This is my favorite pick of the draft. Bennett was a no brainer, but Smith is the type of player that you need on your team to make the smaller players bigger. The fact that he's a monster with some skill is terribly under-rated. Who was the last big player the Flames had on the wings with this type of skill set? Chris Simon? This is the Alexander Keiths of picks. Those who like it, like it a lot!
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My father is a regular attendee of Generals games, and he thinks I should be very excited for this kid. To be fair, he does tend to have a bias towards bigger kids.
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Somewhere Leon Trotsky is an Oilers fan, because who better demonstrates his philosophy of the permanent revolution?
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article..._draft_review/ The Bruins turned a few heads when they drafted bruising power forward Milan Lucic in the second round. At 6’2 204 lbs, he has the size to play an aggressive, physical game, and he uses that to his advantage.
Like many young players, Lucic will need to continue working on his skating, particularly his speed, which is one of the weakest areas for the 18-year-old. What’s promising is that Lucic improved tremendously in the space of a single season, a trend that, if it continues, could turn him into an effective checking line player for the Bruins.
If you look at the ISS report from May they say that Smith has improved his skating ten fold. There are definitely some similarities between the two in terms of raw potential at 18. He, like Lucic, identified skating as the big area to work on. This pick is growing on me.
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Seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders and realizes the role he needs to play and the work he has to put in to get there. If he can become anything close to Lucic this will be a solid pick.
They just aired his interview again on Fan960. Hilarious kid!
Asked about if maybe some of the NHL bloodline trickled down to him from his uncle Brad Smith, and he replies that "hopefully, but I think I'll play with a helmet at least".
Also talked about needing soft hands in order to fill jelly timbits at his job at Tim Hortons.
Last edited by AC; 06-28-2014 at 01:33 PM.
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Not fond of this pick... Put up uninspiring numbers despite having a huge size advantage and while being an overager. Poor 2nd round by the new management IMO.
He is one month older than Leon Draisaitl
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Listening to the interview, Hunter Smith is a very likeable guy. I wasn't too thrilled with the pick, but it does sound like he has a good head on his shoulders.
-Talked about the humiliation of sitting all the way through a draft without hearing his name called and asking himself why nobody would take him.
-He changed his life and training completely, mentioned that he has a personal curfew of 10:00 PM
-Believes he is realistic about his game and very aware that skating is going to be a make or break attribute to get to the NHL
-Mentioned that core strength is so important and referred to his enjoyment of yoga
-Explained that this year the game seemed to slow down for him and he found it much easier to make plays
-Good sense of humour
-Also mentioned an anecdote about Sam Bennett where he wasn't ready to play and Bennett ran him over after a faceoff, causing him to realize that Bennett is a true competitor on top of his skill
Love this.
Most guys (especially big guys) would think: meh, he got lucky - I dare him to try that again.
Instead, he thought about it and realized that he wasn't ready to play and paid the price for that. Being cognizant of your short-comings, and being able to evaluate your mistakes and learn from them is vital in order to keep developing.
Easily the top re-entry from the OHL this year, as Smith is the only player I see with a great shot at going inside the top 3 rounds. Smith was a non factor a year ago, and was perhaps even a candidate to lose his spot on Oshawa's roster going into this season. Instead, he does a complete 180 and ends up on a scoring line and the powerplay unit. His ability to disrupt goaltenders on the powerplay can be likened to the way the Bruins use Zdeno Chara with the man advantage in the NHL. He's so big and strong that OHL defenseman had a really tough time tying him up. And his hands are actually quite good, at least good enough to allow him to finish off plays in close or redirect shots. He's also a very physical player who can change the momentum of the game with a big hit on the forecheck, or with a fight. As the season went on, his ability to play in transition improved too and he shows flashes of being able to be a solid puck possession guy. There's too much to like for NHL scouts to pass him up again, especially after his terrific playoff performance. I think he's a 2nd rounder at this point.
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