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Q: Can sophomore winger Jake Virtanen win the challenge to be ready physically and mentally to make the team, and avoid starting the season in Utica?

A: Jake is going to be a big part of this team for years. It was a stepping stone for him and I was out there (Vancouver) for a week and saw him training and he looked good to me. He doesn’t have the mindset that he’s on the team. He has to work for it. It’s the consistency part of the game and you can’t take a night off like in junior. You can take some off knowing it’s a for-sure win and an easier night. There are no easy nights in the NHL. On any night, any team can surprise you.

Q: Can the Canucks be structurally better without the puck after allowing the eighth-most goals last season?

A: That’s going to be a huge part of our game. Defence is a huge part of it, and it’s the biggest thing we have to work on — limit scoring chances. A lot of it has to do with getting everybody to know their jobs, and that first pass will make the game a lot easier. But my wingers and me need to get back and support the D, and we need to move up the ice as a unit.

Q: Can Willie Desjardins be better at making in-game adjustments, and what would that mean to his players?

A: Willie has been unbelievable for me — especially in my first year with developing and getting me ready for the NHL. He’s so easy to talk to and approach and he always wants to know what the guys are thinking. Last year wasn’t easy on him, and he got all the blame when we weren’t playing well. He had lots of young guys with all the injuries and he’s never had a year like that. He’s ready to go and very determined to win. He’s never negative and always positive. That shows his character and that gives you confidence.

Q: Charitable work in the community has been a long-standing Canucks requirement and you seem to embrace it. Why?

A: I got brought up with it in London (OHL). They (Knights) did lots of charities and hospital visits and minor hockey stuff and that just made me more comfortable with it. Being from a small town is a huge part of it — the humbleness — and my parents raised me the right way. That has a lot to do with it.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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