Quote:
Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus
I think you're digging too far into dated small player jargin where the odd person is concerned about his size. There are plenty of 5'11 or below centers that have turned into fantastic top 6 players, if not top line players recently. Nick Suzuki, Seth Jarvis, Marco Rossi, even Jack Hughes etc.
Every legit scout has said as long as Reschny's skating continues to trend upwards like you say, then he's a can't miss player that could well outperform his draft slot. It's also quite common for players skating to be labeled an area of improvement. He's not even billed as a weak skater, just someone that needs to work on his skating to reach his full potential.
None of this adds up to a situation where he's not able to play C in my mind unless something really unforeseen happens like an injury or he falls off a cliff performance wise.
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5'11" and 180lbs is not small for an NHL centre prospect. If he was 165lbs or less, I'd have concerns. He can easily bulk up to 190-200 lbs.
Crosby is 5'11'' and 200lbs FFS. 5'11'' is not so small that it's a detriment to playing, and it give him a big enough frame to get close to that 200lbs mark, and at 200lbs you've got enough mass to play the position at the very highest level.
Let's also keep in mind, by the time many players get to 6'3'', their lankiness and higher centre of gravity can be a negative. How many forwards play a high skilled game at above 6'3''?
All of the top centres in the league right now are between 5'10'' and 6'3''. I guess you could include Tage Thompson as a "top centre", at 6'6''? But honestly, I don't know where people are getting this idea that 5'11'' is too short to play as a #1 centre. If he can bulk up to even 190lbs, Reschny's size will not be a factor. Even then, you have guys like Keller, Hughes, and Point who are doing a fine job at around 175 lbs.