Quote:
Originally Posted by 1qqaaz
Does anyone have any opinions on Andrew Cristall?
MyNHLDraft has him going 13th, and the Flames have the 13th worst point percentage.
Cristall is 5'9, 163 lbs, and has 55 points in 28 WHL games.
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Connor Bedard is 5'10", 185lbs, and has 64 points in 28 WHL games. Bedard has more talent to work with too.
It would seem like Cristall is a hair behind Bedard in all categories-speed, skill, size. He's still a very fast and elusive skater, good at finding the open spaces, and drawing defenders to him. Not as fast as CB, but he has moves of his own, and can change direction quickly- making opponents look silly. He's not afraid of traffic, and can even play a physical style. He's known as a playmaker, but he's got a great release and an accurate wrister that can find the tiniest holes, so he's really an equal threat to dish or score. He can pull out any pass you like-backhands, through traffic, saucers, etc. He might not show up on the nightly highlight reel, like Bedard, but there's not a very big gulf between them.
If there's negatives, one would be his defensive play, which isn't necessarily bad, it's just at a junior level- he cheats like most offensive players his age. The other negative might be the fact that he's going to need to bulk up quite a bit, and get stronger (I have seen him listed at 5'10" btw).