Claimed:[Rookie Profile] Vincent Virtanen [Final 8/8]

[Lunaro 208]

Vincent Virtanen

 

 

Born: BC, Canada
Birthday: August 17, 1998
Position: LW
Shoots: Right
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210 lbs

Number: 91
 

Overview

Vincent Virtanen from BC native is a young winger picked up by the Brampton Blades through waivers as a free agent. He will look to impress in the final stretch of the season before the playoffs as he tries to raise his draft stock in the S46 VHLM Dispersal Draft. The 17 year old came off a 65 point season in the WHL where he played 64 games.

 

Playstyle:

Virtanen is a good two-way player with high-end offensive talent. The play making winger is working on improving his skating explosiveness and how to change speeds to throw off defenders. He has excellent vision and hockey sense which helps him set up his teammates for prime scoring chances on a consistent basis. He has toned down his physical game after sustaining a shoulder injury but he's shown he can be a physical player who knows how to use his size.

 

Strengths:

Virtanen is an excellent passer and play maker who thrives on drawing in the defender and finding open passing lanes which set up his teammates to score as evidenced by the enormous amount of assists he's collected in his first season of junior hockey. He's a dynamic forward who has excellent vision and always keeps his head up as he looks for ways to create plays and is quite often the best player on the ice. He has excellent hands and has on occasion dangled his way through multiple defenders showing off his stick handling a la Patrick Kane or Pavel Datsyuk. He has a great work ethic and a desire to improve as he's always looking for ways to take the next step and become a star at every level he's played at. He has elevated his play to match the increasing level of competition that he's faced through the never ending amount of work he puts in at the gym and on the ice. He's got good defensive instincts and works hard on defense. His hockey sense and game knowledge is not limited to the offensive side of the ice as he's has solid positioning on defense and has an active stick to break up plays.

 

Weaknesses:

He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses to his game but there are aspects that could use some more work before he's at a level to play in the VHL. At 17 years of age he's not the strongest player despite his solid frame of 210 lbs at 6'1. He needs to continue to put in work on his lower body strength so that he's not knocked off the puck easily. He is known to lack discipline at times and his temper can get the best of him leading to penalty troubles and his coach is trying to redirect that temper of his towards getting even through the scoreboard and not the penalty box. Although he is an excellent play maker he tends to lack the finishing ability to score on his own as his goal scoring numbers are a bit disproportionate to his assist numbers. He will have to work on his shot or teams in the VHL will not have to respect his shot and take away his passing options.

 

Conclusion:

Vincent Virtanen is an exciting prospect and could be an impact player as he progresses this season on the Brampton Blades. He projects to be in a top 6 role in the VHLM next season if not by the playoffs this season. He's a dynamic winger who can wrack up the points if paired with a prolific scorer. We'll see if he can continue to develop his game and reach his potential as a top 6 winger in the VHL.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Lunaro

[Tylar 219]

Overview: 2/2 -Lovely rookie profile

 

Pros & Cons: 3/3 - Yes, even though you said no glaring weaknesses, dumb nooooob. :>

 

Grammar: 2/2 - I didn't see anything

 

Presentation: 1/1 - very cute

 

Overall: 8/8

[CowboyinAmerica 2,887]

Claimed