Jump to content

[Article] Canucks prospects: Klimovich scratched, boom times for Brzustewicz and Lekkerimaki


RWJC

Recommended Posts

Pretty good summary:

 

Canucks prospects: Klimovich scratched, boom times for Brzustewicz and Lekkerimaki


Mike Raptis

October 23, 2023

 

 

It’s the latest edition of the prospects tracker, where we tally up the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks’ highest profile prospects:

 

Danila Klimovich

 

A deeper team. A higher standard.

The Abbotsford Canucks took to the ice for a home opening weekend pair of games against the rival Calgary Wranglers with one notable exception: no Danila Klimovich in the lineup.

 

Coach Jeremy Colliton sat the talented 20-year-old for both Friday’s 3-2 loss and Saturday’s thrilling 7-6 OT loss, and didn’t mince words when asked about it post-game on Friday.

“We’re fortunate right now, we’ve got a lot of good players, so it’s going to force everyone to play at a high standard, with and without the puck and being competitive and playing for the team,” said Colliton. “Doing things, protecting your teammates with how you play. That’s what we need from everyone and that’s how we’re going to have success this year, both as a team and individually, so it’s a standard that’s been laid down.”

 

The pair of healthy scratches come after Klimovich was handed a second-line role in a pair of wins in Laval last week where he was largely ineffective, registering one shot on net in the two games combined.

 

Are the scratches surprising in this context? Not really. But considering the strides the 2021 second-rounder made last season — scoring 17 goals in 67 games as an AHL teenager while going a respectable plus-15 — they certainly are alarming.

 

Klimovich has been sat for a game or two in his two previous seasons in Abbotsford. This time it’s different.

This is Year 3 for the 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-shot forward. The individualistic, hero type of hockey he had to play in order to get noticed in a country like Belarus should have been mostly coached out of his system at this point, replaced by a more team-oriented game that makes his linemates better.

 

Klimovich, with his above-average skating, good hands, truculent approach with the puck and heavy, lethal shot, looked like that player late last season when he scored goals in five of seven games down the stretch — including in three straight against the Wranglers — before going quiet in six playoff games.

 

 


 

“I don’t want to say nothing bad (about) Belarus, but the league there was weak,” Klimovich told Postmedia before last season, when recalling his unique path to the pros. Had he not been called up to the Belarus U18 world junior team in 2021 and popped off for six goals in five games, Klimovich’s career trajectory would have been much different.

 

This off-season, whenever we saw clips of Canucks players and prospects training on-ice, there was Klimovich, playing hard. And if you happened to catch a practice or training session, there would be Klimovich, still on the ice working on his one-timers when most had already left.

 

This was supposed to be the season where the Minsk product put his game in position for an NHL call-up — and there’s still lots of time — but there’s been a disconnect somewhere along the way. Other than a tap-in goal at September’s Young Stars tournament, the results just haven’t been there.

Is he in his head and trying too hard?

 

Possibly. Klimovich can be temperamental and appears to take things to heart when they go awry. So with this in mind, the Klim Reaper should be fired up once he’s back in the lineup.

 

And in the greater scheme of things, Colliton is sending a message to the rest of the team: play within the structure, play for your teammates or don’t play at all.

 

Josh Bloom

 

If you’re just looking at the box score, you won’t be seeing his name.

You’d have to look to the ice to recognize Josh Bloom’s game…

 

link to rest of article:

https://apple.news/A8UgeSO-6R8auAjBi_R-Lnw

 

mraptis@postmedia.com

twitter.com/mike_raptis

 

  • Thanks 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, RWJC said:

Pretty good summary:

 

Canucks prospects: Klimovich scratched, boom times for Brzustewicz and Lekkerimaki


Mike Raptis

October 23, 2023

 

 

It’s the latest edition of the prospects tracker, where we tally up the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks’ highest profile prospects.

3 hours ago, RWJC said:

link to rest of article:

https://apple.news/A8UgeSO-6R8auAjBi_R-Lnw

 

 

(My second try to quote twice in one reply.)

This is the best article on our prospects I have probably ever seen.

Thanks Again and Again R-Dub!

Willander, Lekkerimäki, Podkolzin, Brzustewicz, and others all doing so well.

Man, can our new management team ever draft!!

 

Edited by Goal_thecup
I know, I know, Podz was drafted by JB.
  • Cheers 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, -AJ- said:

Klim is still young, so I'm not too worried, but I was hoping for a big step forward to becoming one of our top AHL guys this year. The season is still young, so maybe some change happens.

 

you're probably right, but I'm also getting a little tired of this type of story where we keep waiting for a Benning prospect to find their game. Honestly I'm shocked at this point that Petey wasn't a bust. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

you're probably right, but I'm also getting a little tired of this type of story where we keep waiting for a Benning prospect to find their game. Honestly I'm shocked at this point that Petey wasn't a bust. 

 

Benning hit home runs on a few 1st rounders, but it's often the 2nd and later rounds where the picks were either very mild successes (Gaudette, Rathbone, etc) or just failures. The only pick past the 1st round from Benning that was a great NHL player than I can think of off the top of my head is Demko, and that is barely past the 1st round.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, -AJ- said:

 

Benning hit home runs on a few 1st rounders, but it's often the 2nd and later rounds where the picks were either very mild successes (Gaudette, Rathbone, etc) or just failures. The only pick past the 1st round from Benning that was a great NHL player than I can think of off the top of my head is Demko, and that is barely past the 1st round.

 

yep. I hope the best for Danila, but tbh I'm not expecting much anymore. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, RWJC said:


Haha not intentionally! You’re a late night owl or your schedule dictates you being up early? 

Old fart goes to sleep too early some nights, sleeps too little all nights, and is up ugly-early most days.

But I enjoy it, solitary CFF and coffee, check the war news; life is good.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Goal_thecup said:

Old fart goes to sleep too early some nights, sleeps too little all nights, and is up ugly-early most days.

But I enjoy it, solitary CFF and coffee, check the war news; life is good.


Does sound good. Congrats!

  • Cheers 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...