Canucks prospects tracker: Hail Hoglander, keeping up with Kunz
It’s the latest edition of the weekly tracker, where we tally up the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks’ highest-profile prospects:
Nils Hoglander
If idle hands are the Devil’s playthings, you don’t want to face Hoglander after a two-week COVID-19 break.
The Canucks’ prospect with the slick mitts played like a man possessed for Rogle BK on Tuesday, scoring a goal and threatening more in a 4-0 win over HV71.
You could tell pretty quickly that Hoglander was feeling it. The 2019 second-round pick went for a Zorro goal in the second period, quickly lifting the puck onto his stick behind the net and trying to cram it into the top corner, only to have goalie Hugo Anefelt hug the post to stop it just in time.
Nils Höglander goes for yet another lacrosse goal. Hugo Anefelt is up to the task pic.twitter.com/zxeL8BeLV9
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) December 1, 2020
Hoglander’s goal, scored on the power play, came midway through the second period, as the 5-foot-9, 190 pounder planted himself in front of the net and neatly tipped a point shot past the goaltender.
Hoglander Goal!!! 🚨Tips in a beauty on the PP #canucks pic.twitter.com/rxiCf0gBCC
— Bagman Sports (@Bagman_Sports) December 1, 2020
He nearly scored again in the third period, creating a 2-on-1 with his speed before getting stopped on a short-side shot.
#Canucks SHL
— CanucksAbbyFan2 (@Fan2Abby) December 1, 2020
Markus Nas...I mean Nils Hoglander down the right wing with his wrist shot on goal. pic.twitter.com/NH5YOs1rpH
Hoglander finished the game with a goal, three shots on net and an even rating in 16:05 of second-line minutes.
The 20-year-old didn’t register any more points for the rest of the week but he did have his moments. In Thursday’s 2-1 loss at Linkoping, the Swedish forward had at least one dangerous foray to the net, using his shiftiness to cut in front midway through the third period, only to have his shot deflected over the glass at the last moment. He finished the loss with an even rating in 15:31 of ice time.
#Canucks SHL
— CanucksAbbyFan2 (@Fan2Abby) December 3, 2020
#21 Hoglander cuts to the middle but his shot is deflected out of play. pic.twitter.com/aLIRlUnDqj
Hoglander was placed on the third line in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Frolunda, skating for 13:04 in a largely uneventful affair. He was a little more lively in Sunday’s 4-2 win against Vaxjo, getting two shots on net — including another near-miss on a Zorro attempt — and going plus-1 in 13:45.
The kid is a freak! https://t.co/pDzkeh0qI2
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🤙🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) December 6, 2020
Hoglander, who is on loan to the Swedish Hockey League until Canucks training camp starts, has three goals, seven assists and a tidy plus-5 rating in 18 games this season.
Jacob Truscott
A see-saw week for the reliable defensive prospect, whose No. 7-ranked Michigan Wolverines split a two-game series at Penn State.
The 2020 fifth-round pick made his way onto the scoreboard in Wednesday’s 3-1 win, notching a secondary assist, a shot on goal and a plus-1 rating in a third-pairing assignment. The assist came as Truscott, a 6-foot-1, 179 pound, left shot D-man, held a clearance in at the blue-line and smartly found a teammate in the slot to start the scoring sequence.
Here's Jacob Truscott's (@Canucks) assist from earlier today in @UMichHockey's win. A secondary assist on Nolan Moyle's goal. pic.twitter.com/g9sT4vsUa4
— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) December 3, 2020
After the game, Truscott gave his team credit for the win, despite hanging on in the end and being outshot 38-28.
“We did a good job finding a way to win but we definitely need to clean some stuff up for tomorrow,” he said.
Hear from Coach Pearson, Nolan Moyle and Jacob Truscott after tonight's 3-1 win at Penn State#GoBlue〽️ pic.twitter.com/HxYo0iDNw0
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) December 3, 2020
Let’s just say things didn’t get cleaned up on Thursday, as the Wolverines gave up nine goals in a 9-5 loss to the Nittany Lions. Truscott finished the night a minus-2 with three shots on goal and a blocked shot.
Truscott, 18, has one goal, two assists and a plus-4 rating in eight games in his first NCAA season.
Jackson Kunz
With COVID-19 ravaging the Green Bay Gamblers’ locker-room, Kunz had some off-time this past week and caught up with Mike Patron and Ryan Haze of the
‘I only Touch Greatness’ podcast
for a wide-ranging interview.
The big, burly forward, taken by the Canucks in the fourth round in October’s NHL draft, talked about how his season is going in the USHL and what he needs to work on going forward.
“I’m pretty happy with it,” said Kunz, a 6-foot-3, 209 pounder. “I’ve scored a few goals, got a couple of assists and our team’s doing really well.”
#Canucks Jackson Kunz was a bit of a surprise pick in the fourth round today. These two videos are a quick look into different parts of Kunz's game. A mixtape of sort! So what did Vancouver get in the 6-foot-3 winger?
— Daniel Gee (@DanielGScouting) October 8, 2020
The first two clips are powered by @InStatHockey
P(1/2)👇 pic.twitter.com/BAeWrz0qYU
Kunz has three goals and two assists and a plus-3 rating in six USHL games so far this season.
Though he didn’t contract COVID-19 himself, around half of his team did this past week, forcing the cancellation of a pair of games against the U.S. development team.
The 18-year-old (who carries himself like he’s pushing 30) describes himself as a “big-game power forward” and sees his shot and skills around the net as his strengths. But with all that size to lug around, he’s been hard at work on his skating.
“The one thing I’m trying to get better is my speed, my pace of play — keeping up a little bit more.”
Kunz, from Grand Forks, N.D., was the second youngest play ever to commit to N.D.’s program when he signed a letter of intent at 14 years old. He’s one season away from realizing his childhood dream to suit up for the Fighting Hawks, where Canucks star Brock Boeser and former Canuck Troy Stecher made names for themselves winning national championships.
And you wonder why Kunz is a Canucks’ fan.
Boeser actually took to Twitter the day after the draft to congratulate the Canucks’ prospect.
Congrats to @jacksonkunz9 on getting drafted to the Nucks #gosioux
— Brock Boeser (@BBoeser16) October 7, 2020
Asked what drives him every morning he gets up, Kunz didn’t mince words.
“College hockey and obviously the Canucks. I want to be a pro in the end and I know that each and every day so I work my hardest.”
Joni Jurmo
A double-whammy this past week for Jurmo, whose season in Finland was suspended due to a COVID-19 outbreak while being left off Team Finland’s world junior camp invitation list.
#Canucks prospects Joni Jurmo & Toni Utunen have had their season paused. https://t.co/V6GvMQzBb6
— Canucks News & Updates (@Canucksaccess) December 2, 2020
The omission from the camp roster came as a surprise to some hockey pundits, who had the Canucks’ 2020 third-rounder pencilled in to make it. Some even believe Jurmo could have played top-four minutes for the Finnish team.
No Joni Jurmo (@Canucks). For whatever it's worth, I think he's at least a top-four calibre defender on this team, better than many of the options in front of him.
— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) December 4, 2020
Unfortunately, I'm not the one charged with making that call. https://t.co/cSZNvu2vqn
The silver lining is that Jurmo, who is 18 years old, will still be eligible for next year’s tournament.
The smooth skating 6-foot-4, 198 pound, left shot D-man has no points and a minus-8 rating in 16 games for JYP of the Finnish Liiga this season.
Viktor Persson
Some big news this past week for the 2020 seventh-round NHL pick who was selected as one of 12 defencemen to attend Team Sweden’s world junior camp, which started Sunday.
Persson, a 6-foot-2, 190 pound, right shot blueliner, is in the mix for the sixth or seventh defensive spot, Sweden’s head coach, Tomas Monten, told TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal on Thursday.
Monten likes the 19-year-old’s two-way play and ability to kill penalties.
Monten on Persson : He is one of the defenseman in the mix for the 6-7 spot. Plays both ends of the rink, moves the puck, he is a good 2 way dee. I like his pk play as well.@TSN1040
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) December 3, 2020
Earlier in the week,
Persson told Postmedia News’s Patrick Johnston
what it meant to him to get the camp invitation.
“Excitement, but a little bit nervous, it’s a big deal. It’s something I’ve always dream about,” he said. “Everybody watches the Junior.”
Persson, who likes to play physical as well as join the rush, still plans on joining the Kamloops Blazers in the new year when the WHL eventually starts its season. Until then, the big Swede will look to further his career by making Sweden’s final World Juniors roster.
Persson has five goals, four assists and a plus-12 rating in 16 games for the Brynas IF U-20 team.