Canucks get bigger at draft; time will tell if they got better

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1 Canucks get bigger at draft; time will tell if they got better By Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Sun June 27, :13 AM ST. PAUL, Minn. A year ago, Mike Gillis made a big trade to get one player. Today, he made a small trade for two as the Vancouver Canucks' bulked up at the National Hockey League entry draft. Gillis traded his second round pick, 60th overall, to the Minnesota Wild for third- and fourthround selections, then selected big, fleet forwards Alex Grenier of Laval, Que., and Joseph Labate from Eagan, Minn. With his extra third-round pick, Gillis chose Czech goalie David Honzik. Including Friday night's first-round pick, Danish winger Nicklas Jensen, the Canucks suddenly have a lot more size and power in their organization. This was Gillis' fourth draft, and in the first three the Canucks' leaned towards smaller, skilled players like former first-rounders Cody Hodgson and Jordan Schroeder. Vancouver traded it's top pick last year to acquire Keith Ballard from the Florida Panthers, which is why Gillis was happy today to leave Minnesota with eight new prospects from a seven-round draft. What happens at the draft is you think a player may be there but you're unsure, so you take the best player that's available, Gillis said, explaining the size factor. Sometimes, the way it falls, you end up with a certain profile of player. This year, we wanted to try to change that profile for us. So we were really pleased when Jensen was available with the 29th pick because he's big and skates really well and he has tremendous upside. And the other two guys we targeted, we were fortunate where they fell. We were looking to try to add some size and speed and when you can add eight players in the last two days, it's pretty good. Gillis was able to trade down to collect an extra pick because the Canucks were confident Honzik would still be available to them in the third round. The six-foot-three Czech was ranked 13th among goalies by NHL Central Scouting, but he was the fifth netminder chosen. The 18-year-old moved to Canada to play junior hockey this season, and the Canucks feel his unspectacular statistics (3.54 goals-against average and.884 save rate) reflect a difficult transition initially to North America. But Gillis said Honzik was much better in the second half of the season and had a good Quebec League playoff with the Victoriaville Tigres. The Canucks badly needed another goalie in their system because Canuck backup Cory Schneider is expected to be traded in the next year and the

2 organization's No. 3 netminder, Eddie Lack, was a rookie in the American League this past season. Grenier is even more intriguing as a prospect. The 19-year-old, bypassed in last year's draft, was playing Tier-2 hockey until Quebec Remparts' boss Patrick Roy called him up halfway though this season. The 6-5 winger had 24 points in 31 regular-season games, then exploded in the playoffs with 16 points in 15 games. But Grenier had only 10 penalty minutes in total. There is no question about the aggression of fourth-round pick Joseph Labate, a 6-4 centre who was a finalist for Minnesota high schools' prestigious Mr. Hockey Award. Playing for Holy Angels Academy, Labate had 49 points and 42 penalty minutes in 25 games. His numbers and draft position probably would have been higher had he not missed three weeks with a broken foot. Ironically, he was a popular draft choice in Minnesota by the most unpopular team here. The Canucks were jeered by fans each time they picked, finally prompting Vancouver assistant general manager Laurence Gilman to announce in the seventh round: The Vancouver Canucks would like to thank the great fans of the State of Hockey for the warm reception we received throughout the week. Size remained the Canucks' theme through the bottom half of the draft. With their fifth pick in the fourth round Vancouver chose 6-1 winger Ludwig Blomstrand from Djurgarden of the Swedish junior league. In the fifth round, the Canucks claimed Sudbury defenceman Frank Corrado, who with 30 points and 94 penalty minutes, plays bigger than his 6-0 frame. Vancouver's sixth-round pick was skilled Swedish junior Pathrik Westerholm, a 5-11 centre who had 21 points in 34 games for Malmo. And their seven-round choice was Henrik Tommernes, a year-old defenceman with Frolunda whom the Canucks feel will play in the AHL next season. Draft's done, but Gillis has long list of things to do in near future By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun Columnist June 27, 2011 Now that this little draft thing is out of the way, the Vancouver Canucks need to sign their key free agents before July 1, finalize a minorleague agreement and hire a coach for the farm team. All three -or at least the first two -could happen soon.

3 Canucks general manager Mike Gillis reiterated after the draft ended Saturday that progress was being made in negotiations with Kevin Bieksa and Christian Ehrhoff, and he remains optimistic that both defencemen will re-sign in Vancouver. The Canucks have been trying to sign off on a new American League affiliation, and it was unclear what is delaying the agreement -believed to be with the Chicago Wolves. "There's a lot of things that go into these relationships," Gillis explained. "And when you're starting a new one, you have to make sure everything is as clear as you can possibly get it. We're working through that process. I'm pretty confident we'll have something done by the start of the week." HE IS ALL CANUCKS: High-schooler Joseph LaBate, Vancouver's fourth-round pick, swears he wasn't among the Minnesotans booing the Canucks throughout the draft. Honest. But he does remember watching Canucks-Wild games and has an appreciation for the rivalry, even if it's clearly bigger to people in Minnesota than Vancouver. "I don't think I've ever booed Vancouver," he said. "I really enjoyed the rivalry the two teams brought. I got a pretty good kick out of it, all the booing and stuff. Somehow, the hometown boy goes there. But it's a great team and I'm very excited. "I watched them in the Stanley Cup finals and I really like Ryan Kesler. I'm just really thankful to be picked by them." LaBate said he thinks his state's dislike of Vancouver stems from former Canuck Todd Bertuzzi and the Minnesota-Vancouver playoff series in Canuck assistant GM Laurence Gilman was bemused by the hostility from Wild fans. "I handed [Joseph] the jersey and said: 'Sure hope you're a Canucks fan now,'" Gilman said "He said: 'Oh, I am.' " NO LAND OF GIANTS: For the 10th straight draft, Vancouver's NHL team avoided picking any players from Vancouver's Western Hockey League team. Vancouver Giants defenceman David Musil was drafted 31st by the Edmonton Oilers, two picks after the Canucks chose Danish winger Nicklas Jensen in the first round. Canuck prospects Mario Bliznak and Kevin Connauton played for the Giants, but only after Vancouver drafted them from other teams. Musil wasn't complaining Saturday after being selected by one of his dad's former NHL teams. Frank Musil, who moved his family to B.C. from the Czech Republic so his son could play for Don Hay and the Giants, scouts for the Oilers. The elder Musil was excluded from Oiler draft meetings whenever David was discussed.

4 Canucks draft performance needs improvement By Iain MacIntyre, Postmedia News June 26, 2011 ST. PAUL, Minnesota The Vancouver Canucks couldn t get any love at the National Hockey League draft. The fans who bothered to show up for the two-day event shouted abuse each time it was the Canucks turn to select a player at the Xcel Energy Centre. Before the Canucks first pick Friday night, assistant manager Laurence Gilman thanked Minnesota for its hospitality, and graciously congratulated the Boston Bruins on their Stanley Cup. On Saturday, Vancouver GM Mike Gillis worked a trade with the Minnesota Wild so the host team could draft a local kid. The Canucks even picked Minnesota high school star Joseph LaBate in the fourth round. Nothing worked. The few fans still around for last call Saturday afternoon seemed there for the chance to boo Vancouver one more time. No one on the Canucks was much bothered by the jeering. After all, it probably wasn t personal. Anyone who picked up the draft guide saw that in the last 10 years, only Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks have played fewer NHL games than players chosen by the Canucks. Vancouver s poor draft record spans three general managers. In the last three years, which admittedly is an extremely small window, Gillis picks have played only 13 games for the Canucks. Since 1999, Vancouver s total of 2,627 games is barely half the NHL average. Mitigating factors include the consistent strength of the Canucks lineup and generally low draft positions, a shortage of picks some years, the tragic death of 2005 top pick Luc Bourdon and serious injuries to 2008 first-rounder Cody Hodgson, and Vancouver s success at signing undrafted free agents to compete for jobs. Still, Vancouver draft picks are nearly 700 games behind the 28th-ranked team, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canucks need to do better. It appears this weekend they did. The team left Minnesota with eight new prospects, three more than a year ago when Gillis trades left the Canucks without a pick in the top 100.

5 Most of the new recruits have the advantage of size. Going 29th, six-foot-two power forward Nicklas Jensen was a good first-round choice. Son of a Canadian father and Danish mother, Jensen demonstrated in his first season in North America that he could skate and score with the Oshawa Generals. Gillis key move may have been a little trade Saturday morning, when he gave Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher Vancouver s late second-round pick in exchange for Minnesota s high third- and fourth-round selections. In a span of 30 picks, starting at No. 71, the Canucks chose Czech goalie David Honzik, six-footfive winger Alexandre Grenier from Laval, Que., and six-foot-four centre Joseph LaBate from Burnsville, Minn. Without a doubt we helped ourselves, Gilman said. Young players are the lifeline of an organization. You need to have a constant supply coming through at various levels. We ve been able to supplement some of the lack of picks we ve had by signing players. But we certainly felt good about the fact we came to this draft with all our picks. You re building assets, and the more assets you have the better chance you have to build a strong base of players. LaBate not only has the size and skill to become a player, he has the aura of one. The Minnesota high school player-of-the-year finalist amassed 49 points in 25 games for Holy Angels Academy, and he confidently predicts he ll be ready for the NHL in three years. He s off next season to a very good college program at the University of Wisconsin. Honzik and Grenier are even more intriguing picks risk/reward choices with big upsides who were targeted by the Canucks. Grenier started last season playing tier-2 hockey in Quebec, but was called up halfway through the season by Quebec Remparts boss Patrick Roy. Grenier had 24 points in 31 games, then got better in the playoffs with 16 points in 15 games. Honzik moved from the Czech Republic to play in Victoriaville, Que. Gillis said the six-footthree goaltender s statistics (3.54 goals-against average,.884 save rate) were skewed lower by a poor first half, but he was strong down the stretch and has been invited to the Czech world junior team for next season. Honzik was ranked only 13th by NHL Central Scouting among goalies, but the Canucks made him the fifth netminder chosen on Saturday. Vancouver needed another goalie in its system, as NHL backup Cory Schneider may be traded in the next year and third-stringer Eddie Lack has had only one season in the American Hockey League.

6 After drafting a lot of smaller, offensive players the last three years, Gillis admitted he wanted more size in the organization. What happens at the draft is you think a player may be there but you re unsure, so you take the best player that s available, Gillis said, explaining the size factor. Sometimes, the way it falls, you end up with a certain profile of player. This year, we wanted to try to change that profile for us. We were looking to try to add some size and speed and when you can add eight players in two days, it s pretty good. You expect a few of them to emerge and become good players. You don t know which ones at this point; there s a lot of development left. But when you can get eight picks and keep them all, you re just broadening your talent pool. Out of 211 players, there wasn t one bad draft pick on the weekend. Every team went home happy, elated that this player or that player was still available when it was their turn to choose. It will be four years before we know how well the Canucks really did. But for two days, they were much better than a year ago. Monday musings on all things NHL By Ed Willes, The Province June 26, 2011 Nick Lidstrom finished the regular season at minus-two and still won the Norris Trophy. While you re trying to figure that one out, here s something equally incomprehensible, the Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of sports. Picked up Sports Illustrated while leaving Las Vegas and the NHL awards last week and it was like entering a time machine. Because Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final fell on a Wednesday, the hockey coverage was a week behind. That meant it focused on the first two games of the final which, if you have a keen memory, were a tad different from Games 3 through 7. The story, in fact, focused on the Canucks skill, grit and resourcefulness in winning the first two games of the final. It also called into question Tim Thomas s goaltending while noting the Canucks had won the physical battle in Game 1 and 2. Really, it did. Now, we don t mention this to pour salt into an open wound. But, once you get past the pain, it does make you stop to consider the epic nature of the Canucks journey to Game 7 of the final. Think back, for example, to the incredible series with Chicago. Then think about Ryan Kesler s performance against Nashville. And think of the Game 3 win in San Jose followed by Kevin Bieksa s holy roller in Game 5 which sent the Canucks to the final.

7 Now think of all the storylines Is Henrik injured? Is Luongo a hero or a goat? which consumed this city and were framed by one eternal question: Is this the Canucks season. OK, they didn t get the end to the story quite right, but it was still a great story and one that will be told in this city for generations to come. Maybe we didn t get the Cup but we can t say we didn t get our money s worth this spring. The winners and losers from a fairly eventful NHL draft weekend. WINNERS Edmonton: Here s the best part about the Oilers draft. They added a potential superstar in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and filled a need on the bluelline with first-rounder Oskar Klefbom and secondrounder David Musil from the Giants. But those players are still a couple of years away from making an impact which means the Oilers could be picking in the top-five again next season. All things being equal, they ll be competing for the Stanley Cup by Philadelphia: Stunning couple of trades, but the Flyers addressed their two biggest issues goaltending and chemistry in the space of a week. They gave up a lot of firepower in Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, but they still have an offence built around Daniel Briere, Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, and they added grit, youth, skill and Ilya Bryzgalov. Boston: The champs didn t need a lot of help but added two-way defenceman Dougie Hamilton with the ninth pick courtesy of the Phil Kessel deal, the trade that keeps on giving for the Bruins. LOSERS Minnesota: Wild picked up some assets for Brent Burns, but their top four heading into next season will be Marek Zidlicky, Nick Schultz, Clayton Stoner and Greg Zanon. Yikes. Los Angeles: The Kings are close and maybe Richards is the missing piece, but he was a problem on and off the ice in Philly. Let s just say we re dubious. Columbus: They added Carter, who ll help keep Rick Nash interested, but lost in the shuffle was the Nikita Filatov trade. Two years ago, Filatov looked like a franchise-changing forward. Saturday he was dealt to Ottawa for a third-round pick. Finally, we re still three weeks away from the Canadian Open at Shaughnessy, but if you re not excited about the field that s coming you haven t been paying attention. It s not a major field but considering the drek golf fans have been served here at the ACC and the 2005 Open, it might as well be. You ve got World No. 1 Luke Donald and two others players in the top 15 in Matt Kuchar and Paul Casey. There are great veterans in Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Justin Leonard; rising stars in Rickie Fowler and Anthony Kim; major winners in Retief Goosen,

8 Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Lucas Glover; and another layer of solid players in Sean O Hair, Hunter Mahan, Tim Clark, Ryan Moore and Ricky Barnes. In short, it s as good a field as you ll see outside a major anywhere in the world. Now, as long as Gene Sauers or Brandell Chamblee doesn t win, it will be a great week. Canucks tend to goal in Round 3 By Ben Kuzma, Postmedia News June 26, 2011 The Vancouver Canucks needed to get bigger, better and deeper with eight selections in the NHL entry draft, and they needed to select a goaltender. It was a matter of who and when. When three stoppers went before their secondround selection Saturday, the Canucks sent the 60th pick to the Wild so the division rivals could draft Minnesota native winger Mario Lucia and send the 71st and 101st picks to the Canucks. The Presidents' Trophy winners then selected QMJHL goalie David Honzik of the Quebec Remparts with that thirdround pick based largely on his 6-3 size and potential. That was the plan after Swedish stopper Magnus Hellberg went 38th overall to Nashville, U.S. national development team goalie John Gibson - interviewed several times by the Canucks - went 39th to Anaheim and Chris Gibson went 49th to the L.A. Kings. "We wanted a big forward who could skate (first-round pick Nicklas Jensen) and that got us out of the Gibson picture," said Canucks GM Mike Gillis. The next big kid was Alexandre Grenier, a winger who will turn 20 next QMJHL season after 24 points in 31 games. Canucks pick up Swedes on day two of NHL Draft Team adds plenty of youth to the system Andrew Wadden Jun 25, 2011 ST. PAUL, MN (NEWS1130) - The Vancouver Canucks added seven new prospects in the system on Saturday, with three of the seven picks coming out of Sweden. GM Mike Gillis began the day trading the 60th overall pick of the second round to the Minnesota

9 Wild in exchange for the 71st pick in the third round and 101st pick in the fourth round. The team used the 71st pick to select goaltender David Honzik from the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL. Honzik was ranked 13th among draft-eligible goaltenders and ended up being the fourth goalie selected. He was last season in the Quebec League, with a 3.54 goalsagainst average and 88.4 save percentage last season. With the 90th pick of the 3rd round, Gillis took hulking winger Alexandre Grenier from the Quebec League. The 6'5" 19-year-old recorded 24 points in 31 games last season. With two picks in the fourth round, the club chose 18-year-old center Joseph Labate with the 101st pick. He's a 6'4" centre that spent last year playing prep-school hockey in Minnesota collecting 49 points in 25 games. Labate was also a finalist for Minnesota's Mr. Hockey Award. Vancouver then selected 18-year-old winger Ludwig Blomstrand from Sweden. Blomstrand, taken 120th, spent last season playing for Djurgarden Jr. registering seven points in 35 games. In the fifth round, the team took defenceman Frank Corrado with the 150th overall pick. Corrado played for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL in , recording 30 points in 67 games. The Canucks nabbed two more Swedes with their remaining picks. With the 180th pick, the team selected Pathrik Westerholm, a 19-year-old center who spent the season with Malmo Redhawks, collecting 21 points in 34 games. Gillis wrapped up the draft selecting defenceman Henrik Tommernas with the 210th pick. The 20-year-old played in 47 games for Frolunda in , collecting 20 points. Vancouver drafted eight prospects in total over the two-day draft, adding five forwards, two defenceman and one goaltender. The team chose winger Nicklas Jensen of the Oshawa Generals of the OHL with the 29th pick of the first round on Friday.