yardbarker
Sometimes the most interesting player in a trade isnt the one everyone is talking about.
That might end up being the case with Liam Ohgren.
When the Vancouver Canucks acquired Ohgren in the Quinn Hughes trade, most of the attention naturally went to Marco Rossi and Zeev Buium.
Ohgren almost felt like the extra piece included to balance the deal.
It didn't stay that way for very long.
Ohgren wasted little time making an impression after arriving in Vancouver.
He scored two goals and three points in his first three games, including the shootout winner against the Boston Bruins.
He looked comfortable.
There wasn't much hesitation in his game.
He played with confidence, and that confidence seemed to grow as the season went on.
By the end of the season, Ohgren had settled into a second line with Rossi and Brock Boeser.
Fans quickly nicknamed them the "BRO Line," and the chemistry was hard to miss.
Ohgren finished with eight goals and 18 points in 51 games.
Those numbers won't make anyone think he has arrived, but they hint there could be a lot more.
And that is what makes him such an intriguing player heading into this season.
People sometimes forget that Ohgren was a first-round pick in 2022.
Players selected that high are chosen because teams believe they have top-six potential.
In Ohgren's case, you can see why.
He has good size.
He skates well.
He owns a quick, heavy shot.
Those are tools you simply can't teach.
The next step is putting them together over a full NHL season.
If head coach Manny Malhotra keeps Ohgren with Rossi and Boeser, he should get every opportunity to grow into a bigger offensive role.
Consistent ice time often makes all the difference for young players.
They stop worrying about making mistakes and start trusting their instincts.
That is when good players often become very good ones.
Could Ohgren score 20 goals? I think that's well within reach.
Could he eventually become a 25- or even 30-goal scorer? That might depend on how quickly his confidence catches up with his talent.
The Canucks have spent a lot of time looking for young players who can grow into important roles without needing years of development.
Ohgren looks like he could be one of those players.
He might have arrived in Vancouver as the player nobody was talking about.
A year from now, he might be one of the first players everyone mentions.
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