The Young Stars Classic opens Friday. The players (and media, watch for Jason Botchford in Penticton) start practising Thursday.
Chapter five of our series takes a look at centre Cole Cassels.
Scouting: The son of ex-Canuck Andrew Cassels caused a stir last spring when he faced down Connor McDavid in the OHL playoffs. The narrative said Cassels shut down McDavid: that’s not entirely true, he didn’t shut McDavid down, but there’s no doube he slow down the budding superstar. Cassels proved himself to be a pretty impressive hockey player since being drafted a year ago. His Oshawa Generals edged past McDavid’s high-flying Erie Otters, eventually winning the Memorial Cup. Cassels was a key player all year. That’s a great feather to have in your cap.
The centre plays with an edge and has skills to boot. Since being drafted in 2013, he’s put up back-to-back quality scoring seasons.
He didn’t make last year’s USA world junior squad, a snub many have called surprising.
His dad is a bright engaging guy; Cole seems to be a chip off the old block. He says if he weren’t a hockey player, he’d be a teacher. He’s also set a high bar in the player he’d like to be: Steve Yzerman.
What should get Canucks fans excited: His hockey smarts, coupled with his aggressive style suggest a player who could prove to be a serious fan favourite. He does many things very well and his growth curve is on the upper end of the spectrum, suggesting both a dedication to self-improvement and legit NHL-quality skills.
Why Canucks fans should worry: He doesn’t have the lights-out shot that some of his prospect peers do (Jared McCann and Hunter Shinkaruk are the clear leaders) so, like his dad, he’ll have to lean heavily on his passing skills. Further, much of his production the last two years in Oshawa was driven by playing with winger Michael Dal Colle, who was drafted 5th overall by Long Island in 2014. Without an elite winger at his side, how will his offensive game change?
Some Reading:
– Jim Jamieson spoke with Cassels at this summer’s Canucks development camp at Shawnigan Lake.
– As noted by Canucks Army’s Rhys Jessop, Cassels was a key player in the Generals being the OHL’s elite defensive unit.
Some Viewing:
Outlook: He turned 20 earlier this year and after four years of major junior, will head to the AHL. Like all players making the transition to the professional game, his biggest challenge will be adjusting to the speed and strength of mostly-older opponents. He will most likely open the season as one of Travis Green’s checkers, playing alongside veterans, not unlike Brendan Gaunce did in 2014-15.
In the series:
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