Cody Hodgson the top pick in Vancouver Canucks' 2008 draft class

[Tiranis]

Re: Kassian in the defensive zone. Are effing kidding me? He played stellar there. Watch the game with the Kings. He used his size to win puck battles and get the puck out constantly that game.

They have Kassian covering for some of Henrik's responsibilities, just like Burrows did when he was on that line. Most of the time he's the first one back into the zone. I'm shocked that anyone thinks he's poor defensively. Needs work just like any other young player but he works as hard as anyone all over the ice. At worst I would call him average.

 

[Tiranis]

08 wasn't good at all.

2009 seems to be a solid draft for us though, Schroeder, Andersson, Connaution, Cannata. I haven't given up on Rodin yet either.

2011 is also looking very good, Jensen and Corrado are the main guys, but Honzik is still very much a prospect, then Labate and Tommernes seem good, even like what we have in Grenier.

Gillis has actually done quite well IMO, everyone underrates the job he has done, it could be alot worse.

You missed Price from 09 and Blomstrand from 11.

 

[Steveorama]

2008 was a good example why you take the BPA, not your perceived "needs".
Canucks needed a big tough forward with skill...and many of their scouts were pushing for Beach.
Instead, Gillis took CoHo (the BPA then) and that got the Canucks Kassian...who is 10 times the player that Beach will ever be.
Other GMs would do well to pay attention to that lesson.

 

[Fat Tony]

2008 was a good example why you take the BPA, not your perceived "needs".
Canucks needed a big tough forward with skill...and many of their scouts were pushing for Beach.
Instead, Gillis took CoHo (the BPA then) and that got the Canucks Kassian...who is 10 times the player that Beach will ever be.
Other GMs would do well to pay attention to that lesson.

I always thought the story was the Gillis went slightly off the board because he was impressed with Hodgson in their interview with him.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I always thought the story was the Gillis went slightly off the board because he was impressed with Hodgson in their interview with him.

No - Hodgson was the consensus BPA. The only reason he was available was because NYI inexplicably took Josh Bailey, thus allowing Hodgson to sldie to #10.

There was a lot of buzz for Beach given his size, nastiness, skill, and local connections.

 

[LeftCoast]

I always thought the story was the Gillis went slightly off the board because he was impressed with Hodgson in their interview with him.

No - I think Gillis and Co. had Hodgson rated higher than Beach. Nashville and NYI were both thought to be looking at Hodgson. So when they took Collin Wilson and Josh Bailey, Hodgson was unexpectedly available. I don't think the Canucks were as high on Bailey and might have pick Beach over Bailey.

 

[Tiranis]

No - I think Gillis and Co. had Hodgson rated higher than Beach. Nashville and NYI were both thought to be looking at Hodgson. So when they took Collin Wilson and Josh Bailey, Hodgson was unexpectedly available. I don't think the Canucks were as high on Bailey and might have pick Beach over Bailey.

The story is that the scouting staff wanted Beach and Gillis wanted Hodgson so he overruled them all.

 

[Intoewsables]

The story is that the scouting staff wanted Beach and Gillis wanted Hodgson so he overruled them all.

Sounds about right considering our WHL scouting.

 

[Tiranis]

Sounds about right considering our WHL scouting.

To be completely fair to them, they weren't the only ones fooled by Beach. Every single list had him going Top 12 or higher. Teams, scouts, reporters, and fans were in love with his potential.

Hell, I was looking back at some articles from then and Gillis said that Beach even interviewed well with them. Wouldn't surprise me if we had picked him if Hodgson were gone.

 

[Luck 6]

The fact that we got Hodgson out of that draft makes it an instant success in my eyes. If we could get 1 impact player from each draft year we'd be doing very well.

Some have said 2009 looks good, I say how do you figure? As of right now, I'm not seeing any impact players. I'd guess all of Schroeder, Price, and Andersson should make the NHL in some capacity, but none of these guys look like real impact players. Schroeder? Maybe... Time will tell.

 

[crazyforhockey]

No - I think Gillis and Co. had Hodgson rated higher than Beach. Nashville and NYI were both thought to be looking at Hodgson. So when they took Collin Wilson and Josh Bailey, Hodgson was unexpectedly available. I don't think the Canucks were as high on Bailey and might have pick Beach over Bailey.

Beach was a bit of a wingnut ...family even more so......dont know if they would have taken him at all...........turns out it was a wise choice.....dont know if he will make it ?



do have to think Hodgson/Kassian is our 2008 pick even though kassian was picked later......asset flipped for an equal asset

 

[LeftCoast]

If you look at things in terms of acquired depth in the organization, we are in much better shape now than at the end of the Dave Nonis or Brian Burke eras.

We have several quality prospects at every position except LW.
G - Lack, Cannata (Schneider graduated)
RW - Jensen, Grenier (Kassian graduated)
C - Schroeder, Gaunce
D - Connauton, Corrado, McNally, Tommernes (Tanev graduated)


Young players have been developed and made the team from our system - Tanev, Schneider, Schroeder and Hodgson/Kassian.

Because of the emergence of Kassian, Booth is probably expendable this summer.

Schroeder is looking more and more like a solution to our 3rd line C spot.

The emergence of Cory Schnieder has made Luongo a tradable asset.

 

[blendini]

The fact that we got Hodgson out of that draft makes it an instant success in my eyes. If we could get 1 impact player from each draft year we'd be doing very well.

Some have said 2009 looks good, I say how do you figure? As of right now, I'm not seeing any impact players. I'd guess all of Schroeder, Price, and Andersson should make the NHL in some capacity, but none of these guys look like real impact players. Schroeder? Maybe... Time will tell.

You don't get a top 10 pick if your team is winning. Hopefully the Nucks will continue to be a contending team for a few more years.

 

[Jyrki21]

Still remember him sending someone through the glass. No idea who it was; also don't remember why they didn't keep him around. Pretty bleak times, then. Couldn't have done much worse.

Bleak times? That year was the Canucks' first division title and winning season since 1975! It was the beginning of the team's first ever period of respectability.

Anyway, what Bawa put through the glass was his own shoulder as he was trying to hit
A Hartford Whaler opponent. It was all him.

I like how Prab Rai and guys like that are "busts" around here. Can a late-round pick with no expectations seriously "bust"? Dan Woodley was a bust. Xavier Majic is just some guy the Canucks drafted.

 

[Tiranis]

I like how Prab Rai and guys like that are "busts" around here. Can a late-round pick with no expectations seriously "bust"? Dan Woodley was a bust. Xavier Majic is just some guy the Canucks drafted.

Rai is a bust because he didn't even accomplish so much as getting into the AHL on a consistent basis. Hell, he never even became a decent ECHL player. Similarly, Sawyer Hannay is a bust.

On the other hand, Peter Andersson and Joe Cannata will never be busts, even if they fail to make the NHL because at least they were good value for where they were picked. They're contributing to our farm team and still have good potential after 3 years.

 

[vanuck]

Rai's career seems to have been derailed by injury, but in any case he won't be re-signed so essentially a bust (though not his fault or anything) from our perspective.

And Froshaug just never wanted to come over? He did have some sort of fainting sickness for a while too.

 

[Lemurion]

From what I've seen (and I'm not following the Sabres that closely) Hodgson looks to be doing pretty well in his current position, and that's good for him.

I think anyone who says he's a bust or even a bad player is looking at him through a ton of preconceptions. Cody is a good player with significant upside, and was clearly a great pick in the draft. That obviously helped when it was time for him to leave the Canucks, as the player that came the other way also looks like he was a great draft pick.

Looks to me like this was one of those trades both teams did well with.

 

[GJB]

Why wouldn't you rather have the guy who has the most goals on his team and isn't depending on his two linemates to inflate his point totals? Hodgson has 9 points, well Vanek and Pominville have 19 and 13. It's pretty clear who's leeching off others on that line. It's remarkable to me that you would actually willingly take Hodgson who is a year older and downright horrible defensively. Players like him (soft, slow, one-dimensional with attitude issues) are quite literally worthless when fully developed as could be seen by what Roy and Ribeiro fetched in a trade.

So Hodgson is leeching off Vanek and Pominville?

But Kassian is holding his own playing with former NHL Art Ross trophy winners Daniel and Henrik Sedin?

 

[Waveburner]

If you look at things in terms of acquired depth in the organization, we are in much better shape now than at the end of the Dave Nonis or Brian Burke eras.

We have several quality prospects at every position except LW.
G - Lack, Cannata (Schneider graduated)
RW - Jensen, Grenier (Kassian graduated)
C - Schroeder, Gaunce
D - Connauton, Corrado, McNally, Tommernes (Tanev graduated)


Young players have been developed and made the team from our system - Tanev, Schneider, Schroeder and Hodgson/Kassian.

Because of the emergence of Kassian, Booth is probably expendable this summer.

Schroeder is looking more and more like a solution to our 3rd line C spot.

The emergence of Cory Schnieder has made Luongo a tradable asset.

I would not overlook Labate or Blomstrand as LW prospects, and especially Hutton as a D prospect, who is having an impressive freshman season. I'd also add Price too if you have Connauton on there. Andersson as well.

The depth seems improved from the late Nonis years, that's for sure. Hopefully a good number of them pan out.

 

[Lemurion]

So Hodgson is leeching off Vanek and Pominville?

But Kassian is holding his own playing with former NHL Art Ross trophy winners Daniel and Henrik Sedin?

Without making a judgment of leeching, it is possible to determine at least partially how much a player is benefiting from his linemates.

IF most of Cody Hodgson's goals are assisted by Vanek and Pominville, both of whom have higher point totals than he does, then the chances are good that he is benefiting significantly from their presence.

However, most of Zack Kassian's goals have not been assisted by either Henrik or Daniel, and he has about the same number of points as they do (one less than Daniel, the same as Henrik) it can be justifiably argued that his production is not benefiting as much from his linemates as Cody Hodgson's production is benefiting from his.

 

[Tiranis]

Without making a judgment of leeching, it is possible to determine at least partially how much a player is benefiting from his linemates.

IF most of Cody Hodgson's goals are assisted by Vanek and Pominville, both of whom have higher point totals than he does, then the chances are good that he is benefiting significantly from their presence.

However, most of Zack Kassian's goals have not been assisted by either Henrik or Daniel, and he has about the same number of points as they do (one less than Daniel, the same as Henrik) it can be justifiably argued that his production is not benefiting as much from his linemates as Cody Hodgson's production is benefiting from his.

Vanek is in on 8 of Hodgson's 9 points and Pominville is in on the remaining 1. But regardless, it's not as if I said that without watching the games.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

Whatever happened to that chump the Canucks drafted in the first round who could barely even put up points in college?

White?

 

[Tiranis]

Whatever happened to that chump the Canucks drafted in the first round who could barely even put up points in college?

White?

He's in the 2nd German league now. To understand just how bad he is you have to know that he's currently being outscored by a guy who had 2 career points in the OHL and never even reach .5PPG in the ECHL.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Bleak times? That year was the Canucks' first division title and winning season since 1975! It was the beginning of the team's first ever period of respectability.

Anyway, what Bawa put through the glass was his own shoulder as he was trying to hit
A Hartford Whaler opponent. It was all him.

I like how Prab Rai and guys like that are "busts" around here. Can a late-round pick with no expectations seriously "bust"? Dan Woodley was a bust. Xavier Majic is just some guy the Canucks drafted.

My bad. Thought he was from later on in the 90's.

 

[JA]

Cody's been playing well. The Pantherrs play-by-play announcer, Steve Goldstein, made mention of this during the Florida-Buffalo game on Sunday. He's been making plays and generating chances offensively for his line.

Hodgson picked up another assist tonight against the Senators, deflecting the puck off of Pominville's skate and into the net. That's 10 points in 10 games now.