Vancouver Canucks Rumblings: Boeser a Leader in the Making

The Vancouver Canucks’ prospect development camp has come to an end, and Brock Boeser was the biggest standout.

Let the debate begin: who is the Vancouver Canucks’ top prospect? Goalie Thatcher Demko, defenseman Olli Juolevi or forward Brock Boeser? Or is it still NHL winger Jake Virtanen (who didn’t play enough games in 2015-16 to be considered graduated to the NHL)?

One thing is clear, Boeser used this year’s prospect development camp in Shawinigan Lake to make a case for himself. Plus, he seems to be turning into a true leader on and off the ice.

That and more in our daily Canucks rumblings!

(Don’t forget to make your voice heard in the comments section!)

Goalie of the Future

David Joun — The Canuck Way: Vancouver Canucks Extend Jacob Markstrom

The breakdown of the salary by year is as follows:2017/18 — $3.4 million2018/19 — $3.6 million2019/20 — $4 million

The Vancouver Canucks (kind of) committed to Jacob Markstrom as their goalie of the future by signing him to a three-year extension. But the most important part is: Vancouver didn’t overpay.

An annual average of $3.67 million really isn’t bad for a starting goalie. Markstrom has yet to play a full season in the NHL — he appeared in two AHL games last season — so he probably would have had a hard time asking for a bigger deal. But, he definitely looked like a potential starting goalie in most of his 33 games. And he is now paid like a potential starting goalie.

With Markstrom signed at a reasonable price for just three additional years, the Canucks also give prospect Thatcher Demko every opportunity to earn the starting job by 2020. Demko will get time to develop with the AHL Utica Comets and, if he develops into the player he projects to be, he can come into the NHL by 2018 and earn the starting job by 2020. If he doesn’t, the Canucks can still sign Markstrom to a bigger contract — but Markstrom will also be 30 by then.

Markstrom’s signing might also influence the upcoming expansion draft. Teams must expose at least one goaltender signed through the 2017-18 season. As of today, Ryan Miller will be an unrestricted free agent, Demko and Michael Garteig will automatically be protected and the Canucks would want to keep Markstrom, so they have no one to expose. So, Vancouver would have to sign someone only to expose him in the expansion draft — anyone interested in the job?

Wow, who’s that kid?

Carol Schram — hockeybuzz: Vancouver Canucks Development Camp Wraps Up

Standouts, Brock Boeser, the kid was going 80%, unlike most of the others, and he was heads above all the other forwards in terms of pure talent. Juolevi is really poised with the puck, tall lean kid with excellent wheels.Never heard of Jacob Sweeny before but he’s a frickin monster of a kid!

Carol Schram started off with a comment from a reader who attended the Canucks’ development camp. By the sounds of it, Olli Juolevi seems to be mentioned simply because he was this year’s top pick. Brock Boeser, on the other hand, seemed to really stand out from his peers.

More from The Canuck Way

While I don’t necessarily think “going 80 percent” is a good thing when you are trying to show your club that you deserve to be a part of it, it is great to hear that Boeser continues to make big strides. Selected 23rd-overall in 2015, Boeser seems to develop into a top-line scorer with elite talent. I can’t wait to see him join the pros next year.

Another interesting mention was Jacob Sweeny, a 6-foot-4, 201-pound defenseman of the QMJHL Moncton Wildcats. An undrafted invitee, Sweeny is 21 years old, so that might explain why he looks like “a frickin monster of a kid.” Still, it would be great to add another talented defenseman to the system.

Unfortunately, Sweeny dropped from 46 to points in 2014-15 to just 14 last season, and he is committed to the University of Ottawa for the upcoming year. I haven’t seen Sweeny play, so I can’t make a qualified judgement here. But CIS players rarely make the NHL — Joel Ward, a graduate of the University of PEI, is the only one who comes to mind.

Brock Boeser a Leader in the Making

Cleve Dheensaw — Times Colonist: Beefed up Boeser now the centre of attention for Canucks

“Brock stepped up and took a leadership role here this week from Day 1,” noted Smyl.Earlier in the week, the Minnesotan reflected on the difference between this year and last year at Shawnigan Lake: “I’m in my second year in development camp and it’s definitely a different role than last year. The bar has been raised and the expectations are higher.”

After reading that Boeser was easily the biggest standout at development camp, it is great to hear positive things from team officials and Boeser himself. It seems like Boeser is not only extremely talented, but also a leader in the making.

Of course, it isn’t easy to make out leaders in a development camp. After all, they just do some workouts and a few drills, right? Well, sort of.

First of all, there is a big difference between quiet first-year players who were drafted in the late rounds and a second-year first-round pick. That partly has to do with confidence, but is rather a result of experience. When you go to camp as an 18-year-old for the first time, everything is new, and you might get overwhelmed when you put on an NHL sweater for the first time — even if it’s just a practice one. Being there a second or even third or fourth time, you know what to expect and simply do your best to prove what you can do.

Next: Who's the No. 1 Prospect?

But, guys like Boeser and Troy Stecher — who was also mentioned in media recently — stand out as leaders more than other “older” players. They don’t just do their best to prove what they can do, but they also do everything they can to help others. Plus, they lead their teams in team building activities.

It isn’t much, but it is a first sign of great things to come.

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