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Calgary4LIfe · 11-28-2016, 12:18 PM

I look at Tkachuk as a 'complete player' in the making.

I think we have all seen him do the following already:

- can actually lead the rush
- a 'sniper-like' finish
- defensively reliable
- great net-front presence and can jam the net, tip or collect rebounds and make plays in-tight
- playmaker
- a gritty player that is not shy to mix it up and fight
- a leader on the ice
- an impact player
- this is not a real term, but I would say he has an 'elite compete level'

This is all when he is just 18 years old. I really liked Tkachuk going into the draft, but I really didn't think I would like him this much, and I didn't think he would be this effective this early.

He has loads of development to do yet, but he is essentially an impact player already. The added benefit when it comes to him is that if he is not scoring, he is doing literally everything else to try and win a game. I think he definitely has the ability to lose a game for the Flames with his '####-disturber' way about him, but he can also turn a listless, emotionless team and give them life with his antics, in much the same way a pure fighter would occasionally do with a big tussle.

Conversely, I was really low on Juolevi at the draft. For a while, I thought he was the best defencemen available in the draft, and wouldn't be opposed to the Flames drafting him, but he completely fell out of favor because he strikes me as having a low compete level. It isn't just that he is a good skater and 'calm and composed', ala Lidstrom. It is because he lost a tonne of board battles against even smaller opponents. For me, that is a huge red flag as a defencemen (as a prospect, period, but even more important as a defencemen IMO). I didn't think Tkachuk was going to fall (didn't see the first 5 picks working out that way at all). I was hoping for Brown (and I still really love Brown), or Keller, or Sergachev or even Chychrun. With that being said, Juloevi DEFINITELY has all the tools to end up as a top-pairing guy (probably not a #1, but a #2 guy that is good at everything).

Tkachuk just seems like a total lottery win to me. You have 3 or 4 Tkachuks on your team, and you will win a cup. This kid will go a long ways in helping the Flames become a contender. Big time player that I think will just excel when it comes to playoff hockey. Not just because he had an amazing run winning the Memorial Cup, but because he seems custom-made for the playoffs, sort of like Claude Lemieux, but a few tiers more talented.

11-28-2016, 12:18 PM	#56
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	I look at Tkachuk as a 'complete player' in the making. I think we have all seen him do the following already: - can actually lead the rush - a 'sniper-like' finish - defensively reliable - great net-front presence and can jam the net, tip or collect rebounds and make plays in-tight - playmaker - a gritty player that is not shy to mix it up and fight - a leader on the ice - an impact player - this is not a real term, but I would say he has an 'elite compete level' This is all when he is just 18 years old. I really liked Tkachuk going into the draft, but I really didn't think I would like him this much, and I didn't think he would be this effective this early. He has loads of development to do yet, but he is essentially an impact player already. The added benefit when it comes to him is that if he is not scoring, he is doing literally everything else to try and win a game. I think he definitely has the ability to lose a game for the Flames with his '####-disturber' way about him, but he can also turn a listless, emotionless team and give them life with his antics, in much the same way a pure fighter would occasionally do with a big tussle. Conversely, I was really low on Juolevi at the draft. For a while, I thought he was the best defencemen available in the draft, and wouldn't be opposed to the Flames drafting him, but he completely fell out of favor because he strikes me as having a low compete level. It isn't just that he is a good skater and 'calm and composed', ala Lidstrom. It is because he lost a tonne of board battles against even smaller opponents. For me, that is a huge red flag as a defencemen (as a prospect, period, but even more important as a defencemen IMO). I didn't think Tkachuk was going to fall (didn't see the first 5 picks working out that way at all). I was hoping for Brown (and I still really love Brown), or Keller, or Sergachev or even Chychrun. With that being said, Juloevi DEFINITELY has all the tools to end up as a top-pairing guy (probably not a #1, but a #2 guy that is good at everything). Tkachuk just seems like a total lottery win to me. You have 3 or 4 Tkachuks on your team, and you will win a cup. This kid will go a long ways in helping the Flames become a contender. Big time player that I think will just excel when it comes to playoff hockey. Not just because he had an amazing run winning the Memorial Cup, but because he seems custom-made for the playoffs, sort of like Claude Lemieux, but a few tiers more talented.