2018 TCW Vancouver Canucks prospect report cards
Goalies
Thatcher Demko, Utica Comets (AHL)
Thatcher Demko started his season on the IR with a concussion. Despite having a new goalie coach for the third time in as many seasons, Canucks fans were not impressed with Demko during the preseason. Some felt he wasn’t ready and those hopping on the Dave Pratt train were ready to move on. Yikes.
Regardless, Demko returned and played fairly well. He was a top five goaltender in the AHL last season and didn’t need much time to get back up to speed. Demko wasn’t putting up shutouts every night, but he did his job well enough to win. He wasn’t thrown into a fire on his return, but as the games have become tougher, Demko has stepped up. He has a save percentage of .915 and a 6-3-1 record.
Many of you are aware of Jason Botchford’s project cable box, where the team needs to start selling one of their NHL goalies to call up Demko. And I agree. Demko is 23 years old. I always talk about forwards and defencemen hitting peak ages and goaltenders are no different. The sooner we can see Demko get games the better. Win or lose, he needs a chance to play a whole string of games. I don’t think there is much left for him in the AHL and if 20-year-old Carter Hart can win consecutive games on that garbage team in Philadelphia, what’s the harm in bringing up Demko?
The kid from San Diego is ready. He is also the only goalie prospect in the system who has any pro experience. I wouldn’t be rushing to move him for immediate help any time soon. He deserves a chance to split starts in the NHL. However, the injury to Bachman may keep Demko in Utica for the time being.
Grade: A
Michael (Mikey) DiPietro, Windsor Spitfires/Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Mikey may have shifted to the face of the Canucks’ future goaltending, but I wouldn’t be so quick to do that. He hasn’t done anything in a professional league yet. Because of the NHL-CHL transfer agreement, he still has to play against kids.
Looking good once again, DiPietro is near the top of the OHL in save percentage and GAA. He’s fifth in GSAA, saving an estimated 17.984 more goals than the average OHL goaltender. I always prefaced those numbers with the note that he’s doing this on a rebuilding team. He’s 12-8-1 this season.
Well, that won’t be true from this point on. The Windsor Spitfires traded Mikey to the Ottawa 67’s. They are going on a Memorial Cup run this year and I can’t wait to see how well he plays on a loaded team. Early indications look very positive so far.
It’s a shame he can’t play in the AHL until next season, but he is set up to have an incredible year between the World Juniors and the OHL. But like I said, he’s playing against children. The oldest players in the OHL are 21 years old. Everything changes once you hit the AHL. We’ve seen that with other Canucks prospects as well.
Regardless, DiPietro has done very well for himself, setting the bar incredibly high last year and doing a solid job meeting that this year.
Grade: A-
Matthew Thiessen, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
Matthew Thiessen was a very interesting pick. The final pick from the Canucks in 2018 was picked out of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (the province’s version of the BCHL). Playing in the USHL, his season has had its ups and downs.
Starting off very strong, Dubuque hit a rough stretch for the last couple of months. The USHL is interesting since some view it as a level slightly below the CHL. What’s interesting is that Thiessen doesn’t usually face many shots per game (averages 27 against). He is 7-7-6 this season with a save percentage of .892.
Thiessen’s last two games have been very good and we will see what happens as he progresses to the NCAA. I see him as a longer term project and is a little harder to assess. I don’t know what we have in him, but he has certainly piqued my interest.
Grade: C+
Defencemen
Matt Brassard (RD), Oshawa Generals (OHL)
If you catch our prospect reports, you know I have a keen interest in Matt Brassard. He was a shot machine last year and has done the same this season. Brassard is sixth among all OHL defencemen in shots with 98 and averages 3.4 per game. In 29 games he has six goals and 21 points. The Canucks took an interesting chance on a second year player and we will see if he is signed by next June.
Grade: B+
Guillaume Brisebois (LD), Utica Comets (AHL)
Guillaume Brisebois has been a steady defenceman for the Comets this season. He may only have seven points in 29 games, but offence was not a strength he would bring to the NHL. Although, his production does seem rather low, but he has shown that he is defensively responsible, can add a physical edge and can move effectively out there.
The Canucks organization overhypes the kid since it was during a time when the pipeline had nearly nothing on defence. As long as Benning is here, the 2015 third rounder will get every chance to succeed. I think he could play a 6/7 D role on an NHL team one day, but at the very least, he can become a stable partner for the next wave of Canucks rookies on the farm.
Grade: B
Jalen Chatfield (RD), Utica Comets (AHL)
The Canucks took a chance on undrafted defenceman Jalen Chatfield. He had a rough rookie season in Utica and looked to build on it this year. Unfortunately, with a point in 13 games and likely out long term with an injury, there isn’t much to expect from him this season.
Grade: C-
Kristoffer Gunnarsson (LD), Frölunda/Linköping HC (SHL)
There’s not a lot to say about Kristoffer Gunnarsson. He nearly set a record in SHL futility, but finally has a point in his career. Yes, he has one point in 87 career games. I am very close to just calling him a bust, but the Canucks do retain his rights until 2021.
Grade: C-
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Quinn Hughes (LD), Michigan Wolverines (NCAA)
What can’t I say about Quinn Hughes that hasn’t been done already. If you are able to, watch this kid play live. Try to catch every Team USA game, whether it’s on TV or live. He is a treat to watch and the creativity and control he has with the puck is incredible.
Hughes is tied for second among all NCAA defenders with 20 points in 17 games. First place has 21 points. He is the backbone of Michigan’s deadly power play and a selfish part of me wants to see an early exit for the Wolverines so the Canucks can sign him in March. And with that goaltending, we might get our wish.
Hughes is truly special and if the dream of uniting him with his brother can’t come true, the Canucks will still have a scary power play going forward. Imagine having Pettersson and Boeser being fed pucks by an incredible distributor like Hughes.
I could go on and on, but here’s the tl;dr. Quinn Hughes is amazing. He’s dynamic and yes, he will make defensive mistakes. But he has too much offensive talent to be weighed down by that. He may be small, but his elusive skating will protect him out there.
Grade: A+
Olli Juolevi (LD), Utica Comets (AHL)
Life isn’t fair for Olli Juolevi. The former fifth overall pick has been slow in his development. As he sees his peers and countrymen jump into the league faster than he has, the young man has to deal with injuries.
His back surgery in the summer hurt his offseason training, but he had no problem putting up numbers in the AHL. I used Sami Niku as a comparison and before Juolevi’s knee surgery, he was keeping pace. At one point, he was leading rookie defencemen. It’s a shame that this important developmental season was cut short by another surgery.
Juolevi had 13 points in 18 games (1 G, 12 A). He had a lot of points on the power play and the big critique from him was what he did away from the puck. I complained about his mobility, so hopefully the surgery can fix those issues. It’s not easy to have your development halted by two surgeries so close together, and he was finally putting things together. C’est la vie, as the French say.
Grade: A-
Jack Rathbone (LD), Harvard Crimson (NCAA)
Jack Rathbone has had a solid start to his NCAA career. In his draft+2 season, Rathbone has three goals and nine points in 11 games. Those are good freshman numbers and it’s nice to see the Canucks have multiple defensive prospects in a pool that was missing them for a long time. We’ll see how he continues to build from here.
Grade: B+
Ashton Sautner (RD), Utica Comets (AHL)
Ashton Sautner was one of the best defencemen for the Utica Comets this year. Building on a very good season last year, he took what he learned from his NHL call up and has taken a huge step for the Comets. Remember, he was an undrafted player signed by the team.
You don’t see it in the point totals (six points in 25 games), but his defensive play has been incredible. Now out for the long term with facial fractures, the Comets won’t see him return soon. They are going to miss them as they dive into the ECHL free agent pool.
Grade: B
Toni Utunen (LD), Tappara (Liiga)/LeKi (Mestis)
I didn’t know much about Toni Utunen when the Canucks drafted him. He had international experience at the U18’s and will likely play at the World Juniors in Vancouver. Based on his point totals (one point in 21 games with Tappara), it doesn’t seem like he is progressing like he hoped. It probably doesn’t help that he was loaned to a team in Finland’s second tier league, Mestis.
Grade: C+
Jett Woo (RD), Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Jett Woo has come as advertised. Technically, there were better players available from that 2018 draft. A lot of players who fell out of the first round. However, Woo has been very good this season. When he started the season injured, I was a little concerned, but he picked up almost immediately.
Based on interviews, I can see why the Canucks drafted him. He can easily become a fan favourite even if his offensive upside is not the highest. With that said, Woo has definitely crossed the minimum threshold for junior hockey players. It’s hard to project how much impact a player will have in the NHL based on games against kids, but we will see him in Utica in a couple of years.
I like how motivated he is and how he took the snub from Hockey Canada to be the WHL’s player of the week. He’s physical, has a lot of energy and the crowd already loves him.
Grade: B+
Forwards
Jonathan Dahlén (LW), Utica Comets (AHL)
Jonathan Dahlén. A hero in Timrå. Best friend of Elias Pettersson. Maybe his future linemate. Well, things didn’t start off hot for Dahlén. His lacklustre preseason sent him to the Utica Comets, where he struggled to put up points. It was a wake up call on the difference between the Allsvenskan and the AHL.
Putting up less than 0.5 points per game early on, he wasn’t playing poorly, but wasn’t excelling like people hoped. That changed in mid-November when he caught fire and took advantage of an injured lineup. Dahlén has seven goals and 17 points in 28 games. He doesn’t lead Canucks rookies, but he made the most of his limited time and earned much more from Trent Cull. It was a little slow to start, but he’s on the right track now.
Grade: B+
Jonah Gadjovich (LW), Utica Comets (AHL)
Jonah Gadjovich was part of the “Golden” draft class from 2017. Well, we’re in the second year removed from that draft and Gadjovich is one player who has not adjusted well to the pros. The Man Child was big enough for the physical side of the AHL, but his skating would ultimately hold him back.
And that’s what is happening. In the same minutes given to Dahlén early on, Gadjovich has struggled mightily. You can’t make it in the AHL without a minimum level of mobility and he does not have that right now.
It was going to be an issue from the moment we took him in the draft and so far he has yet to make progress in that department. He will likely carve out a nice defensive role, but for him to do that in the NHL, he has to be able to move well enough. I do think he could use time in the ECHL, but the Comets are decimated with injuries (again). He will get his opportunity now, so he should make the most of it. With four points in 19 games, he absolutely could.
Grade: C-
Lukas Jasek (RW), Utica Comets (AHL)
Lukas Jasek quietly excelled at the end of last season. On a six-game stint with the Comets to end the season, he picked up seven points in six games. Although he hasn’t kept that pace, Jasek has been very good this year, collecting 16 points in 26 games.
Jasek has no excuses. He is older than many of the Canucks prospects (21 years old) and has done well with limited time as well. It’s almost like the Comets reward good play and hard work. The sixth round pick from the 2015 draft is doing well, meeting expectations and not complaining about ice time.
Grade: B
Kole Lind (RW), Utica Comets (AHL)
Why isn’t anybody taking Kole Lind? Perhaps this season is showing why. Well, that’s mean. However, Lind has played incredibly poorly. The kid was a dominant force last year in the WHL and it really shows the gap in talent between major junior and the minors.
That’s the difference between playing kids and playing against grown adults. Lind has 2 points in 15 games. Even Gadjovich is doing better and Lind had the better chance of making it to the NHL after the draft.
He is slow, lost and just seems unsure of himself. I don’t think he needs to be sent back to junior. There’s nothing left for him there. But he could use a bunch of games in the ECHL. He and Gadjovich are not out of time. They are 20 years old, but this is a rude awakening that should show them how much left they have to learn before they look towards the NHL.
It’s a lesson for them and frankly a lesson for all of us. Pro hockey separates the wheat from the chaff and that’s just to make it in the minors. It’s a long and road to the NHL from here.
Grade: C-
Will Lockwood (LW), Michigan Wolverines (NCAA)
I’ll be honest. After he hurt his shoulder for the second year in a row, I was concerned that Will Lockwood would end his career before it began. He has taken off like a rocket this season, putting up five goals and 15 points in 17 games.
It helps to have Quinn Hughes feeding you passes, but Lockwood has looked dangerous for the Wolverines. Keep in mind, this is Lockwood’s junior year in college, so if he has any chance at the NHL, he has to be productive. Maybe he will live up to that Jannik Hansen projection. I do miss the Honey Badger at his peak and Lockwood can be feisty on the ice.
Grade: A-
Zack MacEwen (C/RW), Utica Comets (AHL)
We get to one of my favourite prospects on the Comets. Zack MacEwen or Big Z has come an incredible way. His development curve is atypical. Now, not Alex Burrows atypical, but still very interesting.
Instead of playing 3-4 years of major junior like most NHL hopefuls, MacEwen only played two. He got to the QMJHL late, but the Canucks still saw something in him. When they signed the undrafted forward, critics panned the move. However, with his surging success, his biggest critic at CanucksArmy admitted the mistake, something most people aren’t willing to do.
MacEwen has made me a fan quickly. He is fast, full of energy and can be a wrecking ball out there. Leading all Canucks prospects with 25 points in 31 games, he is one of my top choices to get a call up with the Canucks later this season.
Grade: A+
Tyler Madden (C), Northeastern Huskies (NCAA)
Tyler Madden has been nothing short of incredible so far. The 2018 third rounder is far and away exceeding my expectations. It’s still too early to declare the pick a home run, but his start has been fantastic. Madden has 15 points in 14 games, taking full advantage of the prime opportunities in Northeastern provided by Adam Gaudette and his graduated teammates.
Madden is on a very good Northeastern team, becoming a significant part of the team’s success. The Canucks organization can seem thin at centre, so it is nice to have someone like Madden. Judd Brackett looks like he found another nice player from the US region and I can’t wait to see what Madden can do in 2019.
Grade: A+
Artyom Manukyan (RW), Avangard Omsk (KHL)
Artyom Manukyan was like the Petrus Palmu pick. A small, highly skilled forward taken in the sixth round. It was something Canucks fans begged for. To go for skill and not throw the pick away with low upside players.
Now is the time to remember that these players have a very small chance of making the NHL. Both were taken in their draft+2 seasons, shrinking their window to prove something. Manukyan had a very good start to his season, but has cooled off for the last two months. He has 13 points in 41 KHL games, so we will see what happens. The Canucks have four years to decide on him.
Grade: B-
Petrus Palmu (RW/LW), Utica Comets (AHL)/TPS Turku (Liiga)
I’m a lot harsher on Palmu for a couple of reasons. First, you can’t use the North American ice excuse. He played in Owen Sound for three years; he’s seen and gotten used to the ice. Second, he may have been rookie of the year in Liiga, but he wasn’t destroying the league.
A good example of a small player excelling there is Aleksi Heponiemi. At 148 lbs, Heponiemi is putting up 0.9 points per game in Liiga. He’s doing that as a 19-year-old while Palmu put up 0.61 points per game as a 20-year-old.
It also shows the gap between Liiga and the AHL. Palmu needs to produce offence to offset doubts about his size. He didn’t take advantage of his minutes like Jasek. He is older than other prospects in Utica, so there is less of an excuse. Returning to Liiga is fine and the Canucks have him under contract for two years after this season. But with one point in 12 games, I’m not exactly confident in Palmu going forward.
Grade: C-
Next. What I want for Christmas: A healthy Elias Pettersson. dark
Dmitry Zhukenov (C), Yugra (VHL)/LHK (Czech2)/AZ Havirov (Czech2)
Dmitry Zhukenov has been incredibly frustrating to track. It seems like he hardly plays any games and with his rights expiring next June, I am ready to declare him a bust, but I promised no failures today. Although, he is basically done as a prospect for me and likely the Canucks as well.
Grade: C-
Well, if you made through these 3800 words, I am grateful for your attention. Hopefully, that gets you caught up with all things related to Canucks prospects. I can’t wait for the World Juniors and here’s to a strong finish in the new year!