Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
I think any junior player that is successful cause of their size but isn't actually above average size for an NHL player is an immediate red flag.
I haven't watched him but if thats true I want to stay far away. Screams bust since he won't be able to play a big mans game in the NHL.
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I hate this argument. I see it every year at the draft. I don't understand the logic of it at all
Player X is big. Therefore player X must be dominating because of size. Therefore player X won't translate to the NHL where players are bigger and he's only average size.
Part of the problem with this argument is that Junior is actually filled with tons of huge players too. Tkachuk is facing 6'3, 6'4, 6'5, 6'6 dmen on the regular. Now not every defenseman on a team is that big, but each team usually has a couple. Scouts are seeing how well he does physically against bigger players on an nightly basis. They don't have to question if he can play his style against bigger players because you can see him match up against bigger d-men every night.
Here's a few things I believe about hockey:
1. Your level of physicality is not determined by your size. Mike Peca was one of the biggest hitters I've ever seen at forward and he was 5'11. There's 6'5 220 lb wingers who play soft, Eric Daze comes to mind. Tkachuk plays a hard game and at 6'1 200lbs he's not too small to play that style. Gilbert Brule was 5'10, played a powerful style, was rushed and got destroyed in the NHL. 6'1 200lbs is not too small to play a physical style.
2. Your game will more easily translate to the NHL if you are willing to go to the dirty areas and fight for the puck vs if you're too small, scared or soft to do so. This is where I'm saying guys like Baertschi and Granlund are having trouble excelling in the NHL. They just can't win board battles or net front battles and because of that big, strong defensemen can physically shut them down and erase most of their skill level. But remember Scotty Nichol? He was like 5'8 and fearless. Remember Paul Byron? He didn't shy away from the hard areas, he'd go there and fight. That's where you hear the phrase, he plays a big man's game, or he plays big for size. You want your players to willing to do the dirty work, to grind the boards, to crash the net. That's part of playing in the NHL. If you aren't willing to do that it's going to be much harder for your game to translate to the NHL. Tkachuk isn't afraid to go to the dirty areas, isn't afraid to compete for pucks. This makes his game more easily able to translate to the NHL.
Someone says he's got decent size and he plays physical so his game won't translate. To me that is completely backwards and the reverse is actually the truth. His game is going to translate more easily because he already excels in areas that you have to be good in to succeed against NHL defensemen, he's good at mucking along the boards, making small passes in tight, using his wide skating stance and butt to protect the puck and allow him to make a play.
I have zero time for that argument. Tkachuk is skilled and plays an NHL style game. His game translates very easily into the NHL and we've read scouts from quotes that say exactly that.
"Like his attitude and work ethic to go along with excellent one ice awareness and small space skills. Still growing, getting stronger. As good as anyone below hash marks offensively, where the NHL game is played." - Todd Warriner
"What impresses me most about Tkachuk is his ability to play any style the game commands. He can play finesse as demonstrated by his 70 points in 37 games. He can play the physical game as a 6’1”, 194 pound power forward. He can think the game at an elite level for his peer group. All this wrapped up with his impressive bloodlines make him a highly attractive and safe prospect." - Peter Harling
"As good as Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak are, Matthew Tkachuk might be this year’s Knight ‘MVP’. He has added another dimension to an already gifted team, and they’ve been unstoppable offensively as a result. Love the way he plays with both power and finesse. Not an extremely good skater, but he can handle the puck and score as well as he can pass. He has an edge to his game that makes him a complimentary fit with pretty much any type of centre. Tkachuk’s relentless on loose pucks and excellent at lifting them off defenders to create turnover. He’s going to excel in the NHL soon rather than later because of his maturity." - Scott Wheeler
"He has good hands, a nice scoring touch and can also fight for pucks in the dirty areas of the ice." - Mike Morreale
http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2016...-for-2016.html
Scouts are saying he's safe and will play in the NHL sooner rather than later because his game plays so well in the dirty areas and because he's got decent size. That's a pro for him, a reason why his game will easily translate. Not a knock against him or a reason why it wouldn't.