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Top-10 Prospects : Canucks (1-10) |
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The Vancouver Canucks prospect situation is not as grim as one might think. Sure they are top heavy and lack depth as you will see once you get near the end of this list, but they have a few very strong prospects.
As per usual this list doesn’t include players with 50+ NHL game experience or a player who played the vast majority of this shortened year and became a “legitimate NHLer.” So Kassian and Tanev are out.
1. Bo Horvat : Centre, 9th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’0 187lbs, London Knights in the OHL
Horvat was an interesting player to follow throughout the season. He was a top-10 lock, to a mid-first pick, to a late-first/early-second back to a mid-first, yet ended up in the top-10 all along. The primary reason for this was that his offensive game during the season was inconsistent, yet when the chips were down Horvat became a clutch goal scoring machine winning the OHL Playoffs MVP for London while sending them on to the Memorial Cup. He’s a shoot first centre and while he has played wing, he’s noticeably better when he’s up the middle. Defensively he’s strong and solid at face-offs, he never stops skating and playing hard. Oddly enough he reminds me of Ryan Kesler, a two-way threat who loves to shoot and sometimes forgets his teammates are around…sans the diving. He plays in all situations and is very versatile. On the penalty kill I think he’s easily one of the more dynamic players, he is a major threat for scoring shorthanded goals and can singlehandedly kill off a minute of time. He needs to show some more playmaking ability to realize his max potential, though he’s an extremely safe pick as an NHLer. Unless he makes the Canucks he will be playing for the Knights again as they go for another Memorial Cup bid.
Potential : Top-Six Two-Way Scorer
2. Hunter Shinkaruk : Left Wing, 24th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 5’10 182lbs, Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL
I’m still pretty surprised that Shinkaruk fell so far, it was one of the bigger falls I can remember for guys generally placed in the top-10 on pretty much every list. The captain of the Tigers is a near elite skater and while his top speed isn’t the fastest, his movement is amazing. He has a lot of offensive creativity and flair, showing both excellent playmaking and an ability to score in multiple ways. I’m guessing the thing that made him fall is that despite the fact that he will go into the corners and fight for the puck, he’s still very much on the small side and that he needs major improvement in his build (one of the disappointments at the combine). Regardless of why he fell the Canucks got a very good player late that they can afford to play on the risks. He’ll play for the Tigers again, though he will probably get traded to a contender at some point during the season.
Potential : Top-Six Scorer
3. Brendan Gaunce : Centre/Left Wing, 26th Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 6’2 217lbs, Belleville Bulls in the OHL
Gaunce is another captain in the Canucks system…something they have quite a lot of. Might be a trend. He’s known for his excellent two-way play and his ability to shutdown opponents. He’s strong on face-offs and while he’s played wing internationally, he’s primarily a centre. He’s shown some above-average scoring skills and when he had actual decent linemates in Graovac and Quine his play really picked up which included an excellent showing in the playoffs. His skating still needs improvements and his top-end speed is below-average, something he really needs to work on if there is hope of him being a top-six player as opposed to the safer projection as a third line centre. He plays hard and brings some physicality to his strong defensive game and glimmers of scoring talent. Next season he’ll most likely play again for the Bulls, he might even make Team Canada.
Potential : 2nd/3rd Line Two-Way Centre
4. Nicklas Jensen : Right Wing, 29th Overall, 2011, 20 years old, 6’3 207lbs, Chicago Wolves in the AHL
Inconsistency is the name of the game with Jensen. He flashes elite sniper abilities, and then disappears. It’s perplexing to say the least. He was gaining a lot of hype after an amazing start during the lockout in Sweden; he scored something like 12 goals in 8 games…then finished with 17 in 50…inconsistency. Personally I’ve never been a fan of Jensen; he has all the skill in the world, but doesn’t seem to know how to use it. He’s an excellent skater for his size, he throws his weight around every now and then sometimes completely running people over, and he flashes an amazing shot and nice hands…but only for 10 game stretches at a time. He has it in him to be an excellent top-six scorer, but at this point it’s still hard to tell if he will ever reach that level. You know what, I’ll get flak for this, but the more I think about it, he’s Andrei Kostitsyn. He will likely play with Utica the home of the new Canucks AHL affiliate, though with his sporadic play he could easily impress and make the Canucks out of camp…only to be sent back down later.
Potential : Top-Six Scorer or Bust
5. Frank Corrado : Defenseman, 150th Overall, 2011, 20 years old, 6’1 193lbs, Kitchener Rangers in the OHL
Corrado was the captain of the Sudbury Wolves before being shipped to Kitchener as they hoped to compete for the OHL Championship. He’s a very solid all-around player that has made strong strides in the offensive zone. Defensively he’s very sound and plays a smart simple game. He throws hits quite often, though he doesn’t take the bait to go out of position usually. His shot has improved over the course of his NHL career, but it isn’t a strength, he’s a much better passer than shooter and he has an excellent breakout pass. I’m interested in seeing if his offensive game continues to improve because that will have a major effect on how high his potential is, the defensive game is there. Next season he could make the Canucks, though I don’t see the use of him on the bottom-pairing when he could be logging major ice-time in the AHL.
Potential : 3-4 Two-Way Defenseman
6. Eddie Läck : Goalie, Undrafted, 25 years old, 6’4 209lbs, Chicago Wolves in the AHL
An injury has really hurt Läck’s sterling reputation. His two seasons in the AHL after being signed as a free agent were excellent and some were wondering if he was on the fast track to supplant Cory Schneider. He looked shaky while struggling with a groin injury yet playing through it before being sidelined with a season ending hip injury. Does one injury riddled season tarnish two excellent full seasons in the AHL? I don’t think so. He’s lanky and unconventional in his style, it leads to some rebound issues, but in general he’s a very solid goalie and has some strong potential to be the torch bearer in 2025 when Luongo is finally out. He’s still ranked at number 4 by the Goalie Guild in their top-100 goalie prospects, so obviously I’m not alone in thinking he’s still a very good prospect. Next season he will likely backup Luongo for the Canucks after he has recovered from his surgery.
Potential : Starting Goalie
7. Jordan Schroeder : Centre/Right Wing, 22nd Overall, 2009, 22 years old, 5’8 186lbs, Chicago Wolves in the AHL
He played 31 games in the NHL so some might consider him not to be a prospect, but for the purposes of this list he still fits in the criteria. He was drafted for his high scoring ability and his excellent play with the puck, but he has evolved as he’s developed into a very complete…though undersized…player. His defensive game and reads are very strong, and even though he’s small he’s remarkably strong on his skates because of his lower body strength. Puck possession and protection are other strengths. The numbers don’t pop out at you especially when you consider his size, but he has been one of the more consistent players for the Wolves the past two seasons. He will likely make the Canucks out of camp fulltime as a bottom-six player to start. Not sure what his upside is at this point and if he will be a scorer at the NHL level, might be a tweener.
Potential : 2nd/3rd Line Two-Way Winger
8. Patrick McNally : Defenseman, 115th Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’2 190lbs, Harvard University in the NCAA
McNally has an interesting story. He along with 3 other players were suspended and removed from the Harvard team last season after an academic scandal. He was having an excellent season prior to being removed, and the year before was one of the best rookies in the ECAC playing on the top pairing and in every situation. He brings a lot of raw skills and has some interesting offensive upside. I don’t know much about him and haven’t seen him play so I can only go on what others have said. Apparently he’s a pretty good skater that loves to move the puck and carry it. He has strong offensive instincts, though in his own zone he still has issues. It isn’t exactly clear where he will play next season, though it would seem that he has the option to return to Harvard and finish his 3 year program.
Potential : 4-6 Offensive Defenseman
9. Anton Cederholm : Defenseman, 145th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’2 213lbs, Rögle in the Elitserien
Cederholm is a physical shutdown defenseman that already has the body of an NHL ready player. He has this because he’s apparently a fitness nut and has been trained by professionals for 5 years now. He has decent mobility and likes to block shots and throw hits. He’s been used extensively on the penalty kill and even when he was called up to Rögle he still played on the second PK unit despite his age. He was the second best Swedish defender at the Ivan Hlinka tournament last year and opened some eyes to his calm and steady game. He’s taking a very interesting route and an uncommon one for Swedish players. He’s committed to the Portland Winterhawks next season in the WHL and with all of Jones, Wotherspoon and Rutkowski leaving, he and Pouliot will likely be the top-pairing. It’s a little early to tell what his upside is, but the consensus currently is that he can be a reliable bottom pairing guy that plays heavy minutes on the penalty kill.
Potential : 4-6 Shutdown Defenseman
10. Darren Archibald : Left Wing, Undrafted, 23 years old, 6’3 215lbs, Chicago Wolves in the AHL
Pegged as a late blooming power forward prospect, the Canucks signed him out of the OHL after a strong playoff performance with Niagara. Several years later and he’s looking like he could be an NHL player in a low end capacity. He plays hard and loves to hit, and while his goals come few and far between, he’s more of an energy guy than an offensive threat. At the next level he could be a decent bottom-six player that can contribute on the power play as he’s the kind of player that scores most of his goals in front of the goalie causing havoc. Hopefully if groomed right he could be a Holmstrom kind of guy for the Canucks in a few years. Next season he will play fulltime in the AHL.
Potential : Bottom-Six Energy Player
Notables :
Joacim Eriksson (23 year old goalie that was originally drafted by the Flyers, signed as a free agent, backstopped the Elitserien Champions, had an excellent season and playoff run, some wonder if he’s a product of his system, will play in the AHL next season),
Joe Cannata (Another 23 year old goalie, played backup for the Wolves in the AHL when Lack went down, will likely play backup again or split with Eriksson as Lack is the expected backup for Luongo),
Pathrik Vesterholm (He and his twin Ponthus are the poor version of the Sedin’s, both are a bit undersized and both always play together, they had a quality season in the Allsvenskan, but they are longshots at best to make the NHL…but man, Daniel, Henrik, Ponthus and Pathrik…can’t make this stuff up)
and Jordan Subban (5’9 with a hell of a lot of offensive potential, could be a major steal if he grows a little more and rounds out his game, he has the Subban shot and the Subban flair for the offensive game, but doesn’t have his brothers size, physicality and personality, he might end up as only a PP specialist, but he’s worth the risk).
Thanks for reading. Next up...er Tampa?
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