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Originally Posted by MarkGio
For those who watch all the games, how has Mangiapane looked? Hes got 10pts in 11gp, he was a top 5 scorer in the OHL for two years straight, and always been highly spoke of from management. Has he been a driver, or a passenger?
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He has mostly played on a line with Frattin and Vey when I have caught the games, and I would say he has driven excellent offense with his relentless and intelligent forecheck, but I wouldn't call him a true "driver" yet in the sense of singlehandedly making his mark. The Frattin/Mangiapane has been very good though. I think with time Mangiapane will be an NHLer, and a good one. I like his game more than the more polished Klimchuk, Shinkaruk, or Poirier.
IMO, long term he is not undersized, but right now he needs to get stronger and faster and harder on the puck. This is a natural stage of development for 20 year olds though.
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Does he deserve a call -up more than others?
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Not yet, but I have no doubt he eventually will. Right now I would say Klimchuk and Jankowski are more deserving, and Pribyl is more enticing package with his ability to drive the net hard. But I don't see a lot of upside in Klimchuk as IMO he's usually not in deadly areas while Mangiapane gets right in the heart of it. It's more a matter of Klimchuk being a year ahead developmentally.