The World Juniors are in the rearview mirror and we are back to your weekly dose of Vancouver Canucks prospect updates.
What an incredible eight days. There is quite a bit going on in the land of Canucks prospects. I don’t have time to talk about the team’s sluggish return from the bye week. On the bright side, the Tank is full steam ahead, whether the Vancouver Canucks like it or not.
Let’s knock the bad news out of the way. Jonah Gadjovich has not played a game returning from the World Juniors. He had little ice time in the Gold Medal game and now I believe I know why. Greg Cowan of the Owen Sound Sun Times reported that Gadjovich is out with an illness.
This illness may have kept him on the bench during that final game in Buffalo. I hope it’s not mononucleosis. Gadjovich was doing well for himself in his first post-draft season. You want to see him make those adjustments to his skating and continue to improve. We will have to wait and see when he returns.
At the start of this month, Brett McKenzie was traded to Owen Sound, to join Gadjovich. It will be interesting to have two of our prospects on the same team, especially when the playoffs roll around. The Canucks’ rights to McKenzie expire this June, so I will be intrigued if he is offered an entry-level deal before then.
Honing in on a pair of defencemen
Across the pond, Nikita Tryamkin is having an excellent season in the KHL. The Russian defenceman has 25 points in 47 games and participated in the league’s All Star game last week. I really do hope he returns someday, so Wyatt Arndt can finally get those shirseys.
Back to this side of the Atlantic, we focus on the Oshawa. With 29 points, Matt Brassard leads the way for our OHL prospects. Granted, he has played twice as many games as Gadjovich, but he is 12th among OHL defencemen in points. Brassard is also fourth in shots on goal. His first post-draft season is promising for a seventh round pick. Keep in mind, Tate Olson had a good post-draft season and could not earn a contract. However, he is trending well at this point.
Will Lockwood
There is another update from Will Lockwood regarding his shoulder injury. Upon learning of his season-ending surgery, Lockwood spoke with Rick Dhaliwal.
Lockwood admits this shoulder injury will change his style of play, "I have to change my game a little bit. Maybe strip the puck more than the physical part." #Canucks
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) January 17, 2018
I am very glad that Lockwood is mature enough to understand this. His wild and physical style of play had the potential of ending his NHL career before it started. I have always said that he needs to learn to pick his spots and can’t just be a wrecking ball. This is not his first major injury from his aggresive play.
Shoulder surgery can hamper a player’s shot and this is Lockwood’s second procedure. We see how this surgery can affect a player’s shot when you look at Jake Virtanen and Brendan Gaunce. Virtanen still possesses a decent shot, but it is nowhere close to the level it was in his draft year.
Lockwood has a good head on his shoulders (pun very much intended) and is taking the steps to round out his game. I think with enough patience and work in the NCAA and later on in the AHL, he might just reach that Jannik Hansen-level ceiling.
AHL All Stars
Utica is hosting this year’s AHL All Star Game. The Comets will have two representatives, Reid Boucher and Thatcher Demko. Boucher is playing incredibly well on the farm. He has 20 goals, good for second in the league. The Comets’ leading scorer is seventh in the AHL for total points.
He may not have the best skating, but Boucher can find ways to put pucks in the back of the net. For a team like the Canucks that still has trouble scoring goals, he’s not a bad option. Boucher could see another call up after the trade deadline, but for now, he can set his sights on the All Star game.
Demko is arguably the best player in Utica. His GAA of 2.28 is the eighth best in the AHL and .929 save percentage is tied for fourth. Here’s the kicker. Demko faces the second most shots among all goalies in the AHL. There isn’t one goaltender ahead of Demko in either statistical category with more games played or more shots against.
Both players will be suiting up in front of the home crowd on January 28th-29th. Congratulations to Reid and Thatcher!
Adam Gaudette
Alright, I’m cheating a little with this weekly report. Normally, I cover three standout performances of the week, but this week is different. I wanted to add an honourable mention for Adam Gaudette since he couldn’t quite crack the top three.
In his past four games, Gaudette picked up two goals and four assists. With this string of performances, he has launched himself to the top. Gaudette leads the NCAA with 36 point in 24 games.
He and his teammate, Dylan Sikura are leading the charge for Northeastern. What’s interesting about Sikura is that he is in his final year at Northeastern and if he does not sign with the Blackhawks before August 15, he could become a free agent. Maybe Gaudette will try to convince him to sign with the Canucks. One could hope.
With that, I’ll leave you with the GIFs of his goals.