Reinhart is going to be a stud in the NHL. In fact I think the top 3 D men picked this year are all going to be star players in the NHL. 2012 was a great year for Defense.
I hope so man, Reinhart-Hamonic would be a pretty awesome pairing for the top line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KrisBeKreame
Whats going to be great is our top 4 of Hamonic, Reinhart, Mayfield and deHaan.
My pants just got tight
Its good to see the EDMf ans who have actually seen Griffin Reinhart play giv such good reports on him....I just rather not talk about it because we have needed a stud defender for te longest and I dont want to jynx it.....
If Rienhart could become a solid top defender somwhere between Weber and Seabrook I would be estatic....
Nick Ebert im going on here now, he is something special, I will say I think Ebert is better than Reinhart, Murray, Pouliot, Matheson and Reilly. To me Ebert is going to give Yakupov a run for 1st overall, offensive skills like Ebert have and good defensive play does not come around everyday this guy in my mind is just as good as Drew Doughty.
i find it funny that this guy dropped so ridiculously much in the draft
Have seen both of his games this season so far and he looks very very solid. No hangover from a long year. Not only that, but his skating and involvement in the rush is increased and improved.
He didnt do anything spectacular, but his positioning, his subtle, smart, effective plays to get the puck out of his end and turned back up the ice quickly and safely, his efficient and effective use of his size, strength and positioning, just closes the door on the opposition.
Ive been hoping for more from him offensively, particularly on the pp, especially since the team is missing Martin Gernat, but he hasnt gotten that part of his game going yet. It will come.
Watching the game today, I believe they said the Oil Kings had the second best pp in the league last year, but so far this year they are 13th. That is how important Gernat is to that pp. Missing Mark Pysyk and Dylan Wruck doesnt help either.
Last edited by I am the Liquor: 09-27-2012 at 12:48 AM.
Looks as though Reinhart isn't putting up the offensive numbers. Can anyone chime in about how he's been playing despite the mediocre stat line? Thanks in advance.
He is playing great. Dont let the stat line make you think otherwise.
Unfortunately for him, Edmonton's coach has been using five forwards on the first unit pp for the bulk of the season. He really should have Reinhart out there and be using his point shot as a focal point. Last night Reinhart was pretty effective on one pp, as they used him in this way, they didnt score, but had several very good chances.
If they start using him on the first unit pp again and if Martin Gernat comes back from injury and is paired with Reinhart, you will see his numbers improve.
But he is the best dman on the team by miles, and probably the best dman in the league in regards to his defensive play and moving the puck out of the zone safely and effectively.
He is playing great. Dont let the stat line make you think otherwise.
Unfortunately for him, Edmonton's coach has been using five forwards on the first unit pp for the bulk of the season. He really should have Reinhart out there and be using his point shot as a focal point. Last night Reinhart was pretty effective on one pp, as they used him in this way, they didnt score, but had several very good chances.
If they start using him on the first unit pp again and if Martin Gernat comes back from injury and is paired with Reinhart, you will see his numbers improve.
But he is the best dman on the team by miles, and probably the best dman in the league in regards to his defensive play and moving the puck out of the zone safely and effectively.
You're the man IATL! Thanks so much for this info.
He is playing great. Dont let the stat line make you think otherwise.
Unfortunately for him, Edmonton's coach has been using five forwards on the first unit pp for the bulk of the season. He really should have Reinhart out there and be using his point shot as a focal point. Last night Reinhart was pretty effective on one pp, as they used him in this way, they didnt score, but had several very good chances.
If they start using him on the first unit pp again and if Martin Gernat comes back from injury and is paired with Reinhart, you will see his numbers improve.
But he is the best dman on the team by miles, and probably the best dman in the league in regards to his defensive play and moving the puck out of the zone safely and effectively.
I would echo basically all of this. I would hesitate to call him head and shoulders the best D in the league defensively/puck moving out of zone, but he would definitely be in that conversation.
Can first hand observers of the WHL shed some light on the limited production Reinhart has been putting up this season? I assume that when Garth Snow drafted him he was envisioning a Dougie Hamilton type prospect to light up the junior ranks and to build around for the future. Not saying he isn't still a fantastic prospect but what's the reason for his poor numbers?
Well for starters, if you were expecting a Hamilton-like season you are bound to be disappointed.
Secondly, Reinhart isn't really an offensive defenceman. He's fantastic defensively and makes nice breakout passes but he's never going to be the type of guy that racks up points IMO.
Thirdly, the Oil Kings aren't as strong as last year. When you adjust Reinhart's numbers to league standard GF numbers from last year, his point totals weren't that impressive he just played on a stacked team.
Lastly, he's not being used on the PP much. Usually plays on the 2nd PP.
I don't actually expect Hamilton type numbers, just saying that he was picked with the expectations of exhibiting the potential to be a franchise defenseman and having his stock skyrocket like Hamilton last season, but the numbers are bad and there's not much talk...
I don't actually expect Hamilton type numbers, just saying that he was picked with the expectations of exhibiting the potential to be a franchise defenseman and having his stock skyrocket like Hamilton last season, but the numbers are bad and there's not much talk...
He's not putting up the numbers, but like I said he's not the type of guy that's going to rack up points. I mean he could pull a Tyler Myers and out of nowhere find a huge offensive game but even Myers has made it seem like his rookie season was an anomaly, not a trend.
You're not going to appreciate Reinhart by looking up his stats... the only way you're really going to understand how good he is is by watching him play. He's an absolute rock defensively, is calm under pressure, makes smart decisions with the puck, makes smooth, crisp breakout passes, and has a decent shot from the point. But he's not the type of guy who's going to frequently rush the puck up the ice or generate a ton of scoring chances. He's one of the best defenders in the WHL, maybe even in the CHL, when you look strictly at defensive game and he's just beyond smart in his positioning and such.
Now I'm not saying he's never going to put up points in the NHL because it all depends on the type of environment he's in, how he's utilized, etc. and some players (especially defensemen) don't find their offensive game until later. Look at Victor Hedman, he's got the defensive game down to a T, but he's still working on that offensive game and he's being utilized for defense, not offense and that's reflected by his zone starts.
Reinhart is also being utilized more for defense than offense, hence why he doesn't see much PP time despite his pretty decent point shot.
He'll be an amazing defenceman but I wouldn't put down a big chunk of cash on betting he'll put up big numbers. For reference, last season he put up 36 points in 58 games (0.62 points per game). However, the Oil Kings were stacked and averaged 4.31 goals per game last year. The league average? 3.38. That's a huge difference. When you adjust Oil Kings scoring to league average, Reinhart's adjusted numbers equate to 0.48 points per game which is a significant drop from the numbers he actually posted.
Sorry for the long post, but in summary:
1) You have to watch Reinhart to appreciate him. Just because he's not putting up numbers doesn't mean he's not a stud.
2) Reinhart, based on adjusted numbers and such, was far from the most offensively talented d-man in last years draft. From the WHL, Pouliot, Murray, Rielly, and Dumba were all well ahead of him in adjusted points per game.
3) He's not being utilized in an offensive role.
4) Sometimes defensemen take a while to find their offensive game.
I really like Ryan Suter as a comparable - aside from two fantastic seasons where he put up 45 and 46 points, he's hovered around the mid-high 30's. Suter is smooth and smart and an exceptional defenseman but he's not exactly an offensive dynamo. Same with Reinhart. Suter has averaged 0.44 points per game throughout his career which equates to 36 points in a full season and that's around where I'd expect Reinhart to be most years.
Reinhart's a completely different type of player than Hamilton is. He's first and foremost a defenseman who takes care of his own end. From what I've seen he'll pass it far more often than skate with the puck
I'd also say the Oil Kings are highly competitive, and in fact still favorites to win the East.
I guess what this all means is that stats don't paint the whole picture. Isles fans, don't worry.
From what im reading he reminds me of braydon coburn but not as great of a skater. No knock on Reinhart though because Coburn is one of the beat skating defensemen in the NHL.
I live on long island an hoping this kid turns into a stud for the isles, even though im a flyers fan haha
The numbers aren't there because he's been put in the role as the Oil Kings #1 shutdown D. He eats up major minutes and therefore isn't getting as involved offensively as he's capable of. I say capable, because he definitely is. He's a solid skater who can join the rush when he wants, he's got a good shot and is an excellent passer.
The offensive ability is still there and he won't just end up as a pure shutdown guy.
