They have just one win in their last 11 heading into the weekend and they’re the only team in the NHL averaging fewer than two goals per game.
It’s dire times for the Vancouver Canucks.
Not only does the short-term future look bleak, but based on the team’s draft history and how they’ve handled the development of prospects — particularly high draft picks like Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen — Canucks fans are worried the next few years could be rough.
Many feel Horvat isn’t being utilized the way he should be. He’s one of the only Canucks that seems to make anything happen on the ice yet is tasked with being a third-line centre and he doesn’t get the power-play time he deserves.
The Canucks recently sent Virtanen, who realistically shouldn’t have been in the NHL last year, down to the AHL after he managed to register just one assist in 10 games this season.
First-round selections Jared McCann (2014) and Hunter Shinkaruk (2013) aren’t even with the team anymore. Shinkaruk only played one game with the Canucks before he was dealt to the Flames and McCann was shipped to the Panthers in the trade to acquire Erik Gudbranson. Other recent high draft picks that didn’t work out for the Canucks include Nicklas Jensen, Alexandre Mallet, Jordan Schroeder, Anton Rodin, Yann Sauve and who could forget Cody Hodgson?
It’s certainly not all doom and gloom though — despite an iffy track record — so with that in mind, here’s a look at how some of the Canucks’ top prospects are faring this fall.
OHL
Olli Juolevi, 18, D
Drafted: First round, fifth overall, 2016 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 12 GP | 2 G | 8 A | 10 P | +5
When Jim Benning stood the podium at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo at the 2016 NHL Draft and said, “With the fifth selection, Vancouver selects from the London Knights…” many Canucks fans wanted him to complete the sentence by saying “Matthew Tkachuk.”
Instead the Canucks took Tkachuk’s teammate Juolevi, the top-ranked blueliner in the draft class.
“It’s kind of weird. Even in Buffalo the arena was shocked and even our own market maybe thought we would pick a forward,” Canucks president Trevor Linden told Sportsnet prior to the season.
Juolevi is off to a solid start with the Knights this season, registering two goals, eight assists in 12 games. Often compared to a fellow Olli, Olli Maatta of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Juolevi is as well-rounded a defenceman as you’ll find outside of the NHL.
Linden said the 18-year-old Finnish standout had a great summer of training and spent more time in the gym doing off-ice work. It has translated into a solid start to the 2016-17 campaign. Also, by playing on a deep and talented team like London he isn’t counted on to be the guy there. He’s a key piece to the puzzle and a strong supporting cast aids in his development just like it did in his rookie year last season.
The organization hadn’t selected a defenceman in the first round since they took the late Luc Bourdon in 2005. Prior to that it was Bryan Allen going fourth overall in 1998. So there is a lot of pressure on Juolevi.
“The one thing with defencemen is they’re ability to read the rush, read the play, read pressure and Olli excels at that in every way,” Linden added. “He makes things look really easy. I mean as a 17-year-old to have the type of tournament he did at the world juniors I think says a lot about his ability to compute, read and react in a game situation.”
Translation: You’ve got a blue-chip prospect on your hands here, Canucks fans.
USHL
Brock Boeser, 19, RW
Drafted: First round, 23rd overall, 2015 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 9 GP | 7 G | 6 A | 13 P | +7
The way Boeser has looked coming out of the gates for North Dakota this year, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up being a Hobey Baker Award contender. With the Sedins presumably nearing the end of their tenure in Vancouver the team needs an influx of young talent up front. Boeser, ideally, will lead that charge and help the likes of Horvat and Virtanen in the process.
“I think his game sets up for the NHL. He’s got great offensive instincts,” North Dakota coach Brad Berry told The Province earlier this week. “He’s very, very competitive, with a team-first mentality. He’s not only a very good player individually, but he also makes other players around him better. He has all the attributes to be an impactful player at the NHL level. How quickly he gets up to speed is up to the organization and it’s up to the player himself. But he has that opportunity.”
William Lockwood, 18, RW
Drafted: Third round, 64th overall, 2016 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 8 GP | 5 G | 3 A | 8 P | +2
Lockwood is from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and finding early success in his own backyard as he currently leads the University of Michigan Wolverines in scoring. Playing on the team’s top line as a freshman, Lockwood has been flaunting his skill and incredible speed.
Adam Gaudette, 20, C
Drafted: Fifth round, 149th overall, 2015 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 9 GP | 6 G | 6 A | 12 P | +5
Another skilled college forward in the Canucks system having a great year. Gaudette had a respectable ’15-16 as a freshman with Northeastern University (12 goals, 18 assists in 41 games) but he has take a noticeable step forward this year. He’s at least a couple years away from being NHL ready but his shot could be deadly if he keeps improving.
AHL
Jordan Subban, 21, D
Drafted: Fourth round, 115th overall, 2013 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 9 GP | 4 G | 7 A | 11 P | minus-3
Jordan Subban is off to a blazing start with the Utica Comets. His 11 points in nine games ranks him first in points per game among defenceman who have played more than one game.
Considering Canucks defencemen have COMBINED for just 14 points in 15 games (that’s 91 total man games), it’s refreshing to know there is some offence from the back end the team could potentially call up. The Canucks recently recalled undrafted free agent Troy Stecher. Maybe Subban is next on the list. He should be.
Thatcher Demko, 20, G
Drafted: Second round, 36th overall, 2014 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 4 GP | 0-3-1 record | .861 SP | 3.74 GAA
Demko’s AHL career hasn’t started the way he had envisioned it. The Comets, like the Caucks, are not a good team so his struggles aren’t entirely his fault. However, after a terrific season with Boston College where he went 27-8-4 with a 1.88 goals-against average and .935 save percentage, his numbers with the Comets are disheartening.
It’s rare for any 20-year-old goalie to have immediate success when they turn pro, so it’s not time to panic or throw in the towel. Canucks’ goaltending consultant Rollie Melanson recently told Vancouver’s NEWS 1130 that Demko is “a young guy who is figuring things out…He’s one save a night from success right now.”
QMJHL
Guillaume Brisebois, 19, D
Drafted: Third round, 66th overall, 2015 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 16 GP | 3 G | 8 A | 11 P | minus-2
Brisebois has shone in his first season with the Charlottetown Islanders after requesting a trade from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan after last season. Brisebois was named captain last month and added to the QMJHL’s roster for the CIBC Canada-Russia series.
Dmitry Zhukenov, 19, C
Drafted: Fourth round, 114th overall, 2015 (Vancouver)
Season to date: 13 GP | 6 G | 7 A | 13 P | minus-6
The young Russian had a solid showing at Canucks’ development camp in the summer and appears to have carried some of that momentum into this season. He is creative in the offensive zone and his vision is impressive.
