Strength > size, if he has a very strong core or can develop a very strong core then he should be fine at the pro level. His skills are very high end, so those are the least of my worries.
Even if he doesn't become as strong as we hope, I can see him doing just fine. We have a LOT of big prospects coming along. I'm sure next to a fully grown Marincin or Musil his size suddenly won't be such an issue
Brian Campbell is 5'10 and less than 200 if I remember correctly. If he was bigger with the same skill-set then obviously it would be easier for him but then we also wouldn't have been able to get him that late. He will be fine as long as his development goes well.
Point being that I don't think his size will be a problem for him if he develops the skills we expect him to.
There's ~20 defensemen in the league who are 5'10 and under and for the most part it's a pretty impressive list. Just goes to show if you want to make it as a defenseman at that size you have to be exceptionally skilled.
Visnovksy, Timonen, White, Campbell, Liles, Enstrom, and some young guys like Ellis, Spurgeon, and Barrie.
Even if he doesn't become as strong as we hope, I can see him doing just fine. We have a LOT of big prospects coming along. I'm sure next to a fully grown Marincin or Musil his size suddenly won't be such an issue
You still can't have a weakling out there even if he has Chara as his D partner. I'm not saying that he is, but IMO strength is what separates him from being a career AHLer and a very solid offensive D in the NHL.
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You still can't have a weakling out there even if he has Chara as his D partner. I'm not saying that he is, but IMO strength is what separates him from being a career AHLer and a very solid offensive D in the NHL.
Oh no doubt. But I don't think its very realistic to expect him to be overly strong. He's never going to be someone that can push people around. If he can be an elite skater and puckmover, he can certainly make up for his lack of size imo
Oh no doubt. But I don't think its very realistic to expect him to be overly strong. He's never going to be someone that can push people around. If he can be an elite skater and puckmover, he can certainly make up for his lack of size imo
Having a low center of gravity can have its advantages when playing against taller/lankier players. But if he's getting out muscled by guys with average (by NHL standards) strength, then IMO he won't make it. If he can handle all but the strongest and biggest guys, then that's fine as his skill will offset that.
Core and lower body strength will play a big part in LaLeggia's future, imo.
That's more often than not the difference between a Sam Gagner/Mike Ribeiro and a Mike Richards/Sidney Crosby.
This is absolutely true. People often put too much stock into the numbers and less into what those numbers might represent. Mass is helpful, and even more so in collisions but it is not the whole story. If a shorter player has significant core strength and knows how to use his body he can still handle most of the physical duties required in the NHL.
Funny thing is you actually see shorter guys succeed quite frequently in football. Troy Polamalu is 5'10" and about 205lbs. By hockey standards his weight would be fine but when your job requires you to initiate high speed collisions with players significantly bigger than typical hockey players he is undersized. But ask anyone who has ever played for or against him if this has ever hindered his ability to dominate a football game.
Right now I am not sure if Laleggia has the strength to allow him to translate his game to the NHL. But he has done the job in the NCAA and the good news there is that the guys he plays against are not that much smaller than he would typically see on an NHL roster. Certainly, they are far more physically mature than the typical CHL player.
If Lalegia could become another Visnovsky that would be a huge plus for the Oilers. It's a log shot for sure, but the kid is really impressive.
I saw Justin Schultz in Abbotsford on Saturday and I was really impressed with his ability to play defense. I was expecting to see him be average at best because all you ever hear about is his offense and who he compares to offensively, etc.
I'm not going to compare him to cp, but in the ahl you feel really comfortable watching the rush come towards the OKC end when you know that Schultz is back. Kinda like when CP was an Oiler. I saw one guy look like he was going to retrieve a puck and get past him wide on the right side and Schultz had the presence of mind to turn left and keep ahead of him.. but the puck got away from the Heat player and Schultz didn't end up having to stop him.
On a similar play Fedun insisted on skating in backwards and got mostly beat for a chance.
LaLeggia is only 180lbs he needs to weigh more than that.
If he puts on 10 solid lbs while working on his core strength then he will be fine in my opinion. He doesn't need a ton of weight, just enough to compete. I think 190, maybe a bit higher would be perfect for him and that is easily attainable.
LaLeggia is only 180lbs he needs to weigh more than that.
Rafalski played at 170 lbs. If Laleggia's gonna make it it'll be by playing a similar style game. Offensive and smart defensively. More size isn't likely to make him much more effective.
Rieder with a secondary assist and an empty netter at 19:59 in a 3-1 win over Erie. McDavid with the lone Erie goal.
Last edited by Delicious Pancakes: 11-16-2012 at 09:11 PM.
Reason: adding
Time to call up one of, if not both, Rajala/Cornet. Pitlick and Hamilton simply are not producing.
I wouldn't mind one of them coming up, however neither are NHL prospects at this point IMO, Pitlick and Hamilton need their chances to show what they've got.
I wouldn't mind one of them coming up, however neither are NHL prospects at this point IMO, Pitlick and Hamilton need their chances to show what they've got.
Pitlick and Hamilton had all of last season, a lengthy post season run and the first chunk of this season to show what they've got. It is absolutely zero. Time to give ice time to offensive players that actually produce.
Pitlick and Hamilton had all of last season, a lengthy post season run and the first chunk of this season to show what they've got. It is absolutely zero. Time to give ice time to offensive players that actually produce.
This. Rajala and Cornet have earned to be given a chance in the AHL. Bring one or both of them up and send some of Lander/Pitlick/Hamilton to the ECHL. A dozen games into the season, the three 2nd rounders from 2009 and 2010 have the pathetic 3 points between them. Add in Paajarvi, who is not exactly lighting it up and I guess the Oilers may not be as good at drafting and development as fans like to believe.
