Some things I've noticed about Matthew Tkachuk that I've been pleasantly surprised with is how strong he is on the puck against NHL defensemen and his ability to use his body to protect the puck. He's a real handful down low, he makes sneaky good plays along the boards and has really soft hands for a player with as much grit as he does.
My favorite attribute about his game though is his hockey IQ. He's always in the right spot and his poise and patience to be able to hold on to the puck and wait for openings or plays to develop is rare to see for such a young player.
As for the comparisons to Sam Bennett. I think Bennett has to work really hard on his strength and speed over the summer. He's not fast enough to play a finesse game that he wants nor does he have the strength to play a gritty offensive game that Tkachuk does. He doesn't have the same hockey IQ as Matthew either, so plays don't just come to him easily.
I'd just like to see him win puck battles and not take so many stick penalties trying to do so. He's shown flashes of brilliance and is competitive as heck, but man, he's just too raw in so many aspects of his game and it might be a while before he really becomes a true difference maker for us.
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