I don't see Hickey as a Brodie clone. I have had a hard time trying to figure out what player Hickey was most like, but I think I finally figured it out. Hickey is a lot like Giordano was 2-3 years ago. Giordano was much more physical (not that he isn't now - just not like he was a couple of years ago) than he is now, and always had a great 2-way game without any significant glaring weaknesses.
I have a hard time trying to match up Hickey with anyone else in the organization currently that plays like him. The closest I can get is Rafikov, but Hickey seems like another tier higher in terms of his offensive acumen - and I think it directly stems from his skating. He just checks off everything in a list that comes to defencemen:
Physical? Check
Can make solid plays/passes with the puck? Check
Can shoot the puck well? Check (cannon)
Can skate well without and with the puck? Check
Defensively sound? Check
High IQ in all areas of the ice? Check
Seriously, this kid doesn't seem to have any flaws. I mean, he isn't NHL-ready or anything, and still needs to develop, but I am talking about flaws like: "If only he was a bit more physical", or "the kid needs to learn how to play in his zone" or "great that he knows defence, but he can't pass to save his life" and especially "Kid has all the tools, but no toolbox".
It seems like he has every tool ever designed for defencemen, and has an absolutely wonderful toolbox to make use of all those tools. It is going to be such a treat watching this kid develop, and I bet next season he starts getting a whole lot of accolades.
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