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Vancouver Canucks final top prospect report: Utica Comets Edition

By Scott Rosenhek

LAVAL, QC - NOVEMBER 25: Utica Comets left wing Reid Boucher (24) and Laval Rocket center Jeremy Gregoire (37) battle for the puck during the first period of the AHL game between the Utica Comets and the Laval Rocket on November 25, 2017, at the Place Bell in Laval, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC - NOVEMBER 25: Utica Comets left wing Reid Boucher (24) and Laval Rocket center Jeremy Gregoire (37) battle for the puck during the first period of the AHL game between the Utica Comets and the Laval Rocket on November 25, 2017, at the Place Bell in Laval, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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No. 3 – C Cole Cassels (Utica Comets, AHL)

The journey for Cole Cassels has been trying since his days in major junior. Drafted in 2013, the former Oshawa General excited many Canucks fans for his efforts in the 2015 OHL playoffs. He won the Memorial Cup, but people were more excited that Cassels “shut down” Connor McDavid.

A more accurate description is the Oshawa Generals kept the high powered Erie Otters at bay to advance. However, we get unrealistic expectations with the narratives we weave. And boy were those expectations lofty. Cassels had seven points in 67 games in his first season with Utica.

That convinced a good portion of the fandom that they were immediately wrong about what they had thought. It should serve as a reminder to not count your chickens before they hatch. More importantly, it shows how a small sample size can’t be used to determine much of anything.

Cassels is finiding his way in the pros, becoming a more reliable shut down centre for the Comets. This season, he bumped that point total up to 26 points, becoming a regular in the lineup. It doesn’t bode well for an NHL career, but Cassels is an important part of Utica.

Although, he does not usually hit the score sheet, which is why this week was exciting. In that incredible third game of the series, we got the return of Reid Boucher. However Cole Cassels scored twice in that game. With an assist in game four, Cassels finished the playoffs with three points in five games.

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