I went to the game in Hamilton last night against Abbotsford. Sven scored a goal and added an assist. For the most part, he looked good, although I noticed he seemed to be shying away from physical contact in the first 30 minutes or so. Towards the end of the game however, he seemed to up the intensity and get more physically involved, which was a good sign. Beyond that, he played pretty well. The skill is definitely there. I am not sure if it is because I was focusing mostly on him, but he definitely seemed like the Heat's most dangerous player. To be honest though, I was a little under-whelmed with his skating as he seemed slow and was often caught flat-footed with the puck. Haven't really watched enough of him to tell whether this is an actual issue for him or if it was just an off night. At any rate, I think he is going to be an NHLer with top 6 potential, but my overall impression from last night was that he is still a few years away from being a full time player with the Flames. I say, leave him in Abby for now and let him continue to develop. He will take a bit more patience than perhaps some originally anticipated, though I suspect that in the end, it will be worth it.
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