Fan 960 says the Flames were very impressed with Monahan in interviews. Steinberg says Conroy liked him a lot.
Main concern is leg strength.
Maybe that has to do with his somewhat average skating. Very easy to add leg strength through proper training which should help his skating a great deal.
It's typical of prospects to have things to work on. Very rarely will you get a guy at 6th who doesn't have something they need to work on. I also think hockey sense and work ethic trumps skating every time.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
Maybe that has to do with his somewhat average skating. Very easy to add leg strength through proper training which should help his skating a great deal.
Except leg strength isn't Monahan's only problem. His stride is flawed and all the strength in the world won't help unless he fixes his stride. He's got a minor league stride in my opinion. Until he fixes the hitch in his stride and learns to lengthen his stride and get off his heels he'll be like an number of great prospects who never amounted to much because they didn't have the skating ability to excel in the NHL. It is fixable, but why would you invest in a player with such an obvious flaw that could make him a third or fourth liner rather than the first liner you hope you drafted?
It's typical of prospects to have things to work on. Very rarely will you get a guy at 6th who doesn't have something they need to work on. I also think hockey sense and work ethic trumps skating every time.
Monahan has the second best hockey sense in the draft according to the Hockey News. just sayin'.......
Except leg strength isn't Monahan's only problem. His stride is flawed and all the strength in the world won't help unless he fixes his stride. He's got a minor league stride in my opinion. Until he fixes the hitch in his stride and learns to lengthen his stride and get off his heels he'll be like an number of great prospects who never amounted to much because they didn't have the skating ability to excel in the NHL. It is fixable, but why would you invest in a player with such an obvious flaw that could make him a third or fourth liner rather than the first liner you hope you drafted?
Every report I've read has his skating at average or good, just not exceptional.
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Weaknesses – Monahan’s overall skating ability is good but if he could gain a little more explosiveness in his stride it could help him turn into a star at the next level. He doesn’t need to be physical to be effective and that’s not his style of play but I’d like to see him be a little more physical given his big frame.
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Sean Monahan is a player that may not have one specific area that jumps out and wows you, but he doesn’t have an area of concern either
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Monahan is not regarded as a great skater, but he gets around well enough to play in the NHL. "There's nothing about Sean Monahan that wows you," a scout said, "but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. He's a No. 1 center."
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Monohan's vision off the rush is right up there with the best in this years draft class, he shows incredibble vision, poise and creativity to create scoring chances. Sean has the ability to find his teammates anywhere in the offensive zone, truly jaw dropping puck mover. He uses every inch of his frame when protecting the puck and shows great poise when in possession of the puck. On the puck pursuit and backhcheck he has shown a knack for forcing turnovers with applied pressure and great stickwork. Fine tuning his stride and consistent game pace will be crucial in making a much more seamless transition into the pro game.
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His skating is fairly average. He is not a total liability on his feet, but his skating stands out as the least impressive aspect of his game. Monahan projects as a quality defensive center, capable of winning faceoffs consistently. He does not have a clear developmental weakness in his game, which bodes well for a team that may be looking for him to make the transition to the NHL within a year or two.
From various scouting reports...his skating isn't nearly as bad as you make it out to be.
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Except leg strength isn't Monahan's only problem. His stride is flawed and all the strength in the world won't help unless he fixes his stride. He's got a minor league stride in my opinion. Until he fixes the hitch in his stride and learns to lengthen his stride and get off his heels he'll be like an number of great prospects who never amounted to much because they didn't have the skating ability to excel in the NHL. It is fixable, but why would you invest in a player with such an obvious flaw that could make him a third or fourth liner rather than the first liner you hope you drafted?
If that's the case and there are no trades, the next three would be Nurse, Monahan, Nichushkin.
Are you suggesting that's the Preds order or the order of the picks? If it's the latter, what makes you think the Canes would take Nurse and the Oilers would take another winger?
The Flames have been weak at C for 2 decades. This draft is the strongest for Cs ever.
Ever.
If the Flames don't come away with a C and instead take a Russian winger...
I would not be upset in the least if the Flames drafted Monahan or Lindholm (but would be ecstatic if somehow Barkov fell to them).
Nichushkin represents something a bit rare and different. A true power-forward with elite hands and speed. Even discounting the fact that RW is an even weaker position for the Flames moving forward, but not discounting that center also is a much more valuable position organizationally, Nichushkin could be 'that' good to pass up.
If the Flames draft him, it is because they feel he is that much better. If they draft someone else, it is because they feel that player projects to be better down the line. I am excited just to know who it is.
