Vancouver Canucks prospects of week 20: Woo, DiPietro, MacEwen

We have OHL record-breaking, happenings on the farm and what the future may hold. Here are your top three Vancouver Canucks prospects of the week.

Alright, we have quite a bit to cover today, so let’s get to it. The Vancouver Canucks have their prospects spread around the world and there’s an interesting story from several different leagues. We take ourselves across the Atlantic to Suomi (for those who don’t watch international hockey, that is what Finland is called in Finnish).

Let’s start with Toni Utunen and Tappara. Utunen scored his first career goal in Liiga. Yeah, I get it. He scored his first goal in January. To be fair, he had trouble getting into the lineup and was even loaned to Finland’s second tier league, Mestis during the season.

Remember, Utunen is a fifth round pick, but Canucks fans perked up when they saw him play at the World Juniors. Liiga likes to keep advanced stats and Tappara has some trouble generating shot attempts when he is on the ice. Liiga even keeps track of shot attempts for close (within one goal) and tied situations. Unfortunately, the numbers aren’t favourable either. Still, he is an interesting player and we don’t get to hear about him often.

Moving state side, we look at the NCAA. Tyler Madden didn’t make the list this week, but he had a sweet OT winner over the weekend (bonus points for the kayak celebration after).

Quinn Hughes and the Michigan Wolverines were off for the weekend, but they hit some bad news. Their top centre Josh Norris suffered a season-ending injury. He was a huge part of their power play and if you are Will Lockwood, that’s where most of the points were coming from. The Wolverines were already in tough to make the NCAA Championship tournament. Barring a miracle, we could see Quinn Hughes in a Canucks jersey as early as the middle of March. It’s a silver lining for Canucks fans, but you have to feel for the fans in Michigan.

Your Utica update

Utica added a goalie to the roster. You may or may not remember Michael Leighton. The 37-year-old journeyman was added on a PTO last week. This is the same goalie that took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. As they say around here, life moves fast. Leighton is not a permanent fix, so it will be intriguing to see where the situation goes from here.

The Utica Comets had a good week, winning two of three games, one of which against the division titans, the Syracuse Crunch. We’ll hear more about that later when we get to our number one spot. Only one Comet made the list this week, but here are some quick hits for other Canucks prospects.

Jonathan Dahlén and Kole Lind each had a pair of goals through three games. It had to happen eventually, but nobody is probably more relieved than Lind himself for finally getting his first career AHL goal.

These two are no longer prospects, but I can’t ignore what Brendan Gaunce (one goal, two assists) and Adam Gaudette (one goal, three assists) are doing in Utica. They are too good for the AHL and could replace two of my least favourite forwards on the Canucks. We are seeing glimpses of Tuesday Jim with a pair of minor trades in January. I want Tuesday Jim back for the deadline. Let’s go. Clear up that roster spot and harvest some picks.

Speaking of picks, let’s look at the selections I made with our top three prospects of the week.

No. 3 – Jett Woo (RD) (Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL)

Jett Woo is still doing Jett Woo things. The warriors played four times in the last week and Woo did not disappoint. Finishing the stretch with two goals and two assists, he still has the hot hand on his team.

I know these can be very subjective, but Woo is very good at being selected as one of the stars of the night. He was the first star in Kelowna and picked up the third star when the Warriors blanked the Royals.

It’s not just his home team recognizing what he’s doing out there, but other cities as well. I’m not sure if it means anything, but I find it interesting. After the offensive flex, Woo has 38 points in 39 games. That’s good for seventh among all WHL defenders and I have to keep reminding myself to be careful.

This is how I got drawn into the Kole Lind trap. At the very least, Woo would have to return to Moose Jaw next season (barring a trade), so at least the shine won’t be grinded down in the AHL just yet. Although, if there are still games to play in Utica when the Warriors conclude their season, I do wonder how he would look with a much faster and more physical change of pace.

Woo is tied with teammate Josh Brook for the fourth most goals from WHL defencemen (nine). Only one of those goals have come with the man advantage. That makes sense since Brook is often the trigger man and Woo is usually distributing the puck. All in all, it’s another good week for Woo, which has become a regular thing for the last couple of months.

No. 1 – Zack MacEwen (RW) (Utica Comets, AHL)

We conclude today’s report with Zack MacEwen. Whether you want to call him Big Z, The Big Fella or whatever clever nickname you have in mind, he has been a prime example of prospect development on the Utica Comets. While everyone was tripping over themselves over the bigger name prospects struggling, MacEwen blew past it all.

It really is a disservice that the petty squabbling about deployment largely ignored how well MacEwen played this season. I would love to see him get an NHL call up this season. He is an incredible energy guy who deserves a chance. MacEwen is fast, tenacious and has a scoring touch that has paid off dividends this season.

By no means will he be an offensive threat at the NHL level, but by giving him a chance, the Canucks can use him as a good example of what working hard looks like. You want players to buy in on the farm, point to the undrafted player that accelerated his development curve faster than any non-first rounder in the pipeline. He didn’t even play four years of major junior before Judd Brackett saw something special in him.

Through those three games last week, MacEwen had a goal and three assists (same as Gaudette). The great thing about him is consistency. He doesn’t go on long droughts like some of his teammates and can be relied upon for a much needed jolt late in the game.

He’s tough, but not a goon. He has skill, but doesn’t dangle. Honestly, he’s just fun to watch and is the type of player I refer to when we are seeing veterans block younger players. This also applies to Gaunce and Gaudette, who are proving the AHL is no longer enough for them. I don’t think MacEwen is quite at that point yet, but he has certainly earned a call up.

He will get his chance. But with the Canucks so focused on a playoff spot, I have to wonder if that chance will be later rather than sooner. It’s part of the reason why I’m not thrilled about a playoff push. Deep down, Canucks fans have to know that the team won’t hand the keys over to the kids.

They could be sellers and call up the young guns. Not all of them, especially on defence. But teams have sold and still made the playoffs in the past. It’s a thought that Jim Benning should consider, but I’ll believe it when I see it. One day they will get their chance. I just hope it’s in a Canucks jersey.