If you're wondering how the Canucks' first pick is coming along with his shoulder rehab, the
Langley Advance has your answer.
Click here to read the story.
Jake Virtanen is driving from Abbotsford to Langley every day to do his rehab at TnT Hockey Performance Training, working with trainer Tyler Jackson. “Right now, we’re working on recovering the shoulder,” Jackson said. “He’s been going through physio and a lot of recovery, so we’re just getting into the post-rehab stuff right now.”
The article says that Virtanen is targeting a mid-October return to the ice, so it sounds like we probably won't get to see him at the Young Stars Classic or in preseason.
“He’s real explosive,” Jackson said, “lower body especially. It shows in his skating stride, too. He’s really strong in the gym, too, when it comes to lower body strength and power. That’s what you see in his skating stride. That’s probably his best attribute. Plus, he works pretty hard, too.”
It sounds like Virtanen can't help but ponder the possibility that he might get to join the Canucks this season. If he doesn't get the chance to show his stuff in training camp, I think he'll be a serious longshot.
“It depends on what the Canucks want,” Virtanen said. “It’s up to them, really. I’d like to obviously make the jump into the NHL right away, but I know that another year of junior wouldn’t hurt me because of the shoulder and stuff, but if the Canucks want me to stay up, I’ll do that. If they want me to go back, it’s just kind of their choice, right?”
Virtanan says he models his game after Ryan Getzlaf and Rick Nash. Let's hope it's more of the former and less of the latter...
Also in prospect-land, NHL.com has a nice piece this morning on defenseman Jordan Subban.
Click here for that story.
Kevin Woodley does a great job of lining up smaller Jordan's skillset alongside the top-tier play of his brother P.K., and makes Jordan sound pretty impressive:
If P.K. is trying to shoot it through the net, Jordan is trying to put it in off the bottom of the crossbar. If P.K. is looking to blow up an opposing forward with a big hit, Jordan is trying to poke the puck away with an active, longer than normal stick. It could be said Jordan's game is more subtle and cerebral, but that wouldn't be doing justice to his passion to play and ability to excite.
Stan Smyl also says that Jordan has gotten stronger since he was drafted in 2013 and is still growing.
Here's a look at Jordan from last week's prospects development camp.
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