Welcome to the 2014 edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. As we go through the Summer of 2014 I will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will go team by team through the NHL bringing you a look at each Teams Top Prospects. I will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and you can find all the articles here. Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2014 draft, as there have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2014-15 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.

The 2013-14 season was a major disappointment for the Vancouver Canucks. Just three years removed from an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Canucks team seemed to fall apart under new coach John Tortorella. A tumultuous year led to Roberto Luongo being traded to Florida, and Ryan Kesler demanding a trade out of Vancouver. It really was a worst case scenario type of season for a team that ha much higher hopes. Eventually this led to the firing of Tortorella and general manager Mike Gillis, with Trevor Linden taking over as President and Jim Benning coming in as the team’s new GM.

At the NHL Draft the Canucks had the 6th and 24th overall picks (following the Kesler deal), grabbing a player they long coveted in Jake Virtanen, a local boy who played for the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL, and Jarred McCann, a solid two-way centre in the first round. Early in the second round they got Thatcher Demko who was our highest rated goalie prospect heading into the draft.

2014 NHL Draft picks (reviewed by LWOS): Jake Virtanen, Jared McCann, Thatcher Demko, Gustav Forsling

Graduates (over 50 NHL games): Ryan Stanton, Jacob Markstrom (47 GP + age 24), Eddie Lack (age 26), Jordan Schroeder (did not give qualifing offer)

Top Vancouver Canucks Prospects

Top Prospects: Bo Horvat, Centre

Born Apr 5 1995 — Rodney, ONT

Height 6.00 — Weight 198 — Shoots Left

Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in round 1, #9 overall at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft

Bo Horvat had a solid season, putting up a new career high in points despite missing 14 games due in part to his time in Vancouver Canucks training camp, and playing for Canada’s World Junior Team. He also continued his strong playoff play from 2013, putting up 5 goals and 11 points in 9 playoff games. Horvat was one of the leaders on a deep Knights team that hosted the Memorial Cup, but their season did not end as planned.

Horvat has very good vision, good passing skills, and excellent hockey sense. This makes him an effective playmaker in the offensive zone. He goes to the dirty areas of the ice winning board battles and taking the puck to the front of the net. He also likes to establish his front of the net presence where he can unleash a heavy shot with a good release from the slot, and loves to go top shelf even from in tight. Horvat has good hands and is able to control the puck effectively on the rush or off the cycle game. He protects the puck extremely well, and makes smart plays in the offensive zone. Not the fanciest player, Horvat creates offence through simple, smart, straight ahead plays, and getting to prime scoring areas. Its the type of game that will translate effectively to the next level, so long as Horvat continues to bulk up and add strength as his opponents get bigger and stronger in pro hockey.

Horvat is a quick skater, and he has greatly improved his speed and acceleration over the last couple of years. What was once a weakness has now become a strength and shows Horvat’s dedication to continue improving his game. Horvat’s good balance and strength on the puck allows him to fight through checks. He could still stand to work on his stride as its a bit awkward and inefficient, and his edgework could still use improvement, but Horvat’s skating overall has improved greatly since he started in London.

Horvat is an effective defensive presence. He is extremely effective on faceoffs and on the penalty kill. He cuts down passing lanes, blocks shots, and plays a very responsible game and is hard on the backcheck. Knights’ coach Dale Hunter has never been afraid to use Horvat in any situation, even when he was just 16, and currently he plays huge minutes against top lines. Horvat works extremely hard and never stops moving his feet. He wins board battles, and is willing to to a hit to make the play. He’s not afraid to throw his own body around, but he’s not really a huge hitter either, he hits not to get himself out of position and throw thunderous checks, but with the purpose of playing smart hockey and separating his opponent from the puck.

In terms of potential, Horvat can be an effective top 6 centre in the NHL, strong in all aspects of the game, and capable of logging minutes against top lines, on the penalty kill, and providing scoring and playing the powerplay. Long-term he can be one of those versatile centres that can do it all, and any team needs to be a true contender. Right now Horvat is one of those ‘tweeners. A kid who would dominate junior if sent back to London, but will also need a great camp and good start in 9 games to prove he is NHL ready in order to avoid another year in junior, as he cannot be sent to the AHL. This will make the Canucks decision extremely difficult come the end of September/Early October.

Prospect #2: Hunter Shinkaruk, Left Wing

Born Oct 13 1994 — Calgary, ALTA

Height 5.11 — Weight 175 — Shoots Left

Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in round 1, #23 overall at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft

Shinkaruk got in only 18 games due to a hip injury this season. He said it was something that has been bothering him for a couple years but was aggravated in October, and when he couldn’t recover eventually underwent surgery that kept him out of the World Juniors and ended his last WHL season prematurely.

Shinkaruk is a quick and shifty skater. He has very good edgework, and strong lateral agility making him very shifty. He is able to use this skill to beat defenders off the rush, or attack the net when he has the puck in the offensive zone. He can also use his ability to shift gears quickly to attack defenders or to pull up opening space for him to be able to get off his wrist shot. Shinkaruk’s stride can sometimes be choppy, but it doesn’t seem to effect his top end speed as he is still above average in that aspect, and has good acceleration. Some refinement to his skating technique could make him even more dangerous though.

Shinkaruk has a tremendous wrist shot and excellent release, particularly when coming in on a rush off the left wing. His shot is very accurate, and heavy, and the release fools goalies leading to the puck being behind them before they know what happened. He also has a knack for finding the open areas of the ice and taking an excellent one-timer. Not just a one trick pony, Shinkaruk also has very good playmaking skill and vision which makes him very difficult to defend. Shinkaruk is an excellent stickhandler and can make defenders look silly in one on situations. Shinkaruk doesn’t really play a hugely physical game, but he is not afraid to battle on the boards or in front of the net. He also is more than willing to go to the dirty areas of the ice to make plays, and is able to make plays off the cycle game.

Shinkaruk’s two way game is decent, but he could use some more work on intensity in the defensive end of the ice. He does read the play well though, and gets back, he just sometimes can have a tendency to puck watch a little bit and lose his man. He also will probably need to bulk up before he can reach his full potential at the next level.

With all the missed time last season, we shouldn’t expect Shinkaruk to start the season in Vancouver. However since he is a late 1994 birthdate instead of a 1995 like Horvat, he can go to the AHL, and so Utica seems a likely destination, at least for now.

Prospect #3: Nicklas Jensen, Left Wing/Right Wing

Born Mar 6 1993 — Herning, Denmark

Height 6.03 — Weight 203 — Shoots Left

Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in round 1, #29 overall at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

Denmark has never been known as a country that produces a lot of high end hockey talent, but that has started to change in recent years. Mikkel Boedker and Lars Eller are recent first round picks who are becoming solid NHL players. Frans Nielsen and Jannik Hansen have become a solid two way players for the New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks respectively. And now Nicklas Jensen is yet another promising young Dane, and the third recent first round pick from the country. Clearly the hockey development in Denmark has taken a step forward.

Jensen spent the season shuffling between Utica and Vancouver, eventually getting in 17 games with the Canucks and picking up 3 goals and 6 points in the process. He picked up 15 goals in 54 games in the AHL.

Despite possessing top end speed that is only slightly above average, I would still say that Jensen is a very good skater. He has quick feet with a good first step and excellent acceleration. He uses his edges well and shows very good agility, and this makes Jensen deceptively elusive in the offensive zone. He can fool defencemen by changing speed extremely quickly and beating them wide. Jensen has started to develop his lower body strength and balance with increased muscle on his frame, there is still room to improve here though as he will be better when he packs more onto that frame.

Jensen is extremely talented. He has soft hands and good stick handling ability, he can dangle defencemen and score from in tight on goalies. With his size, he can be extremely hard to move from in front of the net, and was in junior. He’s also not afraid to be involved in board battles. However strength is needed to be added in these two areas now. A pure sniper, Jensen has a lethal wrist shot. It is deadly accurate, extremely hard and heavy, and features an extremely good release. He also has a very good one-timer and snap shot. While goal scoring is his major strength, Jensen is also shown a decent playmaking side off the wing with good vision and passing skills.

One knock on Jensen has been his consistency. There are nights he can be a solid two way winger who snipes goals and is responsible in his own end. Then there were nights where he could stand to show more intensity on the ice and plays too much of a perimeter game and floats defensively. Overall he must work on this in the AHL and add some strength. If he is able to do that he can become a legit top 6 winger. Expect him to spend the majority of the year in Utica with some callups again this season. In a best case scenario he could come up at midseason, but this seems unlikely.

Super Sleeper: Frankie Corrado, Defence,

Born Mar 26 1993 — Toronto, ONT

Height 6.01 — Weight 192 — Shoots Right

Drafted by Vancouver Canucks in round 5 #150 overall at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

The sleeper pick for the Canucks was pretty easy, as 2011 fifth round pick Frank Corrado is looking like an absolute steal from that year. Since being drafted, he has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming a dominant OHL defender, and now having a solid rookie season in the AHL. In callups including 7 games in 2013 (3 Regular, 4 Playoff) and 15 games in 2013-14 he has shown that while he wasn’t quite ready for full-time NHL action, he wasn’t far off either. Corrado even scored his first NHL goal this year.

Corrado is an excellent skater. He has good top end speed and solid acceleration going both forwards and backwards, as he is powered by a smooth and efficient stride. He shows good edgework and pivots and this allows him to show mobility in transitioning from offence to defence and vice-versa, as well as to walk the line on the powerplay and open up shooting and passing lanes. The ability to quickly change directions also makes him extremely good at defending against the rush, and at closing down space for opposing fowards so that he can throw a hit.

Defensively, Corrado is an extremely intelligent defender. He is almost always in position, and he shows great anticipation to break up plays and start the transition game. He’s also the type of player who does whatever it takes to win, and does not shy away from physical battles or from blocking shots.

Offensively he plays a smart game controlling the puck at the blue-line, showing excellent poise, and making smart reads and passes. His slapshot isn’t overpowering but it is accurate and he keeps it low and on net. He also is willing to utilize his wrist shot and good release when necessary. He’s an intelligent defender who seems to find holes in defences, and makes smart, effective pinches from the blue line.

Corrado will go to camp looking to get a spot on the Canucks blueline. He has an excellent chance to earn the spot with a solid camp. A good summer adding some strength would really help him be ready to make the jump. If he doesn’t crack a regular top 6 spot though, he might be better off playing regularly in Utica and joining the Canucks on call-ups again.

When this series started in 2012, The Vancouver Canucks were considered to have one of the weaker systems in the NHL. However a pair of back-to-back strong drafts and some good trading has really improved things. Another first round forward in Brendan Gaunce took some solid steps forward this year and Cole Cassels had a very strong season in Oshawa and has shown great potential for a third round pick. Add in some solid signings like Dane Fox and Mike Zalewski, as well as a trade for Linden Vey and there is good depth at forward, though right wing is clearly the shallowest of the three spots. On defence, Corrado leads the way, while Ben Hutton and Jordan Subban have shown some potential but the group lacks a true blue chip player. In net Thatcher Demko will be given plenty of time to develop. He has that type of high end potential. Overall there are still some gaps, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and the Canucks are in much better shape than they were in just a short time ago.

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