not sure Jake wants it bad enough or understands what he needs to do get there. Did he just assumed that being drafted 6th overall means he's made it? Let's hope not. Cause he sure acted that way in his last year in the WHL. Probably my biggest criticism of Benning and Linden is how they've handled Jake but it might have been a best case scenario, getting him under their watchful eye because he definitely wasn't in the right headspace with the Hitman after getting drafted. I think Jake is an extremely naive kid, and hopefully he's now getting it

It seems our GM has been stressing 'character' when selecting players, so I would hope that Benning did his homework on Jake. He's still young, but this off-season and how he works in camp next year will likely be pivotal for his career.

Cornuck wrote:It seems our GM has been stressing 'character' when selecting players, so I would hope that Benning did his homework on Jake. He's still young, but this off-season and how he works in camp next year will likely be pivotal for his career.

The Canucks have resisted the urge to recall Jake many times. I like how this year they have simply set the bar for him and are not rushing to get him back. By all accounts he is progressing nicely and starting to figure things out. It may very well be that another year in Utica could benefit him, especially if the skill sets increase around him.

Hockey Widow wrote:

Cornuck wrote:It seems our GM has been stressing 'character' when selecting players, so I would hope that Benning did his homework on Jake. He's still young, but this off-season and how he works in camp next year will likely be pivotal for his career.

The Canucks have resisted the urge to recall Jake many times. I like how this year they have simply set the bar for him and are not rushing to get him back. By all accounts he is progressing nicely and starting to figure things out. It may very well be that another year in Utica could benefit him, especially if the skill sets increase around him.

I anticipate Jake cooking another year in the AHL, it's nothing unusual. He needs it. It's a great breeding ground.

If Stecher is out awhile can a homie see Subban get some NHL games? Be nice to see him on the Canucks powerplay.

SKYO wrote:If Stecher is out awhile can a homie see Subban get some NHL games? Be nice to see him on the Canucks powerplay.

You've been reading Botchford, haven't you?

Double post.

Hockey Widow wrote:

Cornuck wrote:It seems our GM has been stressing 'character' when selecting players, so I would hope that Benning did his homework on Jake. He's still young, but this off-season and how he works in camp next year will likely be pivotal for his career.

The Canucks have resisted the urge to recall Jake many times. I like how this year they have simply set the bar for him and are not rushing to get him back. By all accounts he is progressing nicely and starting to figure things out. It may very well be that another year in Utica could benefit him, especially if the skill sets increase around him.

If and when Jake is ready to be an impact player for the Canucks is when he will get called up next. Probably not before since he's a player they burned a top 10 pick on and the expectations are high. If he does get another year in the AHL, 2018-19 could be a very fun year for Vancouver. It could see us injecting all three of Virtanen, Boeser, and Juolevi, into the lineup as regulars.....and if they are panning out as hoped, that will be exciting.

Oh and Demko, he could be pushing for starter consideration by then as well.

SKYO wrote:If Stecher is out awhile can a homie see Subban get some NHL games? Be nice to see him on the Canucks powerplay.

The Canucks brass have been quite clear that they want the Utica Comets to make the AHL playoffs. They are currently in a dogfight for playoff position. Subban will remain with Utica to help make a final push. Bank on it.