You say that like Huberdeau, Strome, Couturier and Landeskog didn't all face the same thing???
Can't speak for Couturier since he seemed to be his team's only source of offense, but the other three guys are on pretty deep rosters to the point where the opposition can't exactly just focus on them and ignore the rest of the team. Huberdeau, especially, plays on a ridiculously stacked team, so he won't have quite the scrutiny that RNH would from the opposition.
Can't speak for Couturier since he seemed to be his team's only source of offense, but the other three guys are on pretty deep rosters to the point where the opposition can't exactly just focus on them and ignore the rest of the team. Huberdeau, especially, plays on a ridiculously stacked team, so he won't have quite the scrutiny that RNH would from the opposition.
Of course not. RNH is the only competent player on his team. He's the sole reason that they ended up the 2nd best team in the WHL (with Niagara being 3rd best, Kitchener being 6th and Drummondville being 4th.)
No but people just like to look at the stats and say:
"ZOMG NUGENT-HOPKINS! Y U NO SCORE!"
Well when you are being drafted for your ability to create offence and you dont do it, people are going to wonder.
The you look at the ratio of PP pts to EV pts and compare to other high end draft eligible forwards and it also makes you wonder.
Do you not think the other top prospects dont face checking schemes devised by opposition coaches? or is RNH the only one?
Do you expect the tight checking to slack off once he gets to the NHL??
He may very well be the best player in his draft class, but then again maybe not - nobody really knows. How can these not be legitimate questions....my team isnt getting him so ive got no horse in this race he'll be long gone by #6
So you've obviously never watched either of them play? Alexander Semin is one of the few players in the league that can take over a game like nobody else. Strome also has the ability to really turn the tide of a game on his own, though not in the way that Semin can. Strome is very consistent though in his contributions.
gotta agree with this. i've seen semin completely dominate games and make ovie look like a bystander. his flaw is that his compete level is very inconsistent. imo, if he had sidney crosby or john tavares's determination to be great, he'd be right up there with if not surpassing sid and ovie. alas, the same type of statement can be said of many players over the years.
gotta agree with this. i've seen semin completely dominate games and make ovie look like a bystander. his flaw is that his compete level is very inconsistent. imo, if he had sidney crosby or john tavares's determination to be great, he'd be right up there with if not surpassing sid and ovie. alas, the same type of statement can be said of many players over the years.
Yeah, Semin might have the most pure skill out of anyone in the league right now. It's really too bad.
Don't mistake that for a Kovalev comparison though, while he's not always on the ball offensively he does play a two-way game and isn't a 'soft floater' like a lot of people seem to think.
Gagner's hockey IQ is quite high, so how is Strome's higher?
He just seems to make smart decisions with the puck and has great vision. With that in mind I haven't seen Gagne terribly much, but from what I've seen of both Strome just seems to have a better eye for the game.
He just seems to make smart decisions with the puck and has great vision. With that in mind I haven't seen Gagne terribly much, but from what I've seen of both Strome just seems to have a better eye for the game.
Fair enough, but may I suggest that Strome's physical tools are superior to Gagner's and that is what makes him look "smarter" on the ice?
And are you saying Strome looks smarter against juniors as compared to Gagner against NHLers? If so, that would be an unrealistic comparison in Strome's favour, don't you think?
Fair enough, but may I suggest that Strome's physical tools are superior to Gagner's and that is what makes him look "smarter" on the ice?
And are you saying Strome looks smarter against juniors as compared to Gagner against NHLers? If so, that would be an unrealistic comparison in Strome's favour, don't you think?
I have heard Strome is a great skater (Gagner lacks a top gear), is 6'1 which is much taller, and he has an NHL one-timer that is almost Stamkos-esque and could do a lot of damage on the PP. Strome's team is good this year and put up 106 points but Gagner played with Kane & Kostitsyn.
Fair enough, but may I suggest that Strome's physical tools are superior to Gagner's and that is what makes him look "smarter" on the ice?
And are you saying Strome looks smarter against juniors as compared to Gagner against NHLers? If so, that would be an unrealistic comparison in Strome's favour, don't you think?
It's certainly possible, maybe they are both very smart but Strome possesses better tools with which to execute. The second part is also very possible, but we only have what we've seen to compare with, right? I try to be impartial and I try to take into account all the factors (better competition, who they play with, etc.) I'm not perfect nor am I a professional.
I have heard Strome is a great skater (Gagner lacks a top gear), is 6'1 which is much taller, and he has an NHL one-timer that is almost Stamkos-esque and could do a lot of damage on the PP. Strome's team is good this year and put up 106 points but Gagner played with Kane & Kostitsyn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CPhoenixM
It's certainly possible, maybe they are both very smart but Strome possesses better tools with which to execute. The second part is also very possible, but we only have what we've seen to compare with, right? I try to be impartial and I try to take into account all the factors (better competition, who they play with, etc.) I'm not perfect nor am I a professional.
I'm not doubting Strome's attributes at all; from what I've seen, he seems like a top flight talent, no doubt.
I just don't like the usage of the term "smarter" in an on ice context because I believe it's just too arbitrary/intangible.
So you've obviously never watched either of them play? Alexander Semin is one of the few players in the league that can take over a game like nobody else. Strome also has the ability to really turn the tide of a game on his own, though not in the way that Semin can. Strome is very consistent though in his contributions.
I see Semin 6 times a year in the SE division.
I'm not arguing they aren't good players, i'm saying that at #1 you're looking to take a franchise player. Do you believe Strome can be a franchise player, or has shown more potential to be a franchise player than RNH or Larsson?
gotta agree with this. i've seen semin completely dominate games and make ovie look like a bystander. his flaw is that his compete level is very inconsistent. imo, if he had sidney crosby or john tavares's determination to be great, he'd be right up there with if not surpassing sid and ovie. alas, the same type of statement can be said of many players over the years.
