The Youth Movement is Taking Over.

Last night the Canucks faced the Stars, and did their usual rolling through the Big D. I don't even pretend that this is a measuring stick type game like I used to, because Dallas seems to just suck against us. The 'Nucks won 4-1 in this latest version, getting goals from Samuelsson (surprise!) and Ehrhoff (our only healthy defender?) on the power play, Kes-Lord on the shortie (his 28th, by the way), and my boy Alex Burrows (assisted by Hank, who has 51 helpers) in the third period. Meanwhile, Cory "Ginger Jesus" Schneider, helped Luongo catch some rest, and stopped 25 of 26. All that, and nobody had the guts to fight Adam Burish?

Despite all the heroics of our well-known 'Nucks, the story last night was all about the youth movement coming into town. Injuries and other circumstances have led to an influx of youngsters trying to fill a couple of holes, and that's always fun for us fans. The latest to grace the sheet of ice was Cody Hodgson, who made his NHL debut last night. Hodgson has probably been the most talked about Canucks prospect, with wories of his injury record making us all nervous. However, he's always been on top of things, playing especially well for Canada, and finally got the call last night.

Since the youth are coming in, I though it'd be cool to get to know them a little better. We'll examine the youngsters who played last night:

Cody Hodgson- The 20 year old native of Toronto made his first showing last night. He finished with 2 shots on goal, 3 hits, and a blocked shot in 9:13 time on ice. He had 10 goals and 6 assists in 28 games with the Moose. So, we're all hoping for big things from our fourth line center.

Aaron Volpatti- The 25 year old left winger from Revelstoke, BC has earned himself the nice little nickname "Voltron." This season he's played in 14 games, has a goal (which I think we all remember) an assist, and 16 penalty minutes. He's been a solid addition, despite dwindling ice time, but he needs to pick it up to keep that sweet nickname (otherwise, we'll go back to Pepermint Volpatti"). He had 6 assists and 44 penalty minutes in 26 AHL games this year.

Lee Sweatt- The 25 year old from Elburn, IL (a USA boy!), plays defense, and already has a goal despite only playing in 2 games. He scored on that sweet pass from Daniel Sedin after a steal at the blue line. Awesome stuff. Not only was that goal a game winner, but he's also a +2 with just one minor penalty so far. 5 goals and 9 assists in 41 games with a +15 rating in Manitoba is what earned him this long look at the top level.

Chris Tanev- Another Toronto native, (maybe Andrew will convet to a Canucks fan) this 21 year old undrafted defender has 1 assist in his 6 games with the Canucks this year. Despite being so young, he hasn't made any of the big mistakes at the blue line, and this has made a big difference for us as we battle on with ailing defenders. Tanev had a goal and 8 assists in 39 with the Moose this year, along with a +5 rating.

Cory Schneider- It's kind of hard to even realize that "Ginger Jesus" is a rookie. The 24 year old Marblehead, Manitoba native has been so spot on as Luongo's backup, it's been unreal. Alain Vigneault doesn't have to fear putting him in against any team in the league. In 15 games, Schneids is 9-2-2 with a 2.25 GAA and a .926 SV%. It's tough to find a more capable backup around the entire NHL, and it's only his first season. Complete and total stud.

"Nucks Misconduct" dubbed them the "Fab 5" prior to the game last night, and it sure is fun to see them come on up and do well. It's funny because players like Jannik Hansen (24), Mason Raymond (25), and Ryan Kesler (26) aren't even considered the "young guys" anymore. Move over, guys, because the new youth movement is in town.

The Canucks are 32-10-9, lead the division by 16 points over Minnesota, lead the conference by 7 points over the Red Wings, and lead the entire NHL by 2 points over Philly. Yeah, it's a really good time to be a fan of the Orca. We get a no joke (by which I mean somewhat underrated) Phoenix team tonight in Arizona to complete a back-to-back. The 'Yotes are in the middle of a little losing spell, and Luongo is 12-0-5 with a 1.94 GAA over his last 17, so let's see if he gets the nod in the desert tonight.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē