Vancouver Canucks Messageboard

It's that time of the year again!
Only four days left to the World Junior Championships, this time being held in Montreal and Toronto.
Anyone else getting excited?

Group A has all three Nordic teams (Finland, Sweden, Denmark) plus the Czechs and the Swiss.
Group B has Canada, USA, Russia, Slovakia and Latvia.

Four teams from each group makes the quarter finals, where they are matched A1 vs B4, A2 vs B3, etc.
No more bye to the semi final for the group winner, as there used to be. Makes sense imho.
These are young kids who will benefit from this experience, and I can't see why you would want the best teams to play fewer games. Clearly a change for the better.

Official site: http://www.worldjunior2017.com/

Hopefully Virtanen isn't paying attention, TSN is prominently featuring his penalty parade in the QF loss to Finland in their revisiting of last years WJC.

Canada-Russia is a great way to kick things off, and Juolevi gets the 5PM(ET) pre-drinking game.

Rasmus Dahlin walking the line, deke'in like an older Troy Stecher.

What number is OJ? I see lots of toothpicks but cant find our one
Edit: ok #7 is our toothpick

Here's hoping Jasek (#17) could be our "Detroit-late-pick-turn-into-superstar". Looked good so far.

SKYO wrote:Rasmus Dahlin walking the line, deke'in like an older Troy Stecher.

Rasmus is a mere 16, but already playing against men in the SHL. Sweden's youngest player ever at the World Juniors, beating Pääjärvi with about a month, and scoring two points (1G, 1A) in his first game.

Future Norris candidate. Bet the scouts are drooling.

This tournament is a little different looking in comparison to what we've been seeing the last 3 years or so.
I think it is going to take a very talented, insightful eye to foresee the undrafted potentials.

Uncle dans leg wrote:What number is OJ? I see lots of toothpicks but cant find our one
Edit: ok #7 is our toothpick

I didn't see much of the game. I see he was on for both goals against but can anyone comment on how he played?

Blob Mckenzie wrote:

Uncle dans leg wrote:What number is OJ? I see lots of toothpicks but cant find our one
Edit: ok #7 is our toothpick

I didn't see much of the game. I see he was on for both goals against but can anyone comment on how he played?

He has a smooth stride and seems to move the puck out of his end with the minimum juggling and bobbling that his peers tend to do. Other than that I'd peg him years out still. Extremely slim and will get destroyed on the walls without another 20+ lbs of muscle.
A good pick in my eyes still but the Tkachuk snub could potentially be the talk of the corner for the next 15 years

For the record, I wanted Kieth's kid!

Juolevi playing today. Denmark up 2-0 on only 3 shots on net. Finland looking very disorganized. But so far Juolevi is as advertised. Smooth skating, good speed, great outlet pass. He can walk the line on the point and he gets his shots through. He has a decent wrister and average slapper. He looks bigger than he is, not huge by any standards but he doesn't look like a scrawny kid.

Not a standout but then again the whole Finnish team is not a standout. Horrible goaltending.

Hockey Widow wrote:Juolevi playing today. Denmark up 2-0 on only 3 shots on net. Finland looking very disorganized. But so far Juolevi is as advertised. Smooth skating, good speed, great outlet pass. He can walk the line on the point and he gets his shots through. He has a decent wrister and average slapper. He looks bigger than he is, not huge by any standards but he doesn't look like a scrawny kid.

Not a standout but then again the whole Finnish team is not a standout. Horrible goaltending.

Would've loved to see something that distinguishes him and gives us some optimism but I'm only seeing an average prospect something like Gustav Forsling. If that's the case there are dark days ahead

Love seeing Denmark win that one. Playing to not be relegated, something on the line. Finland lost that almost totally on putrid goaltending.

As for Juolevi ya he looked average. Haven't seen, yet, that something special that had Benning pick him at 5th. But we all know it was a positional, need based, pick. Of course the team itself, Finnland, is bad this year.


The Danes look like they just won gold.

He isnt the best dman on his very crappy WJC team. He is only on the second unit PP...bumped down to make room for a 16 or 17 yr old in a cage. Goalie pulled for the extra attacker and no OJ on the ice for the final 1 and a half minutes.
What the fuck!

Uncle dans leg wrote:He isnt the best dman on his very crappy WJC team. He is only on the second unit PP...bumped down to make room for a 16 or 17 yr old in a cage. Goalie pulled for the extra attacker and no OJ on the ice for the final 1 and a half minutes.
What the fuck!

Yeah the Canucks should have been drafting the best skater period. They have fuck all depth or high end talent at any position so a winger or a center man would have been fine in the 2016 draft. Right now Tkachuck , Keller, Nylander and Jost look a lot better than Juolevi.