This board is in for a rude awakening regarding Merrill. I'll just leave it at that...
I havent seen Merrill play but is it possible he is uninspired?
I mean he isnt on a good team and maybe feels he doesnt have anything to prove in the NCAA and is just waiting for the season to end so he can maybe get a few AHL games in and get ready to be a pro?
As i said this is just a pure guess on my end but after all the kids been through i can totally understand wanting to turn the page and start new.
Michigan/Merrill on one of the MSG channels right now, if anyone is interested.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrodeursCups
This board is in for a rude awakening regarding Merrill. I'll just leave it at that...
The reports on him are that he's soft for his size and that he has a low panic threshold/plays a patient game, which can be seen as laziness. Is that what you're getting at?
The reports on him are that he's soft for his size and that he has a low panic threshold/plays a patient game, which can be seen as laziness. Is that what you're getting at?
Not sure what exactly BC has in mind, but that`s what I would be getting at for sure.
Now don`t get me wrong, I`m sure that every member of this board hopes he can become a solid pro, I`m just not sold on him as much as others, if at all.
I`ve watched him play at least 15 times under various circumstances (before/after the WJC, before/after the suspension, before/after the injury). I know what I`ve seen.
Not sure what exactly BC has in mind, but that`s what I would be getting at for sure.
Now don`t get me wrong, I`m sure that every member of this board hopes he can become a solid pro, I`m just not sold on him as much as others, if at all.
I`ve watched him play at least 15 times under various circumstances (before/after the WJC, before/after the suspension, before/after the injury). I know what I`ve seen.
I've only seen him a few times but holla at ya brother.
No probs movin him in a package to land a Perry or a similar to Kovy trade.
Because he can score in juniors? Pandolfo was over a PPG in college. Doesn't mean that translates. He's still a project
This is definitely true, but the chief skill Boucher utilizes - his shot - is something that is going to translate because it is already NHL-caliber. The question is whether he can get the rest of his game up to par.
And, it is very important not to forget that the kid is still only 19 year old, and is still seven months away from his 20th birthday.
Not drawing any conclusions but Matt Martin, in his 19 year old season for Sarnia had 35/30.
For every story of a leading scorer not panning out, there's a story of a leading scorer who does. Why do we constantly have to compare the kid to other players rather than letting him develop?
Not drawing any conclusions but Matt Martin, in his 19 year old season for Sarnia had 35/30.
Sure, success at one level does not guarantee it at the next. It's still awesome that Boucher is making the most of his current situation. He'll definitely be in Albany next season, and maybe even a bit at the end of this season. I look forward to seeing what he can do there.
I'm actually pretty excited to see Boucher. I just like posting stats to illustrate that stats are not definitive. What I did see in my research is that Boucher is in some rarefied territory.
In 2011, 1 player had 50+ goals
In 2010, 2 players had 50+ goals
In 2009, 2 players had 50+ goals
In 2008, 2 players had 50+ goals (ok, Tavares was like 12, but still)
In 2007, 3 players had more than 50+ goals (Brett Maclean had 60)
The the 10 players in the past 5 years include Stamkos, Skinner, Tavares among others. It's pretty exciting.
Stamkos has the current Sarnia record for most goals in a season with 58. Boucher might be able to break that, Stamkos did do it at 17 and in 61 games though.
Regardless of what RB's amount ends up with, the kid is having a great season. I'm sure he'll be in Albany next year if not making the big club. Yeah that's right give him a chance while his confidence will be sky high.
You say we are going to be in for a rude awakening but then you say he has value to be included in a trade for Perry?
I never said we were in for a rude awakening? Unless My name changed randomly.
And he is still one of our top d prospects, he is going to develop differently than what a lot of posters here have been clamoring for. I would expect NHL scouts to be aware of areas of strength and deficiency in his game though.
I'd move Merrill in a heartbeat if he can be packaged for a top #6 forward.
We have no offensive depth whatsoever. We are damn lucky that our 3rd (4th line) is picking up the slack cause our top #6 is no where to be found.
Merrill might turn out to be a solid d-men but if we can land a solid forward whitout crushing our depth on defence, wich wouldn't be the case at all, I'd pull the trigger on something worth while.
I'm still not sold that John Merrill will be the d-men most of you expects him to be. At the NHL level, the real difference between being a "ok" player and real good player is basically what's between your ears. At that level, everyone has the skills but what seperates players is the mental aspect of the game and Merrill has shown us, so far at least, that he's a bit of a headcase.
I'd move Merrill in a heartbeat if he can be packaged for a top #6 forward.
We have no offensive depth whatsoever. We are damn lucky that our 3rd (4th line) is picking up the slack cause our top #6 is no where to be found.
Merrill might turn out to be a solid d-men but if we can land a solid forward whitout crushing our depth on defence, wich wouldn't be the case at all, I'd pull the trigger on something worth while.
I'm still not sold that John Merrill will be the d-men most of you expects him to be. At the NHL level, the real difference between being a "ok" player and real good player is basically what's between your ears. At that level, everyone has the skills but what seperates players is the mental aspect of the game and Merrill has shown us, so far at least, that he's a bit of a headcase.
I guess we'll have to wait and see.
He may have made some dumb decisions off the ice but he's highly regarded as being a smart hockey player.
Here's the highlights from Boucher's recent hat trick. He scores Sarnia's 1st, 2nd, and 4th goals.
He seems like a smart hockey player with good sense around the net and how to slide into the open areas of the ice. Hopefully, that, along with his wicked shot, can make up for some of his "deficiencies" in skating and whatnot.
