Yahoo Sports Vilmer Alriksson Leaves Lasting Impression In First Pre-Season With The Canucks
The pre-season is a great opportunity for younger players to leave a lasting impression on their organizations before heading back to junior. This was the case for Vancouver Canucks Vilmer Alriksson, who made a statement in his first game at Rogers Arena. The 6'6" forward not only showed his physicality but also that he wasn't afraid to drop the gloves.
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During Vancouver's pre-season opener against the Seattle Kraken, Alriksson threw a massive hit on Logan Morrison, which led to him fighting John Hayden just a few minutes later. While Alriksson had the height and size advantage, Hayden is an experienced NHLer with 249 games of NHL experience and over 40 fights in his career. While the 2023 fourth-rounder didn't look comfortable during the fight, he does deserve credit for accepting the challenge and taking on a player who is much more experienced than himself.
When asked postgame about Alriksson, Head Coach Rick Tocchet spoke very positively about the young forward. Tocchet said, 'I think that his game is just going to grow. He's a big kid who can skate, great hands and all that stuff's going to come. He's going to catch up to himself. Hell of an effort. You know, I don't care if he fights, but, just to stick up of himself and the team, that was great."
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This is not the first time that Tocchet has spoken positively about Alriksson. During the morning skate, when asked about young players, Tocchet went out of his way to speak about Alriksson, calling him "a great prospect." Tocchet also mentioned he talked to Alriksson, saying, "I want him to be disrespectful in the sense that, go get the puck, want the puck." Based on the results from the pre-season game, this may have been the kickstart Alriksson needed, as he was physical whenever the opportunity presented itself while also playing a strong game overall.
While Alriksson has impressed both in Training Camp and now the pre-season, the plan is for him to head back to the OHL and play this year with the Guelph Storm. Last season, which was his rookie OHL campaign, he finished with 33 points in 67 games and was one of the more physical players in the league. If Alriksson can carry his strong play from the last few weeks into the OHL season, he could see a significant improvement in his point totals while also being one of the hardest players in the league to match up against.
