Vancouver Canucks: Top 5 prospect performances of the week

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It was an eventful week for Vancouver Canucks fans. With the dust a little settled, here is the latest from the world of Canucks prospects.

I just want to start this off by saying sorry for not getting this out on Monday. Life gets in the way sometimes and for the most part I want to keep regular prospect updates going. So, this week will be different. Instead of the usual top three, I will cover the top five Vancouver Canucks prospects of the week.

Additionally, the Mike Matheson goonery on Elias Pettersson also took the attention of Vancouver Canucks fans this weekend. Thankfully, George Parros and the NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Matheson for two games on Monday. Sure it could have been more, but at least the league took this one seriously.

They acknowledged that what Matheson did was not a hockey play and all Vancouver fans can take a win for that when we heard incompetent after incompetent talking head outside of bubble say the play was clean. I would say a little more to those people, but I am not permitted to use profanities here.

Canucks fans may have lost the excitement out of games without Pettersson, but maybe we can bring back a little positivity (yeah, it sounds strange coming from me as I type this) through our prospects. It’s been nine days since I caught you up with the pool, so here we go.

Let’s start with Quinn Hughes. I know Pettersson’s rookie season has taken much of Canucks’ fans collective attention and some of you may feel Hughes is off to a relatively slow start. All I will say is don’t worry. The points will come along. He is looking dangerous and his skating and control of the puck is something the Canucks blue line has been starved of for years.

On the injury front, Thatcher Demko is still in the concussion protocol, so we wish him and Pettersson a speedy recovery. Looking at the Utica Comets, they had a pair of huge wins against Sam Gagner and the Toronto Marlies, backstopped by Ivan Kulbakov. Although he is technically not a Canucks prospect and was supposed to start in the ECHL, this is a big opportunity. No more chit chat. Onward to our number five prospect of the week, Zack MacEwen.

No. 5 – Zack MacEwen (RW) (Utica Comets, AHL)

The Utica Comets played in three games last week, losing a close one to the Charlotte Checkers, 4-3. But the real showstoppers were the back-to-back games in Toronto, mentioned in the intro slide.

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The Comets’ first encounter with the Marlies was not the prettiest, losing in a lopsided contest. However, Trent Cull’s team turned the tables with a pair of statement games, putting down the Marlies 7-4 and 5-3 right where the Baby Leafs call home.

The goaltending wasn’t stellar, but it was good enough as the high octane offence went to work. For Toronto, things are different with Garret Sparks playing with the Maple Leafs right now, but that does not undersell the offensive firepower Utica had at its disposal.

Zack MacEwen was part of that show, picking up a goal and an assist in three games. It’s crazy, but he did not pick up a single point in that 7-4 game. However, he was buzzing around the net, generating chance after chance. MacEwen had seven shots between the trio of contests and still draws my attention as an energy winger down the line.

With the higher profile names in the prospect pool such as Kole Lind, Jonathan Dahlèn and Petrus Palmu, MacEwen stood above the rest. His age and experience helps and the three mentioned did not play poorly, in fact it was the opposite. Although it’s hard to look bad when your team scores 15 goals in three games. With so many bodies, forwards are rotating in and out of the lineup, so I am curious to see what Cull rolls with if playoffs are in the picture in April.

No. 4 – Michael DiPietro (G) (Windsor Spitfires, OHL)

I think you’re starting to notice a pattern. Featuring goaltenders is a soft spot for me since they don’t always get a lot of attention when fans follow prospects. Also, the Canucks have some good ones in their pipeline, or at the very least ones that perform well.

Michael DiPietro was no exception, playing in a pair of games this week for Windsor. He walked away with a win and a loss, earning that victory with 38 saves on 40 shots. Before we get to his “boxcar” stats, I will repeat this throughout the season. Windsor is in a rebuild, leaving DiPietro to often carry the team on his back. The Spitfires also have a rookie goaltender to help with the lifting this year too.

With that said, his all situations save percentage of .907 is a little low for his standards. It’s only six games so far, and DiPietro does have a shutout on the season. Since the OHL offers a little more data, Prospect Stats can estimate his goals saved above average.

Right now, it’s a little below average at -.905 goals, but there is something important to note. DiPietro has an expected 5v5 save percentage of .916 and it is currently at .890. Those numbers should balance out by the season’s end. For now, Canucks fans can watch from afar and likely see him represent Canada here in Vancouver at the World Juniors.

No. 3 – Tyler Madden (C) (Northeastern Huskies, NCAA)

Northeastern kicked off the season against Sacred Heart. There aren’t the toughest competition as the Huskies rolled over them 5-2 and 5-0. Tyler Madden has made his name known early, picking up a pair of goals in as many games.

Although, his father John was a former NHL player who won the Stanley Cup. It should go without saying that his dad is not the renowned football coach and broadcaster, but I will say it just in case.

It’s a great start for Madden and worth noting he tallied eight shots in those opening games combined. He’s also pretty effective in the faceoff dot, going over 50% in both games. We tend to overstate the value of faceoffs in hockey, but if that is a vital piece of information for you, there you go.

Madden may be a freshman, but he is already taking on the responsibility of playing on the Huskies top line. If you remember my coverage with Adam Gaudette last year, I will likely bring up Northeastern a lot, especially when the next Beanpot rolls around.

No. 2 – Matthew Thiessen (G) (Dubuque Fighting Saints, USHL)

Matthew Thiessen had another great week with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. In a pair of games, Thiessen won both of them, making a total of 56 saves on 61 shots. Unfortunately, the USHL doesn’t tract advanced goaltending data, but his .904 save percentage ranks 12th in the USHL (yeah, USHL games tend to be higher scoring).

Thiessen is interesting to me since he plays a much more composed game than say Michael DiPietro. The latter is much more athletic and can bring a lot of flash to the position, while the former is more reserved.

Corey Pronman of The Athletic featured Thiessen in his Around the Farms series. Based on his comments (behind a paywall), Thiessen is not particularly flashy and plays a rather conservative style. The occasional bad goal slips past him, but Pronman really likes his hockey IQ and positioning. The last pair of drafts have placed a great deal of emphasis on skill and hockey IQ (for the most part), which is promising in many of these starts.

No. 1 – Adam Gaudette (C) (Utica Comets, AHL)

Last, but certainly not least is Adam Gaudette. I lamented that the new editions to the Canucks would block Gaudette from a roster spot and I was partially correct. Unfortunately, the young centre didn’t blow the doors off of training camp as I hoped, but due to Jay Beagle’s broken forearm, another door has opened.

Oliver Thompson did a great job covering the call up and tracking Gaudette’s brief time in the NHL and AHL season so far.

Related Story. Can Adam Gaudette make his mark?. light

Gaudette was very busy this week. He scored his first career AHL goal on the power play, thanks to a nice feed from Kole Lind. But where he took off was that 7-4 game against the Marlies, scoring another goal and finishing the night with three points.

Four points in two games is a damn good week and the timing of injuries on the Canucks gives Gaudette an incredible opportunity. Based on the first game he played last night, it looks Travis Green will stick to sheltered minutes, which is the best course of action.

Special teams could be interesting as Gaudette played in all situations at Northeastern and it is a little early to determine his role at the professional level. Although, judging by that quick one timer, he could have a nice spot on a future power play unit.

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We do have a few interesting players with a lot of potential. The NHL can come as a shock for many prospects and few have what it takes to stick. I do think Gaudette has the tools to do that, but he has to make sure to capture the coach’s attention with gusto this time. The work Gaudette puts in now is part of his audition for next year’s lineup. And who knows, if Jim Benning trades for futures at the deadline, he may get to finish the season in Vancouver.

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