Quote:
Originally Posted by Poe969
Sandma, what do yiu know about this Taige Harding kid? Was just looking through some prospects and the kid is a monster at 6'7" 236 lbs.
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I've come across him too-there's not a whole lot of literature about this kid, but I watched some clips, and here's what I know:
Not sure how you feel about it, but to me, Junior A players are very hard to judge. This kid went through the draft last year, but apparently he's put in a ton of work, and he looks like a different player this year. From the clips, I can tell you that he's not another Kanzig-he can cover a lot of ice very quickly-due in part to his long stride, and smooth mechanics. In one of those videos, he goes coast to coast pretty much without being touched. He has a lot of work to do still, but he seems to have a good base-long stride that generates some power, and not too bad of a top speed. He skates backwards well too, and his wingspan is huuuuuge. In shorter bursts, he doesn't extend as much, so his step looks short and choppy. Needs better acceleration. All of these things can be improved, although he'll never be a burner. Of course, I don't have to tell you that he hits like a freight train, and he will drop the gloves, and he will pummel somebody. He has a pretty good slapper, but it could use more power-and he shows really good vision, at least at the level he's at. He's good at passing through traffic with some mustard, and finding the sticks of his forwards around the net for tip-ins. He will have time to work on his shortcomings at Providence College the next few years, but I would be surprised if some team didn't spend a late pick to secure him.