I think that could be put down to a young, confident offensive minded player trying to force some scoring.
He has a tendency to force things and his game could really use some developing in that sense. He tries to do things alone and sometimes will try to retain possession along the boards against 2 d-men all by himself. Skate and stick handle his way into a 1 on 4. Those things worked for him in junior and I'm sure he can make it work once in a while at this level but he needs to stop trying to do that so often.
I think he will make a great center but he needs to mature and learn how to use his strengths without taking too many risks. He is just very passionate and sometimes can be overzealous. Even with his penalties. I see it as someone just trying really hard. Almost too hard (which isnt the worst thing in the world). He needs to relax a bit and play a calmer more calculated game.
|