…in exchange for Michael DiPietro and Jonathan Myrenberg
by Canucks Communications @Canucks / Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has acquired forward Jack Studnicka from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goaltender Michael DiPietro and defenceman Jonathan Myrenberg.
Studnicka, 23, has appeared in one game with Boston so far this season, registering four penalty minutes. Last season, the 6’1″, 187-pound forward split time between Boston (0-3-3 in 15 GP) and the AHL’s Providence Bruins, ranking tied for third on Providence in scoring with 35 points (10-25-35) in 41 games. He also ranked third on the team in power play points, tallying two goals and 12 assists on the man-advantage
Over the course of four seasons with the Bruins organization, Studnicka has accumulated seven points (1-6-7) and 10 penalty minutes in 38 games played at the NHL level and 96 points (34-62-96) in 117 AHL contests. In his rookie season (2019.20), he led Providence in scoring, setting team-highs in goals (23), assists (26), and points (49). That same year, Studnicka appeared in five playoff games with Boston during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
A native of Windsor, Ontario, Studnicka has represented Canada multiple times on the international stage, including at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships in Vancouver (1-3-4 in 5 GP).
Studnicka was originally selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round, 53rd overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
The Vancouver Canucks entered the 2012 draft looking to get their offseason off on the right foot with a good draft of young players that would make a future impact on the organization.
They added 6 players to their depth: 41rst overall, Danila Klimovich; 137th overall, Aku Koskenvuo; 140 overall, Jonathan Myrenberg; 169th overall, Hugo Gabrielson; 178th overall, Connor Lockhart; and finally, 201rst overall, Lucas Forsell.
DANILA KLIMOVICH
eliteprospects.com
With their first pick, Vancouver went with Klimovich, an 18 year old centre, who played with Minskie Zubry of the Belarus Vysshaya league last season, finishing with 28 goals, 24 assists, for 52 points. He added to his regular season totals in the playoffs, accumulating 14 points on 9 goals and 5 assists.
Klimovich continued to excel, this time for Team Belarus, at the 2021 World U-18 Championship, notching 6 goals in 5 games; finishing his season by participating in three games for Belarus at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
Klimovich moves on the first touch and cuts inside on most opponents. He plays his game in between the dots as much as possible, uses teammates, and plays with a hard, and violent energy. -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide
Canucks went with an 18 year old goaltender with their 2nd pick of the 2021 NHL draft, selecting Kostenvuo, who played last season with HIFK U20 of the U20 SM-sarja league in Finland, playing in 13 of 21 games, achieving a 2.92 GAA and a SV% of .893 in 779 minutes played.
He also represented Finland at the IIHF 2021 U18 World Championship, registering a 3-3-0 record and one shutout.
As far as mid-tier goaltending prospects go, there’s a lot to like about Finnish prospect Aku Koskenvuo heading into the 2021 NHL Draft. At 6-foot-4, he has that large, NHL-caliber frame that general managers love, but despite his size, he moves in the net with a surprising amount of speed and athleticism.
Over the last few seasons, Koskenvuo has put together a solid statistical resume. In 2020-21, he played 13 games for HIFK U20, posting 2.92 goals-against average (GAA) and a .893 save percentage. While these numbers don’t jump off the paper, they are still solid considering his age and opponents. He also played in six games at the WJC-18, and while his statistics were rough (4.23 GAA, .874 SV%), he still played well in his starts.
What this leaves you with is a player with a great toolkit to build upon that will need a lot of time to develop the finer points of the game, like his positioning in the net. However, since he is committed to playing at Harvard starting in the 2022-23 season, Koskenvuo could be in the right position to get this time to learn and grow his game.
With this in mind, he will likely play another season in Finland then get up to four more seasons to develop at Harvard. This would make him the perfect candidate for a team to select later in the draft who isn’t in need of a goaltender for the near future. Eugene Helfrick
Vancouver went with an 18 year old Swedish right shooting defenceman in Myrenberg, who played with Linköping HC J20 in the J20 Nationell league. In 15 games played, he had 3 goals, 5 assists for 8 points, tied for scoring among defencemen on his team.
He was also loaned to Sollentuna HC of the HockeyEttan league and played 9 league games, getting 6 assists and a +3 plus/minus rating and continued his fine play in the playoffs, pitching in with an additional 4 assists in 6 games played, with a +2 plus/minus rating.
So far, Myrenberg’s one of the better shooting defensive prospects I’ve ever seen. His wrist shot is a laser, ridiculously accurate from anywhere in the zone, and his one timer has some serious heat as well.
There’s quite a few tools that Myrenberg has at his disposal, the first of which being a solid skating foundation. He’s got great three way mobility, and deceptive edge work that allows him to gain separation with the puck.
Canucks began Round 5, picking a second straight defenceman in the left shooting 18 year old Gabrielson.
He played for Frolunda HC J20 of the J20Nationell league, totaling 13 points on 4 goals and 9 assists in 17 games, with a +4 plus/minus rating, for 7th place in team scoring, second place among defencemen.
He was loaned to Halmstad Hammers of the HockeyEttan league, playing 24 league games, collecting 7 points (3 goals and 4 assists) and a +6 plus/minus rating. He added one assist in one playoff game.
While his offense is his calling card, his defensive game is still under development and needs continued refinement. Gap control is an issue for Gabrielsson. He doesn’t assert much man-to-man pressure. He doesn’t get in the face of the attacker when they are rushing up the boards. Josh Tessler, Smaht Scouting
For the fifth Vancouver pick, the Canucks chose another centre, Canadian Connor Lockhart from the Erie Otters. In 2019-2020, he played 57 games, scoring 9 goals, picking up 18 helpers for 27 points for eighth in team scoring and a team worst -16 plus/minus rating.
His last competitive game was on Mar 8, 2020 against the Saginaw Spirit.
2021 EliteProspects Draft Guide wrote:
Lockhart showed a good tactical understanding of the game in the 2019-20 season. He played productively inside the Erie Otters system, made give-and-goes and the right offensive reads without overplaying his hand, which is a common rookie mistake.
His skating stride looked like an NHL-average projection. He couldn’t maintain it optimally for the full duration of shifts and his motor let up defensively, too, but these are the kind of elements that conditioning and strength training usually fixes over the years.
Otherwise, we liked his handling habits. His deceptive stance — puck at the hip — allowed him to freeze defenders prior to feeding passes or releasing on net. EliteProspects
Canucks final pick of the 2021 draft was Swede Lucas Forsell, and 201rst overall, in the 7th round.
During the 2020-21 season, the left winger played for Färjestad BK J18 in the J18 Region, playing 4 games with an offensive output of 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points for 5th spot in team scoring.
He then went to Färjestad BK J20 of the J20 Nationell league. In 13 games, he was third in team scoring with 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points and a +1 plus/minus rating.
He played one game for Färjestad BK of the SHLChampions HL to finish his season.
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