Cole Cassels

July 2018 – The Vancouver Canucks didn’t tender a qualifying offer to Cassels, making him an unrestricted free agent.  Jokke Nevalainen

February 2018 – It appears that Cassels has finally found his sea legs at the AHL-level. After coming out of junior on a real high – leading his Generals’ squad to a Memorial Cup victory, his first two seasons of professional hockey were marred by injury, inconsistency and healthy scratches. 2017-18 has been a reversal of fortunes as the 22-year-old has produced five goals and 21 points in 48 AHL contests while playing a strong middle six role – a far cry from the 18 points he’d accrued during his first 133 games. Cassels will never been confused with a speedster but he’s smart, defensively responsible and can chip in offensively when given a chance. His performance this season will likely result in another contract as his entry-level deal expires at the conclusion of this season. Cam Robinson

June 2017 – The second year pro failed to take a step forward in the organization, recording just six goals and 11 points 64 AHL games. While a smart defensive player, his strength and foot speed remain concerns and it is becoming more and more likely that he is a longshot to contribute to an NHL team. Cam Robinson

December 2016 – The challenging transition from junior to professional hockey has continued to plague Cassels. After a disastrous rookie AHL season, the former Memorial Cup champion has just three goals in 18 AHL contests and finds himself lingering between the bottom six and press box on a Utica Comets’ team that isn’t exactly bulging with talent. This is somewhat of a surprise for the former OHL standout, and has to be disappointing for the organization as a whole. Cam Robinson

August 2016 – Cassels first professional season mercifully concluded with him producing just two goals and seven points in 67 games. The two-way centre struggled after losing the previous offseason to surgery and never fully caught up. It will be a big summer for the 21-year-old as he needs to focus on building strength and adding more speed to his game. His cerebral nature and anticipation skills remain evident but he’ll need to come into his sophomore AHL campaign with a lot more fire. Cam Robinson

January 2016 – The progress thus far of the second generation of Cassels men to don a jersey in the Canucks system has not gone how most would have hoped. Cole still appears to be adjusting to this level of competition at a slower-than-optimal rate. The speed of the pro game appears to overwhelm him at times. While his style of game will require more time to properly develop, his progress appears to have stagnated this season. He finally potted his first professional goal against the Rochester Americans on Dec. 26, to go with one assist and a minus-6 rating. While Cassels has been an occasional healthy scratch, and mostly played bottom-six  minutes, there is most certainly time for him to get his game on track. An off-season dedicated to power skating and acceleration may serve his game exceptionally well. David McDonald

November 2015  – Young Cassels has has trouble adjusting to the pro game so far, collecting just one assist in 10 games played for the Comets (AHL). He will have to work on his footwork and positioning before he can even begin to apply his talents, and all is not lost due to a slow start to his career. He is a hard working player who will need to do all the little things at the next level to succeed, so he may as well learn now. Mike Barrett

November 2014 – While Cassels is well on his way to a career season (22GP-12G-27A-39P), that torrid pace will have to be put on hold as Cassels just received a 10-game suspension from the OHL for a dangerous headshot into the boards he delivered this week. The Oshawa centerman will be out until Christmas, but is still expected to be invited to Team Canada’s World Junior camp. Mike Barrett

October 2014 – After posting two goals and 10 points in four weekly games (ending October 19th), Oshawa Generals’ forward was named OHL Player of the Week. In addition, Cassels took home CHL Player of the Week honours as well. Cassels is playing a vital role with the Generals as they sit in first place in the OHL’s Eastern Conference. Brendan Ross

September 2014 – Due to the fact that Cassels had been battling mononucleosis over the summer, he was not cleared for the Canucks Young Stars tournament, and was sent back to junior. The Generals have announced Cassels as their captain for the season opener as over-ager Josh Brown attempts to earn a contract in the NHL. We will find out soon whether he’ll be keeping it. Mike Barrett

June 2014 – Drafted as a defense-first center, Cassels was expected to make a reasonable improvement from his 40-point season while honing the defensive skills that would make him stick in the NHL. Instead, he came blazing out of the gate with 27 points in 18 games before bring temporarily derailed by a lower-body injury. The nagging injury put a damper on his totals for a while, and he ended up with a “mere” 24 goals and 73 points. His build is average for his age, and he will have to bulk up for the NHL. Blessed with some of the vision of his father Andrew, former Canuck playmaker, as well as the defensive awareness of an elite two-way centre, Andrew has displayed some potential beyond what was hoped for from a third rounder. His hands are above average, but it is his passing and hockey-IQ on both sides of the ice that separate him from the pack.  Austin Wallace