Can anyone give an accurate player comparison? Is he a Lidstrom-Pietranglo type who relies on smarts? Or more of a Weber who relies on his strength?
In a perfect world, Holmgren trades up for this kid and drafts him in Philly. Seems to be an unreal player, a shame I can't watch him much.
More of a guy who uses great physical tools than high level smarts. I think he's got Rob Blake type potential but he needs to start hitting like Blake did.
Can anyone give an accurate player comparison? Is he a Lidstrom-Pietranglo type who relies on smarts? Or more of a Weber who relies on his strength?
In a perfect world, Holmgren trades up for this kid and drafts him in Philly. Seems to be an unreal player, a shame I can't watch him much.
Right there, but he uses his smarts and strength. Maybe more so his strength but his smarts is there.
Can anyone tell me why Ekblad isn't playing in the Super Series? I may be mistaken, but I didn't see his name on any of the rosters.
meant to ask the same thing a couple days ago... dont really understand because he has respectable point totals and +/- compared to everyone else who was invited so i would think he should of gotten an invite, only thing i could think of is they wanna focus on some older d men for potential world junior spots which would not be available for the 16 yr old no matter how well he does...
Favourite for 1st is Samson Reinhart, Ekblad could compete strongly though if his offensive production continues to improve at this rate.
I'm of the opinion Ekblad is a pretty decent favourite but others agree on Reinhart so who knows.
As for the Subway Series Ekblad is probably good enough to play this year but his very young age and the OHL's tremendous defense depth hurts him. He certainly could have played for the QMJHL
Last edited by bruinsfan46: 11-09-2012 at 01:32 AM.
West coast bias is biased, Reinhart is great but he's a second year forward who was just below a PPG as a rookie and is still below as a sophomore. Doesn't score enough to be challenging a beast like Ekblad.
Is Reinhart a RNH/MacKinnon level talent who doesn't have the production because of inadequate linemates? Because Ekblad is so good Reinhart has to be at least on that level to be the favourite for number one. If anyone takes a run at Ekblad it may have to be Ho-Sang, kid's upside is unreal he's so fast with tremendous hands. Draft is a long way off but today the favourite for first is Ekblad. Reinhart is definitely on a piss poor offensive team though.
Last edited by bruinsfan46: 11-09-2012 at 01:03 AM.
Is Reinhart a RNH/MacKinnon level talent who doesn't have the production because of inadequate linemates? Because Ekblad is so good Reinhart has to be at least on that level to be the favourite for number one. If anyone takes a run at Ekblad it may have to be Ho-Sang, kid's upside is unreal he's so fast with tremendous hands. Draft is a long way off but today the favourite for first is Ekblad. Reinhart is definitely on a piss poor offensive team though.
I really like Ekblad's upside but I'm sorry but I would have to disagree with you. As for now Reinhart will be the projected #1, fastastic upside. He can dictate a game with his strong offensive play, he is a really strong two way player. And you can't rely on stats to tell the full story. Ekblad, Dal Colle, DeAngelo, Ritchie, Ho-sang and McCann are not far behind.
I really like Ekblad's upside but I'm sorry but I would have to disagree with you. As for now Reinhart will be the projected #1, fastastic upside. He can dictate a game with his strong offensive play, he is a really strong two way player. And you can't rely on stats to tell the full story. Ekblad, Dal Colle, DeAngelo, Ritchie, Ho-sang and McCann are not far behind.
Interesting, I knew Reinhart was highly regarded but I didn't think many people thought he was above Ekblad but it appears multiple do. Maybe I'm wrong.
Interesting, I knew Reinhart was highly regarded but I didn't think many people thought he was above Ekblad but it appears multiple do. Maybe I'm wrong.
Yeah, trust me, I'm a huge Ekblad fan, but Reinhart is just a little step ahead of him, also I feel that a forward will usually be the 1st selection, as defensemen take more time to develop and some things are hard to predict.
Ekblad will still be a star one day though, total beast.
Interesting, I knew Reinhart was highly regarded but I didn't think many people thought he was above Ekblad but it appears multiple do. Maybe I'm wrong.
Ekblad is definitely in the conversion but yeah Reinhart is a small pace ahead. Reinhart dominated the U18 this past summer with that strong 95 team. Very smart player. 2014 will be a good draft class for the OHL.
I'm of the opinion Ekblad is a pretty decent favourite but others agree on Reinhart so who knows.
As for the Subway Series Ekblad is probably good enough to play this year but his very young age and the OHL's tremendous defense depth hurts him. He certainly could have played for the QMJHL
I'm with you.
For me Ekblad is the number 1 player for 2014, still 2 years so who knows what will happen.
One of the biggest Ekblad supporters out there, he's an exceptional player, but I think Reinhart goes first just by being a forward. Only way I see him going first even if it's not a huge gap is if the team picking has a dying need for defense.
One of the biggest Ekblad supporters out there, he's an exceptional player, but I think Reinhart goes first just by being a forward. Only way I see him going first even if it's not a huge gap is if the team picking has a dying need for defense.
Ekblad has maintained his impressive performance - but as great as he is, i don't see anything about him that would land him as the best '96 in the draft - Reinhart is unbelievably skilled, doing brilliantly on a horrifically bad team, and has the benefit of being a forward. ho-sang is starting to pull it together and will be highly ranked (albeit, not at reinhart's level), etc.
i'm impressed by ekblad a lot - but i'd be really surprised if he was taken #1 in '14.
He just returned from an injury and has played amazing in both games. His puck movement has seemed to improve since he came into the OHL. He is very calm in his own end and always seems to make the right decision under pressure. His defensive game has always been stellar but one thing that I think he could improve on is that he could be a little more physical. Once he does that, he will really be a monster out there.
I haven't watched Jones play very much but I think Seth's better at rushing the puck up the ice and his offensive game is stronger than Ekblad's. Ekblad's strength is his great defensive game but his offensive game is definitely improving.
