Canucks Claim Weise off of Waivers

Did you expect Sean Avery or something?

Okay that headline is more than just a little bit misleading, but whatever, the Canucks have claimed 6,2 grinder Dale Weise off of waivers from the New York Rangers. Weise will add another big body to the Canucks fourth line and at a glance seems like a promising addition – he’s a young pugilist with some potential upside. Here’s the press release from Canucks.nhl.com.

UPDATE: According to Ben Kuzma – the Canucks have also waived Oreskovich, so it looks like Weise will find himself in Vancouver’s opening night line-up.

Weise was a fourth round pick of the Rangers back in 2008, and in 194 AHL games has amassed 57 goals, and 251 penalty minutes. He’s also shot over 15% in his AHL career, which, I see as very promising. Between the AHL and the NHL (he appeared in 10 games for the Rangers last season) he fought 10 times last year, including this clear-cut victory over Dan Carcillo (via hockeyfights.com):

Hows that for playing "outside your shoes?"

Using Gabe Desjardin’s NHL equivalency numbers, Weise’s AHL production last season would’ve translated into 14 goals and 29 points over the course of a full 82 games in the NHL. That’s quality third-liner production. In Weise’s ten games with New York he was sheltered, played roughly six and a half minutes per sixty at even strength, and generated nearly a shot per game while playing to a minus one.

Weise could turn out to be a solid pick up by the Canucks management team: he’s big, young and based on his AHL production – could develop into a third-liner in the NHL. Seems to me like the Canucks claimed the right New York Ranger.