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I don't care what anybody says on here it would have been fantastic to see Horvat playing for Canada. When I said Horvat might not have made the final cut all I meant was that Canada puts so much emphasis on these tournaments that nothing is a given. He along with all the players have to earn their spot on the roster , not just given a spot due to reputation .

I still say that Horvat would have enhanced his career by being sent to this tournament. I love the way Horvat is playing for the Canucks, but come on , he is far from being an essential player . Lately his ice time has been reduced from 10 min to about 8.5 minutes.

If we are looking to developing a future leader for the Canucks the experience of being able to win a world championship for Canada ranks way above beating San Jose. This would have been his last chance to have atoned for last years collapse of the Canadian juniors.

I would've loved seeing him there but he's an emerging piece for VCR...I can understand they wouldn't let him go.

Noticing that Jakes role has become almost nonexistent now. I think the coaches told him to cool it with running dudes through the boards to be honest. Understandably. Too bad though as this is his game

This Slovakian kid between the pipes, Denis Godla, what a game. I can't think of a time when a goalie gives up 5 goals and still is one of the best players on the ice for either team. The only reason that NHL teams haven't picked him up yet can only be his height (5'10").

Fuck me running. They don't even give Godla the player of the game award.....which is apparently selected by the team. So the crowd chants his name and makes a mockery of the kid who actually did get it.

Bring on the Russians, fucking communist SOBs. I wonder if Putin will be there.

okcanuck wrote:I don't care what anybody says on here it would have been fantastic to see Horvat playing for Canada. When I said Horvat might not have made the final cut all I meant was that Canada puts so much emphasis on these tournaments that nothing is a given. He along with all the players have to earn their spot on the roster , not just given a spot due to reputation .

If the Canucks loaned Horvat to Team Canada, he'd be on this team. 100%. There wouldn't be a tryout, they likely wouldn't even make him dress for any tryout games. Without question, Canada takes any junior-aged player that makes an NHL team. There's a lot to be said about the ability to integrate professionals into a lineup full of junior players. There's also the slight fact that they would never, ever, get another NHL team to loan them a player if they cut one.

RoyalDude wrote:Yeah Virtanens strengths are definitely N-S, off the rush etc.

Love it. Been far too long since we've had that off-the-rush threat. The kid is either going to drive in and beat you with his shot, or go through you and power it into the net. Love his mean-streak too.

Mëds wrote:Fuck me running. They don't even give Godla the player of the game award.....which is apparently selected by the team. So the crowd chants his name and makes a mockery of the kid who actually did get it.

I imagine it's because he already got Player of the game in another game. Childish, yep, but chances are he'd have gotten it every game.

So Island are you saying that the Canucks should have let Horvat play for the juniors? I wonder if he was given the option.

It's been fun watching McDavid get into game shape through this tournament. He's peaking just in time.

It would have been great for Team Canada to have had Bo. It would have been great for Canuck fans to thump their chests watching Bo on Team Canada.

Bo however, learns more playing 10 minutes a game at NHL speed than he would learn in entire games against the best junior players Germany, Denmark and Slovakia have to offer. He probably learned more in 2 shifts against Datsyuk and Zetterberg than he would learn against the US junior team.

Lazar may be having fun at the WJC, but you can bet he would rather be playing 10 minutes a night for the Sens.

This is a junior hockey tournament played at junior hockey skill and speed. It is not NHL hockey. While being passed off as an honour to play for your country, it really means you aren't quite good enough yet and you should go back to school for some remedial classes before embarking on your career.

The Sens have told Lazar and Hockey Canada that Curtis still needs work at the junior level and they can make due without him for a few weeks. The Canucks have told Bo he is an NHL ready player and an asset to their roster.

okcanuck wrote:So Island are you saying that the Canucks should have let Horvat play for the juniors? I wonder if he was given the option.

No, I think his contribution and development are better served in the NHL. If we take the emotion of wining a gold medal out of it, I really don't see how his role changes much. He wouldn't play in front of Reinhart, and he wouldn't play in front of McDavid. So he goes from a 4th line, checking/energy centre in Vancouver, to a 3rd line checking centre for Canada. The competition level drops dramatically. What is he going to learn at a 2 week junior tournament that will dramatically change his game that he's already playing at the professional level?

It would be great, as a Canucks fan, to pump our chests and brag about having 2 prospects on team Canada. I think Horvat is likely better off developmentally honing his game at the NHL level.

Jake has made his way to the 12th forward with his play, 13th if Fabbri was around. He seems to be the worst of the group at puck possession in the O-zone, goes out of his way to run people and is a penalty waiting to happen. I hope the kid can make the corrections, his lack of puck possession/protection/support and cycle game is concerning.

Aside from the game against the USA, this has been an incredibly boring tournament for Canada. I couldn't even be bothered to tune into the game against Slovakia, but I see Canada had no problem torching them as well.

Hopefully the gold medal game is a bit more exciting, but of course we have to beat the communist bastards. Fuck you Putin.

They had plenty of trouble with Slovakia until near the end of the second when the flood-gates opened. It was a 1 goal game for a long time and for the early part of the second Canada looked sluggish. Admittedly though, once they got going, the Slovaks got steam-rolled.

I've been impressed with McDavid's passing... his vision is superb.

On Hicketts.. he looked shaky at times in the first few games, but he seems to have settled in and the coaching staff has given him a lot of minutes, including time on the PK and PP. He appears to have their approval, seemingly at the expense of Morin.

RoyalDude wrote:Jake has made his way to the 12th forward with his play, 13th if Fabbri was around. He seems to be the worst of the group at puck possession in the O-zone, goes out of his way to run people and is a penalty waiting to happen. I hope the kid can make the corrections, his lack of puck possession/protection/support and cycle game is concerning.

His best fit was with Petan and Paul, but then Petan found his way with McDavid. No chemistry or confidence with any of his line mates. Doesn't kill penalties and hasn't earned PP time. He often looks like Mason Raymond with his round the net forays.

He and Ritchie are the lost souls on the team.

Topper wrote:

RoyalDude wrote:Jake has made his way to the 12th forward with his play, 13th if Fabbri was around. He seems to be the worst of the group at puck possession in the O-zone, goes out of his way to run people and is a penalty waiting to happen. I hope the kid can make the corrections, his lack of puck possession/protection/support and cycle game is concerning.

His best fit was with Petan and Paul, but then Petan found his way with McDavid. No chemistry or confidence with any of his line mates. Doesn't kill penalties and hasn't earned PP time. He often looks like Mason Raymond with his round the net forays.

He and Ritchie are the lost souls on the team.

Rithie hasn't found his spot, either. With the amount of line juggling, it's not surprising that Virtanen hasn't found his niche. He's a North-South player that likes the puck on his stick, and I imagine that if he had more than a period or two with a set of linemates he'd find better chemistry.

I, for one, am happy we have him in our organization. With his size, speed, shot and grit, I think he'll be an exciting player. FWIW, Virtanen is also the 3rd youngest forward on the team, next to McDavid and Crouse. He's only 5 months older than McDavid, and he's 18 months younger than Lazar.