|
Draft Spotlight : Canucks |
|
|
|
|
|
The Vancouver Canucks are still a strong team with a lot of positives despite what could be considered a bit of a side show this shortened season. I won’t go into too much detail because I think Esplen has covered this well enough, but the public calls for ousting of Luongo yet keeping him on the team and now the firing of AV brought some controversy…though I know a lot of Canucks fans were cheering when AV was let go. With a new coach and maybe some new blood the Canucks will try to get their team, which has the vast majority of their “core” players in their prime (27-33 zone), into contention again.
What does the team need? Prospect wise they need any good prospect they can get, outside of a goalie I suppose. Schneider is only 27 and looks like a legitimate starting goalie, Eddie Lack in the AHL has shown great promise and Joe Cannata while a long shot at best, well it doesn’t matter they are in good hands and quality goalie prospects can always be found after the first round.
The current defense for the Canucks is strong, they may lack that “legit number one” but the top-four of Hamhuis, Edler, Bieksa and Garrison is very strong. Chris Tanev is also pretty young and still developing, so the final spot can be a veteran or their top defense prospect Frank Corrado’s to steal. Overall though their prospect pool in general is pretty weak, the inconsistent but high reward Nicklas Jensen and the two-way centre Brendan Gaunce lead the pack and both are likely to have NHL futures, especially Gaunce. So really I think they need to take the best player available be he a defenseman or a forward, though I think the need for forwards is a bit higher in priority.
Here are a few options in the 24.
Michael McCarron : In the 2012 draft one player rocketed up the charts as the season went on, his name was Tom Wilson. Projected to go at his highest at 21 and latest 65, he went 16th to the Capitals, this rise was because he was 6’5, tough as nails, responsible in his own zone and showed hints of higher offensive potential, this being key as every team are looking for their answer to Lucic and hey…now Bickell! Big, strong forwards are always high risk and high reward; and always in demand. McCarron is 6’5 224lbs and is an excellent defensive forward. He’s mean and throws big hits whenever he can and is a monster on the cycle game. His skating is like all big men not his strong suit, but he’s quick enough. His game is purely a power game which is excellent to see as guys with his size need/should be physical competitors. At the U18 tournament he had his breakout being the space maker and crease disturber for the Silver Winning Americans; he added 3 goals and 5 points to go along with his strong two-way play and physicality. As a more “project” type of player, at 24 it might be a little early, however I think he’s exactly the kind of player that the Canucks need and want going forward. The right winger seems committed to going to the University of Michigan next season, but the London Knights hold his rights and there is no organization in the junior world better at somehow getting the guy they want.
André Burakovsky : Blistering speed is the primary asset to love about Burakovsky. Coming off the wing he has elite top-end speed and is extremely dangerous at catching players flat footed and having the elite acceleration to get by defenders. He has a quick snap shot and likes to burn down the wing and fire. From the limited viewings I’ve had he does like to cut into the slot and he did go to dig out pucks in the corners, where being 6’1 helps. He has a lot of the tools that make him look like a potential top-6 talent, but he can play like a huge puckhog and can get the blinders on and will always trade the pass for a shot. Though he has great creativity with the puck on his stick, he looks lost without it. I’m not sure if he’s the kind of winger the Canucks need, only that at 24 he would be considered one of the BPA and that top-end speed might be too much to pass on. He had a bit of a down season compared to the year before, but his strong showing at the U18’s has probably convinced most that his usual 15-25 ranking is spot on.
Steve Santini : Santini is one of the fastest risers in the draft based on his unbelievably smart and mature style of play. He’s positionally perfect, he anticipates plays and movements perfectly and he disrupts things with simple efficiency. The winner of the U18 Best Defenseman award stifles players and frustrates them to no end. At 6’2 210 he’s a fluid skater with a deceptively quick acceleration and he brings strength and physical play in his own end. His offensive upside is fairly limited and all he has going for him there is a very hard slow windup wild slap shot and excellent first passes to break out of the zone. He has the look of being a top-pairing defenseman in the sense that he would make the perfect partner for a high risk taker. He’s one of the safer picks at this area of the draft and one of the guys that aren’t as well loved in the draft due to their limited offensive potential and very safe/boring game, but when the playoffs come around everybody is wondering where the hell this type of guy is and why their team doesn’t have one. He could be the long term replacement for Dan Hamhuis.
Curtis Lazar : I’ll start out by stating my skepticism about Lazar and the pre-hype he had from last year where people pencilled him in the top-5…well they did that to Tyler Biggs the year before his draft too and look where he eventually got picked. Lazar is a bit of an undersized (A generous 5'11) two-way centre that brings determination and work ethic to modest skills. He’s a goal scorer on offense pure and simple; he has a great shot and can fire wristers off the rush fairly well. His passing from what I have seen is pretty sloppy and lacks the anticipation of plays that makes for a playmaker. He is a good defensive centre though and is good on the draw while also good at forcing turnovers with his aggressive style. The issues are his upside as his character and “intangibles” are off the chart. On a stacked Oil Kings team he failed to take the next step that many expected him to despite leading them in goals with 38. To take the next step he needs to keep getting bigger and work on his passing. At 24 he would be a good pick especially for an organization that wants to play tougher and needs players that can score the hard goals when things are on the line. A certain other two-way hard working centre got picked in almost this exact spot 10 years ago and he turned out alright…
Émile Poirier : Going to preface this by saying at 24 Poirier isn’t really an option if certain others are around and that he will likely be a very early second rounder, but I haven’t talked about him so I might as well since he’s also a power forward. Poirier led the Gatineau Olympiques in scoring with 32 goals and 70 points which doubled his goal totals from his rookie year. The 6’1 175 left winger increased his physical play further and looked more comfortable in the power forward role than he did as a 17 year old rookie. In the playoffs he was excellent adding 6 goals in 10 games and set the tone for his team. He’s pretty quick and has good outside speed. His passing is surprisingly good for a primary shooter and he makes quick little plays that hint that he has higher offensive upside than we’ve seen. He has some work to do on his defensive coverage, but he was tasked with penalty killing duties and managed 3 SH goals. Overall he’s done well on both special teams and at protecting the puck. He’d be a great fit for any team in need of power forward prospects.
Madison Bowey : Every year the WHL provides a large group of high-end defenseman, this draft is no exception, yet while most of the focus are on players like Ryan Pulock, Josh Morrissey, Seth Jones and even Mirco Mueller, Bowey has been raising his profile and is figured to go around where Vancouver picks. Bowey is an excellent puck carrying defenseman that plays a strong all-around game. He shows excellent skating abilities and is an aggressive puck mover. He plays hard and physical, while also showing surprising restraint in his own end making very few mistakes despite his aggressive style. He showed good improvement in the offensive zone this year raising his goal total to 12. He had very strong showings in both the U18’s and Ivan Hlinka tournament where Team Canada both won Gold at. I like his smart two-way abilities and the overall package that he brings including solid size (6’1 204). Kelowna has been known to produce great defensemen and Bowey is no different, he could be a really high-upside pick at 24.
Thanks for reading. Apparently Carolina next. Not that it..zzzzz.
Join the Discussion:
»