We’re going to start you off with a primer on what the Canucks have in terms of prospects in their organization. Last season was close but staying pat means you’re losing ground on the rest of the competition.
Team Overview
They came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup and have talent and depth throughout their roster. The Canucks also boast a nice blend of youth and experience although there is some work ahead for Gillis and company as six forwards and five defencemen who made considerable contributions this season are now free agents. We should expect Jannik Hansen and Christian Ehrhoff to be re-signed, with Christopher Higgins, Raffi Torres, Jeff Tambellini and Sami Salo as possibles. Unless there is a desire to shake up the roster like the Philadelphia Flyers have done recently, next year’s edition of the team will have a similar lineup and character. Look for them to blend Cody Hodgson, Victor Oreskovich, Chris Tanev, Billy Sweatt, Sergei Shirokov and Ryan Parent into the lineup and possibly bring in a veteran or two depending on which of their own free agents they’re able to ink to new contracts. There will not be much room for any other prospects to crack the lineup barring any unforeseen injuries. Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider are among the best goaltending tandems in the league and while rumours circulate about one of the other being moved, they will likely both begin next season with the Canucks and we can expect the emerging Schneider will look to get more starts.
Top 10 Prospects
- Cody Hodgson, C, 21 Vancouver/Manitoba 1-1-2/17-13-30 ~ still finding his way in the pro ranks, has considerable leadership and skills but may top out as a 3rd line center
- Anton Rodin, W, 20 Brynas IF (SEL) 7-19-26 ~ good offensive skills and plays competitively for his size, still a couple of years away from making the Canucks roster
- Nicklas Jensen RW, 18 Oshawa (OHL) 29-29-58 ~ highly-skilled potential power-forward with high-end speed and size just needs consistency and strength
- David Honzik, G, 17 Victoriaville (QMJHL) 17-12-1 3.54 0.884 ~ big, athletic even-tempered goalie with a quick glove hand, should only get better, could improve puck-handling
- Sergei Shirokov, RW, 25 Vancouver/Manitoba 1-0-1/22-36-58 ~ determined player with a nice mix of hands and vision, his speed and size will likely limit him to a third line role in the NHL
- Billy Sweatt, LW, 22 Manitoba 19-27-46 ~ impressive straight line speed and defensive awareness are countered by his below average hands and strength, could develop into a decent checking winger
- Chris Tanev, D, 21 Vancouver/Manitoba 0-1-1/1-8-9 ~ smooth, two-way defenseman who makes good decisions and plays a safe game, should push for a spot on the 3rd pairing next season
- Jordan Schroeder, C, 20 Manitoba 10-18-28 ~ good skater who’s more of a play-maker than a scorer, he needs to take a big step forward next year to get his career back on target.
- Patrick McNally, D, 19 Milton Academy, Mass (committed to Harvard ECAC) 22-29-51 ~ potential power-play quarterback who’ll need to make the adjustment to the ECAC next season at Harvard, likely will play all four years of his college eligibility.
- Eddie Lack, G, 23 Manitoba 28-21-4 2.26 0.926 ~ ‘the Stork’ is a tall, butterfly style goaltender who showed considerable poise and had great success this past season with Manitoba in the AHL
Organization Strengths/Weaknesses
The Canucks have skilled prospects at varying stages of their development with minor pro, NCAA, CHL and Swedish players in the mix. Overall the group has speed among most of the forward prospects but is a bit short in meeting top six scoring forward projections. On defense there are limited top four prospects other than McNally who’ll be a college freshman this fall. Their goaltending position is covered well with good prospects at all levels. There is a definite Swedish flavour on the Canucks roster although the draft last produced one in 2004 with Alex Edler with many misses since. While the jury is still out on the last few drafts, the reality is the organization has not drafted well since 2004 and have supplemented their prospect pool with some solid free agent signings last year adding Sweatt, Tanev and Lack.
The high expectations for Hodgson may yet be realized as he’s only 21 but there does seem to be a reluctance by Coach Vigneault to have confidence in him which seems to reflect in his play. The CHL player of the year in 2009 has had to overcome a couple of misdiagnosed injuries first with his back and then with his toe plus dealing with a broken orbital bone this past season. Shirokov and Sweatt played well most of the season in the AHL and Schroeder is still young but definitely struggled to have success with the Moose this year. Rodin, Jensen and expected new minor pros Steven Anthony and Kelly Tochkin are still a couple of seasons away from trying to crack the big club forward ranks.
Among the aspiring Canucks blue-liners in the AHL Tanev appears to have the most upside and acquitted himself well when pressed into duty with Vancouver as an injury replacement. Among the rest of their AHL prospects Lee Sweatt is really more of a journeyman type, Kevin Connauton is a one-dimensional offensive defenseman albeit with a howitzer shot and Yann Sauve who appears to have recovered from getting hit while crossing Burrard Street but has limited offensive upside. Although the NHL roster should be set on defense for next season, Gillis and company will need to look to inject some more young talent in their pipeline moving forward.
The goaltending position has Lack in the AHL, Joe Cannata entering his senior season in Hockey East with Merrimack and recently added Honzik from the QMJHL. Luongo and Schneider will allow these players to develop at an organic pace and keep this as a position of strength for the organization.
2011 Draft Recap
The Canucks had their full complement of picks this year and received Minnesota’s third-round pick (71st overall) and a fourth-round pick (101st overall) in exchange for their second-round pick (60th overall) on a draft day trade. Size was the common element with their first three picks already 6’2 or taller and all over 200 pounds and others who will grow yet. Four picks were made from ranks of the CHL including two European players, three from Sweden and one from U.S. high school in Minnesota. Of the players chosen, five are forwards, two defensemen and one is a goalie. None will be expected to fight for a roster spot in training camp this fall.
Round 1 (29th overall) Nicklas Jensen RW, Denmark 6’2 202 OHL Oshawa Generals 29-29-58 ~ projected power forward with skills and speed had good first year in NA and produced well in the playoffs
Round 3 (71st overall) David Honzik, G, Czech Republic 6’3 209 QMJHL Victoriaville Tigres 17-12-1 3.54 0.884 ~ butterfly style goalie responded positively to having a goaltender coach and capped year with good playoff showing
Round 3 (90th overall) Alexandre Grenier, C Canada 6’5 200 QMJHL Halifax Mooseheads 9-15-24 ~ classic late bloomer has size, toughness and skill, had an excellent playoff run with Quebec Remparts, likely will play an overage season in the Q with Halifax
Round 4 (101st overall) Joseph Labate, C USA 6’4 190 Minnesota HS Academy of Holy Angels (committed to the University of Wisconsin WCHA) 29-23-52 ~ big, rangy scoring center needs to fill out and will have a good opportunity to test his skills at the NCAA level
Round 4 (120th overall) Ludwig Blomstrand, LW Sweden 6’1 198 Sweden J20 SuperElit Djurgårdens IF 3-4-7 ~ hard-worker with good size and skating, plays physically
Round 5 (150th overall) Frank Corrado, D Canada 6’0 190 OHL Sudbury Wolves 4-26-30 ~ smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman gaining poise, has power-play quarterback potential
Round 6 (180th overall) Pathrik Westerholm, RW Sweden 6’0 187 HockeyAllsvenskan (Div II) Malmö Redhawks 8-13-21 ~ skilled offensive player, adept playmaking skills and good shot, remains to be seen if he can produce without his twin brother Ponthus
Round 7 (210st overall) Henrik Tommernes, D Sweden 6’1 176 SEL Vastra Frolunda 3-17-20 ~ mobile puck-moving defenseman with good skating and hockey sense who improved immensely this past season, passed over in previous three drafts
The next piece will be coming soon to a screen near you.