It's funny to see everyone at the start of the year saying Strome was overrated, then before WJC when he was leading the OHL everyone was saying he was one of the the best prospect and now that he's cooling off a little he's again overrated...
I haven't seen much of Coyle so I can't really answer, I just think Strome will be a good NHL player and I don't think Coyle can do much better than Strome.
Players whose games rely on hockey sense generally do badly in these comparisons... It doesn't make a lot of sense.
Comparing Strome to Granlund makes a whole lot more sense. Both have great vision, good releases, tend to dart in and out of the play, but aren't straight-line speedsters. Both are in awkward positions this year with the shortened seasons. Granlund has an add'l year of development so is with the big club.
If NYI brought Strome up he would be struggling, like Granlund, except likely worse. Because he is a year behind in development. Given the way both players play, a full camp would have been a big help to both, and would have given Strome a better chance of making NYI.
It's tough to pick but I would say Coyle, it just seems he's more well-rounded for the NHL, a good skater with a strong stride and a player who is not afraid of going into the dirty areas.
Not a huge fan of either prospect at this stage, but I'd lean Strome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by J StClair28
And if you daresay "he hasn't scored" or something of that ilk, you lose all credibility on the matter.
Since scoring is part of this game, it should be mentioned as a reason. He wasn't lighting up the AHL by any means.
But in reality I haven't been impressed with Coyle because I see some issues. He's a big guy with good hands, but either his skating is a step slow, or he doesn't have the intensity required. He looks like a big floater at times. He doesn't use his body like he could be doing. Reminds me too much of a Drew Stafford. He's always leaving you wanting more.
Before this year I was a huge Coyle supporter and a huge Strome detractor, but Strome has improved his game immensely and I would say he now has a very good shot at being an offensively talented player in the NHL. Still a big Coyle fan, but he doesn't have Strome level upside IMO
Before this year I was a huge Coyle supporter and a huge Strome detractor, but Strome has improved his game immensely and I would say he now has a very good shot at being an offensively talented player in the NHL. Still a big Coyle fan, but he doesn't have Strome level upside IMO
This, exactly. ^
Although it is an odd question, and comparing apples to oranges (as opposed to Strome vs. Granlund, or Coyle vs. Niederreiter), I concur fully with what was said above, including myself being a Strome detractor up until this season and the WJCs (where I thought he was crap last year).
The only real thing preventing Strome from truly being great is that he tends to not use all of his linemates or see the entire ice equally well. He can tend to hog the puck a bit and wait too long to make plays, and seams close on him. I've also see many examples where he'll just play catch and beautiful gives & goes with one or two guys on the ice (i.e. in the offensive zone), while totally missing some the other player or two who may be left wide open and in better scoring positions. He needs to see the ice and use his linemates better, and make quicker decisions with the puck on his stick. But his "upside" remains tremendous; we'll see if he gets all the way there or not.
