By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Date Posted: October 17, 2011
Print Edition: October 12, 2011
At six-foot-two and 210 pounds, newly-acquired Canuck Dale Weise is a big, hardnosed physical right winger who will hope to prove himself on the fourth line this year, after being claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers just days before the start of the season. “I’m a hard working guy that does what ever it takes for his team,” the Winnipeg-native told the CBC. It’s that level of commitment and passion that has many fans hopeful that Weise will finally bring some consistency to a fourth line that was a major weak point for the Canucks last season.
According to The Province, head coach Alain Vigneault told Ben Kuzma that Weise was so far living up to his expectation as “a big body who brings energy.” However, it will definitely take a few games before the Canucks will really know what they’ve got. Weise is currently in the last year of a $605,000 two-way contract.
Weise couldn’t be more thrilled about it all. “It’s great to be somewhere you’re wanted – I’m more comfortable after one practice than four years in New York,” he said. “…to come to what is in my mind the best team in the league, I’m just excited to be part of it. Coming to a Canadian team and growing up in Winnipeg, I’m ecstatic to be here. I had nine different guys call me. I’ve never been here before and I’m just excited to walk around the city.”
A number of Rangers fans are upset that Weise signed in Vancouver, considering he was drafted in New York, and the team received nothing in return due to the way he was signed in Vancouver. That should be music to the ears of Canucks fans, especially since he can be moved down to the AHL if his game doesn’t pan out here. Despite only playing 10 NHL games prior to his move to Vancouver, in which he failed to score a single point, Weise knows that he has something to bring to the table. “I’m very confident in my abilities,” he told Kuzma. “I’m only 23, and put up good numbers in the AHL and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be here and I think that’s a trait a lot of teams would be interested in. I’m going to bring some energy and be physical and I think we can make some things happen down low. I’ll do what I do – stand up for my teammates if need be and provide a spark and chip in a little offence if I can.” On a Canucks squad packed with more talent than big-bodied grit, a player like Weise—with something to prove in his last year on contract—could be exactly what the team needs.
During his time in New York, Weise played three seasons in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He managed 28 goals, 50 points and 114 penalty minutes in 2009-10, his most productive season. He looked poised to significantly improve his point total last season with 18 goals, 38 points and 73 penalty minutes in just 47 games (on pace for 66 points).
Prior to his time with the Wolf Pack, Weise was a Swift Current Bronco in the WHL, where he played three seasons. Just like in the AHL, his point-per-game average improved significantly each year. He jumped from 18 points in 53 games in 2005-6, to 43 points in 67 games in 2006-2007. Then, in 2007-8, Weise managed 50 points in just 53 games – just the kind of season it takes to get drafted in the NHL. (He was selected in the fourth round, 111 overall, by the Rangers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.)
The Canucks let Victor Oreskovich go, in order to pick Weise up, and while it was a trade down in size and weight, he is expected to match the physical play of Oreskovich while also bringing an improved hockey sense. Gordie Clark, the Rangers’ director, player personnel, touted the versatility that Weise brings to the table in an interview with NewYorkRangers.com over the summer. “It’s not that he’s counted on just to score goals or just to be a checker. He’s also not just counted on to be a scrapper. He really is a combination of all those guys, which is why he’s in a unique position, because he does all of those things,” Clark said. “When he’s playing consistently and combining those three attributes, then he’s a pretty tough player to play against.”
While Weise believes he has what it takes to be a second or third line player in time, he’s more than willing to play the grinding fourth-line role as he continues to improve. Considering the way Vigneault likes to mix up his lines to reward those doing well, one thing is clear; now is his best chance to prove himself.
