Why the Young Stars Tournament Proved Jake Virtanen is Better than Nicolaj Ehlers #MyColumn

The selection of Jake Virtanen with the sixth-overall pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft has long been a contentious subject in this space.

In the weeks prior to Virtanen’s selection and thereafter, the so-called “experts” at this site have thrown endless shade at Canucks management for this supposed reach. In place of Virtanen, the brain trust of Canucks Army have trumpeted more prolific, if one-dimensional forwards in his place.

One such player was Nicolaj Ehlers. With dynamic offensive abilities – he managed 104 points in 63 games – the suggestion seemed fair in a vacuum. But hockey isn’t just a goal scoring contest and Virtanen showed as much this weekend.

With that, I invite you to join me on the other side of the jump for three examples of how he separated himself from Ehlers over the course of the Young Stars Tournament in Penticton last weekend. 

As the Canucks aim to rebuild their core with a wave of middling-to-above average talent, the Oilers have struck gold at the draft with high draft pick after high draft pick. One philosophy has engendered a period of prolonged mediocrity, emphasized by iffy asset management and a lack of first-line reinforcements for an aging core; the other has earned Edmonton a generational talent in Connor McDavid. 

If the Canucks are to keep ground with their divisional rivals, they’re going to need to exact their physical will over the unadulterated offensive talent which highlights their primary opposition’s rosters – will over skill, if you will. 

One way to do this is by setting the tone early. As an active body on the forecheck, Virtanen was able to do this from the first game of the tournament. In throwing McDavid to the ice with a thundering shoulder in the first period, of the first game, Virtanen sent his team’s message for all to hear. It was the hit heard around the World. 

I watched all but one game from this tournament and can’t remember a single hit thrown by Ehlers. One of these two is built for the playoffs. I’ll let you decide which one.

The Canucks may not have started this tournament off well, but they certainly bounced back in the second of three games in the Okanagan. It was a mid-Sunday showdown between Ehlers’ Jets and Virtanen’s Canucks.

Say what you will about a small sample, but this match provided a similarly sizable sample to a game seven – sixty minutes of hockey. In those sixty minutes the Canucks outscored the Jets 4-1, good for a dominating win. 

Neither player scored in that game, but Virtanen had a 70% Corsi in that game as opposed to Ehlers’ 27.8%. Virtanen also displayed plus leadership by bouncing back from a huge hit at the blue line. Never quit. That’s the lesson. #Leadership.

For as much time as the analytics community has spent debating the merits of shot quality it’s fascinating that goal quality has never been discussed in full. Is a 4-0 goal in the first as important as a 3-2 goal in OT of game seven? No. It’s why Zack Kassian’s points towards the end of the 2013-14 campaign just didn’t really count. 

When building a franchise, it’s the players who score the clutch goals that a team should be looking for. The Canucks were able to edge the Flames in the series closing game on one of these goals, with Virtanen sending home the 3-on-3 overtime winner on a breakaway. 

Oddly enough, this play displayed Virtanen’s ability to contribute away from the puck as much as it did with it. Hear me out. The play started innocently enough, with Virtanen and his linemates sending the puck on net and looking to crash and bang their way to a goal. Before long the puck was heading towards Vancouver’s net, with Virtanen stuck behind the play looking to bury a goal in close that had already crossed Calgary’s blue line. 

By staying behind and attempting to jam in a puck that wasn’t necessarily there, Virtanen made himself available as an outlet when his teammates recovered the puck from their own zone. Throwing false flags like you wouldn’t believe. Maeks yu thnk.

Ehlers didn’t score any overtime winners. thnk harder.