Canucks Prospect Report: Checking in on Kunz, Malone, and Persson

As the Vancouver Canucks journey through their 2020-21 campaign, some of their prospects are doing the same. In this piece, we’ll check in on more prospects and their respective seasons.

Jackson Kunz, C — Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

Jackson Kunz, selected 113th overall by the Canucks in 2020, is a 6’3″, 214-pound centre currently playing for the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL. Kunz is also committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2021-22 season.

Coming out of the Shattuck St. Mary system, Kunz had a dominant high school career. Through 78 games, Kunz scored 62 goals and 113 points, including a 40-goal season in his draft year.

This season, Kunz has posted eight goals and 14 points through 18 games with Green Bay. As per Elite Prospects, the big-bodied forward possesses a skillset with high potential.

His hand-eye is excellent, and his balance in front of the net is so strong. Kunz really shows an understanding of his game and where he needs to go to be successful. His passing ability is evident. Kunz’s willingness to get to high danger areas makes him so dangerous. His shot is heavy, and he possesses a quick release.

In Kunz’s first full season with Green Bay, he has shown off the skills for which he’s been praised.

In this sequence, Kunz shields the puck from the defender with ease, and powers his way into the slot.

However, the centre’s first real test will be whether or not his game translates into NCAA hockey.

While Kunz’s offensive toolkit looks promising, there are some detractors to his game. As per Chris Faber, Kunz’s most significant issue is his skating.

[Kunz] didn’t look very quick compared to the competition he was playing against in high school hockey […] it doesn’t look like he generates much force from his stride.

Looking back to the above clip, you can see that Kunz doesn’t load up in his stride, hence why he isn’t generating as much power as he could, like Faber mentions.

As one of the youngest eligible players in the 2020 Draft, Kunz has time on his side to work on the deficiencies in his play. Keep an eye out for the American centre as he begins his NCAA career next season.

Jack Malone, RW/C — Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

Jack Malone, selected 180th overall by the Canucks in 2019, is a 6’1″, 190-pound centre playing for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms.

After playing his freshman year with Cornell University, where he scored eight points in 27 games, the forward returned to Youngstown as all Ivy League schools cancelled their winter sports seasons due to COVID-19.

Malone rejoined Youngstown this year already familiar with the organization. Through 57 games Malone scored 19 goals and 59 points in 2018-19.

Malone is a very elusive player on the ice. He does a superb job of finding space around the high-danger areas of the slot. He does so as a one-timer option in the slot and makes himself available for redirections around the net.

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Malone’s offensive awareness also factors into his passing game, where he has a sharp eye for passing lanes in the offensive zone.

If you’d like an in-depth look at his draft year with Youngstown, Chris Faber has blessed everyone’s Twitter timelines with 25 GIFs from his breakout season.

This year, the Californian native picked up where he left off in the USHL. In 15 games, Malone has scored two goals and 14 points. Unfortunately, Youngstown is in the midst of an abysmal season as residents of the USHL basement, with only five wins this year.

Malone’s season is still one to watch, though, as he is still one of the league’s better players. Moreover, look out for his return to NCAA hockey next season when Cornell (hopefully) resumes their collegiate sports.

Viktor Persson, D — Brynäs IF J20 (J20 Nationell) / Strömsbro IF (HockeyEttan)

Viktor Persson, selected 191st overall in the 2020 Draft, is a 6’2″, 192-pound defenceman who has split time in the Brynäs IF system and Strömsbro IF.

Persson looks to be another intriguing prospect for the Canucks, as his draft-plus-one season has turned the heads of some scouts, namely due to his passing abilities.

A big part of [Persson’s] success comes from his abilities as a distributor. He makes good calls on when to join the rush or play with a more passive posture. Persson maintains a high work rate, with active feet and smart skating patterns, ensuring he’s always open to receive a pass.

This season, Persson has bounced up and down the ranks in Sweden. Persson played three games with the Brynäs senior team, where he failed to record a point.

In 16 games with Brynäs’ U20 outfit, Persson scored five goals, nine points, and was a +12 before league officials cancelled the J20 season.

Currently, the right-handed defenceman is on loan with Strömsbro IF in Sweden’s third-tier, where he’s been dominant on the scoresheet, scoring one goal and five points in as many games.

As per Dobber Prospects’ Cam Robinson, Persson’s smooth transitional game is what gives him so much upside as a late-round pick.

He thrives as a transitional playmaker who exhibits good feet in joining the rush […] showcasing that ability with more regularity and exploding into seams. Despite being a bit slender, he is also unafraid to lean on opponents.

With such slick skating, Persson’s first professional goal will look great on his highlight reel.

Persson ripped through the neutral zone, weaving through two defenders and putting the other one on skates (no pun intended) as he sniped the puck home from the slot.

While Persson’s playing situation has been unstable, he will join the Kamloops Blazers by next season as an import player. It will be exciting to see how his high-octane playstyle stacks up against the tougher WHL competition.

So, what do you think about the Canucks’ latest crop of long-term projects? Let us know in the comments!