Canucks Player Power Rankings – Choose A Favourite Vancouver Canuck
7 years ago
The Canucks are back in action and so are the Canucks Army Player Power Rankings! The regular format will be back next week, but first, it’s time to get to know your 2016/17 Vancouver Canucks and choose a favourite from this eclectic group of mostly NHL players.
23. Jack Skille
Nickname: Unknown
Why he should be your favourite: Unknown
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: Unknown
22. Alex Biega
Nickname: Bulldog
Why he should be your favourite: Biega should be your favourite if you want to be super unique.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: Biega is likely the 8th best defenseman on the Canucks, and you want your favourite player to play a lot!
He did this once:
21. Philip Larsen
Nickname: Probably Larsy.
Why he should be your favourite: According to Wikipedia, his full name is Philip Elzer Gade Larsen.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: I have no other information about him.
20. Derek Dorsett
Nickname: Dors, Advanced Dorsi
Why he should be your favourite: If you love grit and toughness and fighting and big contracts and all that, Derek Dorsett is your guy!
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: He doesn’t do much else.
19. Luca Sbisa
Nickname: Pizza. One of Luca’s first acts as a Canuck was describing turnovers as “pizzas”. Sbisa turns the puck over a fair amount, and his name rhymes with pizza. The rest is history.
Why he should be your favourite: He seems like a genuinely nice guy! Sometimes he does spin-moves and sometimes they work.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: Luca Sbisa is objectively not a very good defenseman but his contract is one that would suggest that he is a decent defenseman.
Classic play: Oh, Luca
18. Nikita Tryamkin
Nickname: Tree (he doesn’t like this, but it happened)
Why he should be your favourite: It’s kind of unclear exactly what the Canucks have with Nikita Tryamkin, except that he is literally giant.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: Because we aren’t quite sure yet what exactly NIkita Tryamkin brings to the table, don’t buy a jersey if you’re not into taking risks.
This is his comically small dog:
17. Markus Granlund
Nickname: Granny?
Why he should be your favourite: If he turns out to be good, that trade looks fine!
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: If Hunter Shinkaruk turns out to be good, the trade looks less fine.
His weird Finnish goal song:
16. Ryan Miller
Nickname: Millsy
Why he should be your favourite: If Noureen DeWulf is your favourite part of W Network’s Hockey Wives, you owe it to her to support her husband. Miller is also a good goalie, if you’re interested in that.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: Ryan Miller is a goaltender that plays for the Vancouver Canucks, and those players always seem to end up getting traded.
Saddest moment of the season (so far):
15. Alex Edler
Nickname: Eddie; Eagle, because as a rookie he reminded Trevor Linden of a baby bird.
Why he should be your favourite: Edler is Chris Tanev’s partner in crime law and order. He takes more penalties and doesn’t play as neatly as Tanev, but he contributes offensively and is fun to watch on the powerplay. Also, he once wore a pacifier as a ring.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: He is pretty boring. He basically just doesn’t talk.
14. Anton Rodin
Nickname: Hopefully A-Rod.
Why he should be your favourite: Rodin is a fun choice! He is currently on the IR, but he’s coming off an MVP season in the SEL and looked really fun in the preseason.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: There is always the chance that his knee will never get better. This is, after all, the Canucks.
A reason to hope:
13. Brandon Sutter
Nickname: Suttsy, duh.
Why he should be your favourite: Well as of right now, he’s the Canucks 2016/17 MVP. His last name means that he’s hockey royalty. Plus, he seems like a good Canadian kid.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: People will tell you that his contract doesn’t make any sense, and they are correct.
12. Brendan Gaunce
Nickname: B.Gauncé. This isn’t actually his nickname, but it should be!
Why he should be your favourite: It’s hard not to root for Brendan Gaunce, who put in a lot of work this summer and came into camp beyond motivated to make the team.
via Canucks Snapchat
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: He’s a bit of a nerd.
11. Erik Gudbranson
Nickname: Guddy, because hockey players are creative.
Why he should be your favourite: Gudbranson genuinely seems like a nice, hardworking guy who is excited to be a Canuck. Also, he’s objectively very handsome. He comes in at #5 on Buzzfeed’s list of the 26 handsomest hockey players.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: This isn’t his fault, but the Canucks probably definitely gave up too much to get him.
10. Jacob Markstrom
Nickname: Marky, I think.
Why he should be your favourite: Markstrom will start the season as the Canucks back-up goalie, but he’s got a chance to steal the starting role from Ryan Miller – he’s pretty good! And if you’re still sad that Eddie Lack isn’t on this team – it’s been well over a year, let’s move on – Markstrom will fill the tall, Swedish, goalie-shaped hole in your heart.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: see Ryan Miller.
Best save: The Canucks lost the game, but this was pretty cool!
9. Alex Burrows
Nickname: Burr
Why he should be your favourite: Burrows is getting older and less effective, but he’s a real heart and soul guy who puts everything into this team. He has a knack for scoring big goals – drought enders, streak breakers, series winners, etc.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: He did bite someone once.
Maybe the most fun we’ve ever had as Canucks fans:
8. Jannik Hansen
Nickname: It used to be Honey Badger but I think that’s gone now. So Jannie, I guess?
Why he should be your favourite: Jannik Hansen can play anywhere in the line-up and do well! Last year he played with the Sedins and thrived, but no matter where he is, he’s hustling. Hansen is a dream on the penalty kill and dishes out more than his fair share of fun post-game quotes.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: I have nothing bad to say about Jannik Hansen, who is always trying his best.
7. Loui Eriksson
Nickname: I don’t think he has one because his name already sounds like a nickname.
Why he should be your favourite: Loui is the newest Third Sedin and will likely be very fun to watch with them. Great hair, too.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: He did this! Loui!
A reason to be excited:
6. Sven Baertschi
Nickname: Baer; The bear emoji alongside the cheese emoji
Why he should be your favourite: Sven was a bit of a reclamation project for the Canucks, and he’s worked out nicely so far. Sven scores goals and is from Switzerland. What more could you want?
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: His name is hard to spell.
Best dog on the team:
5. Jake Virtanen
Nickname: Virts, Goat Medal Winner, Big Country, Abbotsford’s Greatest Son, Big Tuna
Why he should be your favourite: If you are from Abbotsford, BC, you already have this guy’s jersey. Virtanen is young, fun and a little bit messy, but there’s always something to talk about when it comes to him! He also briefly dated Chloe Grace Moretz, if you, like me, love to follow hockey and celebrity gossip simultaneously.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: He does stuff like this sometimes…
Iconic celebrity moment:
4. Chris Tanev
Nickname: Tanman; Tanny; Grease, because of his greasy hair.
Why he should be your favourite: Chris Tanev is one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. He’s an excellent possession player, penalty-killer, and shot-blocker (when required – the Canucks usually have the puck when he’s on the ice). He does all of this while taking virtually no penalties.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: If you like celebrating your favourite player’s goals, Chris Tanev is not for you. He doesn’t score a whole lot. Last year, though, his goal song was “Hot in Herre” by Nelly. So actually there’s just another reason for him to be your favourite Canuck.
Classic statistic: This is insane and so Chris Tanev.
3. Ben Hutton
Nickname: B-Hutt; Hutty
Why he should be your favourite: Hutton is an excellent candidate for your new favourite Canuck. Hutton is young, fun, and good. He loves to dance and is endlessly gif-able. He is a party on and off the ice.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: If you hate fun, you’ll hate Ben Hutton.
2. Bo Horvat
Nickname: Boho; Bowie (this is his actual name)
Why he should be your favourite: Bo Horvat is an excellent choice! Bo shows off his dangles whenever possible and many think that he’ll be the next Canuck to wear the C. He has an Instagram account dedicated to his dog, Gus.
Why he shouldn’t be your favourite: Sometimes he has to play with Derek Dorsett, and that’s hard to watch.
An exciting play:
1. Daniel Sedin & Henrik Sedin, as a unit
Nicknames: Danny & Hank; Pinky & the Brain; the only good things that have ever happened to the Canucks
Why they should be your favourite: They already are your favourites, probably. And if they’re not, then you’re kind of silly, because they are kind men and genuinely a treat to watch. If you haven’t spent an hour (or five) watching their old highlights on Youtube, I highly recommend it.
Why they shouldn’t be your favourite: The Sedins are going to retire one day and it’s going to be a sad day, so if you want to spare yourself the heartache, don’t love them.
Expected but still jaw-dropping play:
Recent articles from Grainne Downey
