Kevin Bieksa on MOJO

Compared himself to a Chris Chelios type of player, in-your-face. I hope this guy cracks the line-up, he will quickly become a fan favorite with his style.

Yes, thats EXACTLY what we need, a Chris Chelios of our own.

Wow, did this guy come out of nowhere or what? Two years ago he wasn't on anyone's radar and now he's already more or less earned himself a spot on the Canucks? (Obviously there's still training camp, but I expect him to win the spot over the other farmhands... But I guess we'll still have to see).

Wow, did this guy come out of nowhere or what? Two years ago he wasn't on anyone's radar and now he's already more or less earned himself a spot on the Canucks? (Obviously there's still training camp, but I expect him to win the spot over the other farmhands... But I guess we'll still have to see).
Yea, its just a case of quickly adapting to the pro game. The thing that is good with Bieksa is he has no huge weakness. He is a good skater (what he was known for in college), he is good offensively, good shot, great hitter and very fiesty. He is a tad undersized for the style he plays, but that shouldn't be an issue really. I am looking forward to seeing him make the club, he instantly won be over as a huge fan when he knocked Vanek out of the playoffs with a hit last year.

witt-bieska 3rd pairing?


cooooome on :D

The HF writeup about him indicates there's issues with his skating.

However, he does have one issue that could affect his defensive play in higher levels, and that is his mobility. Slow turning into corners and poor acceleration make you wonder how successful he could possibly be in the NHL. While his top speed is nothing to worry about, when Bieksa plays longer in the AHL and perhaps the NHL, he may find players simply too fast.

Regardless of the reality, he seems to be a lock for the third pairing.

There's no issue about his skating. People make a big deal out of nothing...yet again.

His skating is just fine.

Was it only me or did this guy sound like a seasoned pro in his interview? Seemed very relaxed, confident and well spoken. Pretty impressive. Really looking forward to seeing how he does in the camp.

Liked how he pointed out that Bomber was an NHL defenceman and there were also other guys on the team that were worth a look as well. At the same time, not denigrating his own game.

I admit to being extremely suprised. Cool.

I don't understand the knocks on his skating. I have 10 Moose games on tape, and he is an above average skater. Never got it. And from what I read, he was a good skater at Bowling Green too.

I am loooking forward ot seeing him in a nucks uni this year.

he'll be given every chance to crack the lineup this year - he just needs to bulk up. (i think he played at around 190 last year?) the canucks should have him pencilled on the rotation with baumgartner and brookbank.

I am loooking forward ot seeing him in a nucks uni this year.
Me too. I am going to try to get as many Bieksa rookie cards as possible.

If hes everything people say ill be a huge fan.

he'll be given every chance to crack the lineup this year - he just needs to bulk up. (i think he played at around 190 last year?) the canucks should have him pencilled on the rotation with baumgartner and brookbank.
welcome to the boards :)

^ thanks :)

chris chelios type player? Forget witt!

I think he will be a No. 6 or 7 defenceman for the Canucks this upcoming season.

To me, scouting reports sometimes just have to find something wrong with someone's game. Not everyone has a great shot, or can stick handle in a phone booth, or skate like Bure. So just because he has good ability in all areas except (supposedly) skating, doesn't mean everyone should be worried about him.

Now, I'm NOT comparing his potential ability with these guys, but off the top I can think of a few players who have poor skating ability, but carved out quite the career thank you very much: Murzyn, Baron.

From what I've seen of Bieksa, he has respectable speed but his maneuverability needs some work. It's not awful, and perhaps the problems are over-stated somewhat, but it is an area which will hold him back a little. He isn't as quick turning as you'd like.

From what I've seen of Bieksa, he has respectable speed but his maneuverability needs some work. It's not awful, and perhaps the problems are over-stated somewhat, but it is an area which will hold him back a little. He isn't as quick turning as you'd like.
His straight-ahead speed is good, but he isn't terribly quick on his skates (laterally, cornering, turning, etc).
Not too many teams have Paul Coffey-type skaters on their 3rd pairing, of course.
He certainly has better quickness than a Baron or a Murzyn.

His straight-ahead speed is good, but he isn't terribly quick on his skates (laterally, cornering, turning, etc).
Not too many teams have Paul Coffey-type skaters on their 3rd pairing, of course.
He certainly has better quickness than a Baron or a Murzyn.

when you're replacing Malik and Sopel with Bieska and whoever, I don't think that speed or skating is really a concern.... it doesn't take a Coffey to replace those two's skating in the lineup.

I think Bieska will be fine... he's a rookie, but he's a 24 YO rookie that has had 4 full seasons in the NCAA and played another full year in the AHL... he should be further ahead on the learning curve than the average rookie (like when Allen joined our team).

Certainly any player that makes the AHL all rookie team is a player to watch. At 24 years of age he stands a good chance of sticking with the club all year and being able to fill the same types of minutes Allen filled his first full season....12 minutes a game or so. It will be a learning curve for him of course and he might not make it in the end but all signs point to him being able to step into the NHL this upcoming season. I look forward to it.

Certainly any player that makes the AHL all rookie team is a player to watch. At 24 years of age he stands a good chance of sticking with the club all year and being able to fill the same types of minutes Allen filled his first full season....12 minutes a game or so. It will be a learning curve for him of course and he might not make it in the end but all signs point to him being able to step into the NHL this upcoming season. I look forward to it.

I agree. I'm very excited about Bieksa entering the lineup this season. Having seen a few Moose games last season he was the one player who consistently stood out for me, mostly how physical he was (caught a fight or two I believe). Looking forward to seeing him in the lineup night in and night out, right up in opponents faces.

Bieska at this point is not an NHL calibur defenseman unless the man did some mad conditioning and power skating in the off-season. His weakness is his skating. He's not Marek Malik bad, but he's not good either, and it will hurt him badly in the NHL game.

If you want the next surprise story, watch for Brent Skinner. I think he'll turn a lot of heads very soon.

I think it's safe to say Skinner is already on the radar screen.

Bieska at this point is not an NHL calibur defenseman unless the man did some mad conditioning and power skating in the off-season. His weakness is his skating. He's not Marek Malik bad, but he's not good either, and it will hurt him badly in the NHL game.

If you want the next surprise story, watch for Brent Skinner. I think he'll turn a lot of heads very soon.

But he's playing in the NCAA this season, so it's pretty irrelevant to the Canucks. I like Skinner too but his strength and D zone positioning are just as big of question marks as Bieksa's skating.