Quote:
Originally Posted by iamitter
The thing is, McIlrath looked totally comfortable in the pre-season against actual players. Was never a huge fan of the pick, but he might be one of those players who does well against big guys and not too well against the kids.
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Not in my opinion, but to each their own. I think he looked comfortable at times; at others, he looked like he was completely out of his element. From the MJW games I've seen this season, the same remains true. At times he's looked improved, at others, he's made the same Garnet Exelby-type mistakes he's made in the past. Better than before, certainly, but far from where I think he'll need to be for the NHL. I'm not trying to say he has to be NHL-ready today. But this all comes back to the general point about prospects who have developed dominating with their size. When you draft a player like Sauer or Stepan, for example, they have the mental part of the game more or less down before they even get to the NHL. They have more to learn, for sure, and they have adjustments to be made, but the foundation is very strong. A kid like Grachev, he is at a huge disadvantage, because what do you do know that all of your habitual and instinctual moves and plays on the ice aren't nearly as effective? What do you do when you can no longer simply impose your physical will on your opponents?