Vancouver hockey fans found hope in the club's 28th-place finish this season. After all, if one hews to Biblical ideology, where the last shall be first, it follows that third-last should be the third-first. Unfortunately, the Canucks got burned on the Bible's follow-up principle: for many may be called, but few chosen. The Canucks were, sadly, not chosen.
On the bright side, one need not draft in the top three to turn up an impact player -- something the Canucks appear to have demonstrated in the draft prior, when they snagged Brock Boeser with the 23rd overall pick. Boeser responded with an unbelievable rookie season for the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, scoring 27 goals and 60 points in 42 games (third in the nation), leading UND to a national title, and earning comparison to former UND standouts and current impact players Jonathan Toews, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, T.J. Oshie. The Canucks may have something in Boeser.
But they don't have him quite yet, technically. While Vancouver managed to sign their other top college prospect, Thatcher Demko, quieting fears that he would use a loophole to dodge the Canucks' draft rights, they swung and missed on Boeser, who has opted to return to UND for his sophomore season. Naturally, the fanbase has been quietly concerned about this ever since. (Vancouver is quietly concerned about everything, save the things they're loudly concerned about.)
On Wednesday, however, as Boeser put off studying for his final exams to chat with the Vancouver Sun's Iain MacIntyre, we learned that his decision may benefit the Canucks after all. Now he can be the team's inside man.
As we noted last month, the champion Fighting Hawks have several players worth pursuing beyond Boeser. In fact, the Canucks have already snagged one, signing 22-year-old defenceman Troy Stecher. But the big get if they can swing it would be Boeser's running mate, forward Drake Caggiula, who put up 51 points in 39 games and is, unsurprisingly, being pursued by several NHL teams.
But the Canucks totally have an in. Boeser -- who, we remind you, is not Canucks property at this time, so he can talk to Caggiula as much as he wants -- is all over it. From the Sun:
The third member of college hockey’s CBS line, Drake Caggiula, just returned to Grand Forks after a tour of potential National Hockey League employers that included a visit with the Canucks last Thursday and Friday.
“He just got back here at school,” Boeser said between golf shots. “He hasn’t said too much about it, but I’m trying to get it out of him and convince him to come to Van. He said it was a great trip and he really got along with the staff and stuff.”
Inside. Man. No wonder the Canucks didn't push Boeser to sign. They needed him to push Caggiula.
"I think Vancouver and I were on the same page," Boeser said, and we are totally picking up what you're putting down, Brocko.
“I think it helps me build a relationship with them," Boeser told MacIntyre, tenting his fingers like an evil mastermind, probably. "It made it easier for me to make the decision to stay.”
Signing Caggiula would certainly help to alleviate the despair Canucks fans are feeling right now at having missed out on the draft day podium and the generational superstars thereupon. It would also prevent the Chicago Blackhawks from signing Caggiula to play with his other UND linemate, Nick Schmaltz. Get that weak sauce outta here, Chicago.
Make it happen, Brock.
Finally, if you didn't already like Boeser for his hockey and sneaky embedded recruitment skills, you should probably read all about his date for the prom.
