Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire
I believe I voted Zary over Pelletier in the prospect ranking, but I would definitely reverse that if the voting was done after this tournament. Pelletier had a very solid tournament and looks like he could be ready for the NHL in 2021-22. Zary had a below average tournament. He doesn't seem like he has much skill handling the puck or the skating to be an impactful player in the top-6. He does look like a hard-nosed player with a lot of passion in his play. I doubt you see him see significant NHL games until 2023-24.
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Zary's skating needs a lot more work than advertised. Other attributes seem solid but the skating really needs to be fixed. He is fast in one direction but not quick to turn or make moves, and his balance (maybe core strength?) is poor, especially when challenged. He likes to do swooping moves over top of the circles too, I noticed it a few times last night and i think it's to build up speed for cuts in the slot, meaning he is not as confident in his burst speed compared to Pelletier for example. It threw off his linemates a couple times. He also struggled to elevate the puck in close throughout the tournament (notably on the shot last night before giving it to the ref) though that has seemingly been a strength in the past, so perhaps it was the spotlight that got to him a bit.