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Originally Posted by Sandman
I've been putting off doing any write-ups on Smits, because I'm taking a bit of a wait-and-see approach. There is undoubtedly a ton to like- he's big, skates well, and actually plays pretty solid defensively. Right now, he's playing over 20 minutes a night in the men's league, up to almost 25 on a few occasions, and shows no signs of being sent back to the Junior league.
There are plenty of scouts though, who insist that Smits' game (at least in the offensive end) won't translate well to the NHL. I've watched him, and some of those concerns are overblown, but some are legit; his game is quite chaotic right now, very high-risk, and very active and aggressive. He won't be able to hold on to the puck as much as he does right now when he's in North America, won't have the room to slip around opponents, and won't have as much of a green light to rove and do whatever he wants. In addition, his retrievals and breakout passes are often very shaky, his decision-making is sometimes questionable, and his experiments often result in egregious giveaways.
That said, there's no doubt that Smits is a first-round talent, and may go in the top-20 easily. Even if he doesn't turn into Makar or Dahlin, he is still easily a top-4 defenseman in the making, and will still pile up plenty of points, while playing a solid two-way game- and there's plenty of hope for more. My bet is that he climbs the rankings, but I'm waiting until later in the season to anoint him the "next one". Just my opinion.
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Good to know - thanks for the information.
It's funny because the thing I came away most impressed by was his willingness and confidence to play with such assertiveness as a 17 year old in the Liiga after watching a handful of his full game shift-by-shift videos this year. I like the fact that he's willing to chip and chase after pucks as a defensemen, I like the fact that he isn't afraid to activate and even go net front in the offensive zone when the opportunity presents itself, I like the fact that he's disruptive defensively and consistently attacks forwards quickly by limiting their time and space. He certainly doesn't play a passive style of hockey in any zone - and that to me is a good thing.
In saying all of that - I have only seen a few games of tape, so I am sure those concerns are more than valid but I see a player that really has all of the physical tools you'd want in an all around defender that controls the game in all aspects. His upside appears to be on the extreme high end of this draft.
Smits will certainly be a fun player to keep tabs on this year.