I Watched This [YoungStars] Game: Canucks Prospects vs. Oilers Prospects, September 12, 2010

I Watched This Game is a recurring feature on Pass it to Bulis!, chronicling the observations and insights of two people who watched a hockey game.


If you're new to Pass it to Bulis, the I Watched This Game feature is our way of reviewing the Canucks games we just watched, with an eye towards the things we noticed, what to watch for in future games, and hilarious mishaps that absolutely must be documented. The I Watched This Game series is where terrible PiTB player nicknames, in-jokes and grudges are born, so it's always worth the read.

We decided that we would fire up the IWTG series for the YoungStars tournament, but I'm going to warn you in advance that this is likely a grave mistake on our part. Why? First, we hardly know any of these players, we don't know their numbers, and it's hard to make out who is doing what on a live stream of this quality anyway. Our observation skills are therefore limited. Let's take a moment, by the way, to recognize the incredible quality of CTV's olympic stream. It downright spoiled me; the typically rubbish Canucks preseason stream stung even harder this time around as a result.

Yes, the stream is better than usual, but is horrendously terrible really an upgrade over horrifically unforgivable? It crapped out on Skeeter and I several times yesterday early in the second period, then stayed down for the last half of the game. We wound up listening to the broadcast on the radio, and our observing skills suffered as a result.

This really is unacceptable. I think the YoungStars tournament is a brilliant idea. It gives GMs a chance to assess talent in a closed environment, it gives players a genuine chance to show their stuff, and it gives a small town an opportunity to host some games of import and meaning. But, it also gives fans of these teams a chance to whet their appetite for hockey, build excitement and momentum for the season, and spread the word about a team's future. From a marketing perspective, there are lots of positives. The problem is that all of those positives are negated when your stream sucks and the fans feel like you're not thinking of them. I recognize that everything about the quality of the broadcast has improved over the last three years, but it's still not good enough, and I know for a fact that it can be better.

That's the end of my rant. Here are some observations.

• The Canucks prospects lost 4-1, but does anybody really care about the score? This is a chance to see bits and pieces of the Canucks potential future, and, in some cases, the potential near future. This is one of the few games that has little to do with overall team effort, and more to do with individual success stories.
• Speaking of individual success stories, it was kind of frustrating that they were all on the Oilers side. Eberle, Pajaarvi and Hall were probably the three best forwards on the ice, but are we surprised? First, they're three of the top prospects in the world, and second, they were playing together. If Jordan Schroeder was playing with a healthy Cody Hodgson, I suspect that they might have stood out.
• On the Canucks side, it was tough to know who was doing what, when. Aaron Volpatti stood out--he was a wrecking ball out there, creating chances and causing havoc. But he's twenty-five, and running around attacking all these kids isn't really that impressive. In fact, it's nearly an arrestable offense. Aaron Vol-Pedobear? Note: nicknames! I imagine him skating around, trying to lure the other players into his van, which he would likely call the Volpaddy Wagon.
• Kevin Connauton had some defensive lapses, but boy, did he look good quarterbacking the power play. His goal was a bit of a softie, but I'm sure he'll take it. When you're the only one on your team's score sheet, and you're a defenseman touted for offensive upside, I'd say you're doing quite well for yourself. I am stoked to see more of this kid.
• Schroeder was the best Canuck forward, but I was watching for him. I missed a lot of stuff.
  
• I thought Stefan Schneider looked big, but he is big, so that's not that impressive.
  
• Eddie Lack played tremendously. If he had played the whole game, it's possible it might have gone differently. Methinks he was a pretty good find.
• What was the deal with the sound? It was bad. It was unsound. Thanks, I'll be here all night.
• Those white helmets looked kind of dumb. What do you think was the thinking behind that? "These kids aren't ready for blue helmets! Are you trying to destroy their futures? Is that what you want? THINK!"
  

Here's hoping there's more to talk about after tonight's game. If you want to know a little more about these players, check out Skeeter's posts on the invitees to prospects camp and this YoungStars tournament.

Thanks for reading. I'm going to watch today's game, and if the stream is better and my boss doesn't realize what I'm up to, I'll have more to say tomorrow.

I Watched This [YoungStars] Game: Canucks Prospects vs. Sharks Prospects, September 13, 2010

I Watched This Game is a recurring feature on Pass it to Bulis!, chronicling the observations and insights of some guys who watched a hockey game.

Night and day, the difference between yesterday's YoungStars game and the one a day earlier. I'm talking about everything: the sound quality, the stream, the announcing, and the play of the Baby Canucks were drastically improved from yesterday. Perhaps everybody involved in the game read my rant from the day before? I doubt it, but I can't think of any explanation for things going from inexorable worstness to decency in twenty-four hours, apart from guilt over displeasing me. Just spitballin'.

I watched most of the game, and while it was hard to concentrate when my wife was watching Dirty Dancing, loudly, in HD, on the television behind me, I was able to notice things. Those things are below. But, before we go there, can I just say that Dirty Dancing sucks? Holy crap, it's a terrible movie. The acting is wooden, the whole thing is cheesy, the movie friggin' ends with Patrick Swayze mouthing "It's all because of you" or some stupid garbage... I don't mind a well-done chick flick. For instance, I think I'm with Seth Rogen--You've Got Mail was sweet. But Dirty Dancing is a steaming pile of excrement born from out of anus of the world. Never watch it.

• Aaron Volpatti was amazing last night, and he'd better be. At twenty-five, he's got a good six to seven years on some of these kids, making him kind of a creeper. Aaron Vol-PedoBear was hitting kids with his Vol-PaddyWagon all night, just like the night before. Last night, however, he also scored two goals and got in a fight that set a physical tone for the game. He was the best player on the ice. I hope he makes the team, just so I can make more puns with his name. Aaron Volpatti was all-world; we should call him Aaron Vol-Pangaea... They'll be better than that one.
  
• The tandem of Kevin Connauton and Chris Tanev was fantastic. Connauton had a bit of trouble controlling the puck, at times, and there was one power play where I thought he really lacked the poise he's shown on other occasions, but he was jumping up in the rush, pushing the Sharks prospects back, and making space all night. That said, the rush of the night went to Chris Tanev, who took the puck all the way from behind his own net to the Sharks net, where he set up Volpatti for the score. (It wasn't a tap-in either. In the clip above, Tanev admits it was a "pretty bad pass.") Tanev had two goals and an assist. Both he and Connauton look ready for the next level.
• Jordan Schroeder finally showed a couple flashes, and it's about time. Jason Botchford had the best line on Twitter: "It is Penticton. It is the prospects tournament. It is this week. OK, now tell Jordan Schroeder." He put the criticism on hold with a great bit of puck control, poise and stickhandling to set up a power play goal in the 2nd.
  
• That said, both he and Billy Sweatt, who showed a ton of speed breaking away (although he didn't finish) may have been outplayed by Pierre Olivier-Morin. Kudos to the Kurtenblog: you guys called it, he's pretty good.
• Eddie Lack was remarkable yet again. For those of you saying that Corey Schneider has zero competition for the Canucks' backup job next season, well, you're probably still right. But Lack's making a case. In fact, both goaltenders last night played very well.
  
• The Canucks' best line of the night was Alex Friesen, Prab Rai, and Matt Fraser. Rai tends to impress me and then disappoint me within the same shift, but he was good all the way through last night. Fraser scored the Canucks' first goal on a one-timer after some great work by Alex Friesen, and he deserved it. The strong play bodes well for Fraser, as he and Morin are still not signed. Look for one or both of them to get contracts.
  
• Taylor Ellington got in a fight with a guy and I don't remember who it was, but when Ellington lost his footing and found himself on his back, the other guy punched him square in the nose with a late shot. It was classless and gutless. Anybody else see that or remember who it was? Maybe Gogol?
• I heard Blake Price say Eddie Lack was known as "The fastest glove in all of Europe." It's unfortunate that he had to leave, because "Fastest glove in all of Penticton" is much less impressive.

The Canucks' prospects are doing off-ice workouts today and resting up for a tilt with the Ducks' prospects tomorrow night. As usual, we'll have our thoughts the next day.

Canucks Call Up Aaron Volpatti, Buy More Knuckle Tape

There are two possible reasons you may have never heard of the Volpatti Wagon:

1) Its namesake, Aaron Volpatti, was just called up to the NHL, for his first time, this morning.

2) The term originated here at PITB--and nobody reads PITB.

There's the news, though: The Canucks have called up Aaron Volpatti.

Volpatti will take the place of winger Jonas Andersson, the returned call-up that played well in his short time here, but didn't deliver enough of what the Canucks want out of their fourth-line wingers: hits that crush bones, followed by punches that crush the bones that came through the initial crushing uncrushed. That's sort of a good summary of Aaron Volpatti's skillset, too.

Volpatti is a bitter little bastard who hates that people stand upright, and takes it upon himself to stop them. He hits a lot. And, to complement his hitty nature, he is possessed by the spirit of pugilism. In 26 games with the Moose this year, he has as many points as he does fights (6). Fights like this one:

2010 in Review: An Exhaustive Canucks Retrospective

Welcome to 2010 in review, PITB's exhaustive, retrospective compilation of all the major Canucks stories that held your attention in the year that was. Remember when the Canucks boycotted CBC after the Ron Maclean hatchet job? That's in here. Remember Michael Grabner's first career hat trick in Anaheim? That's in here. Remember when Guillaume Desbiens forgot how to make a fist? Oh, you'd better believe that's in here. It's all here (except the stuff we forgot--feel free to jog our memory in the comments). And so, without further ado, here is what made the news in 2010: