Quote:
Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan
I got to watch Ryan Nugent-Hopkins this past weekend in Spokane. I'm sure a few of you guys in Calgary have already seen him play, but this was my first chance and I was pretty impressed. His first few strides were very good, accelerated quickly. Kind of has his shoulders hunched over most of the time, kind of reminded me of Hemsky in that way. He had a few shifts where he showed some nice dangling. One shift in particular was impressive. He was in his own corner with the puck and had 2 Chiefs right around him trying to strip him of the puck..........he made 2 quick moves, created a hole for himself, and skated the puck out of the zone with ease. It's only game, so a very small sample size, but looks like he has all the tools to be a very good pro. I had a buddy of mine come to the game with me and we both agreed that he's going to be a heck of a player in a few years.
|
This is my pick as well. I live in Red Deer and get to watch him on a consistent basis. As a 15 year old he had 6 points in 5 games. As a 16 year old (last year) he was the WHL Rookie of the year, and this year has 20 points in 14 games.
You mentioned the move he made in the defensive zone, it's amazing to watch him do this in the offensive zone, especially on the PP which creates a quick 5 on 2 and is a smooth passer; the kid has a deceiving shot as well. He isn't afraid of the corners however isn't and overly physical player but he won't shy away from it an will instigate contact on occasion. He seems like a very intelligent player.
With his improved skaing, he's as sure as it gets as a prospect. The Rebels powerplay was horrible until he came along and then suddenly it was deadly.
The Rebels also have a kid named Matt Dumba who is draft eligible in 2 years and he looks like a 1st round prospect as well, I've read an article where he's been compared to Phaneuf.