With out Koko he doesnt even have 32 id say he would have about 14-18 without Koko and i mean it helps that he is really just a one way player, you gotta be a 2 way player because thats what scouts look for not just goals
Except he hasn't been playing with Koko for upwards of 2 months now. Maybe to start the season he was riding a bit of Koko's coat tails but he's shown to be able to score without him now.
I won't disagree with you on his 2-way play though. It's brutal to put it nicely.
With out Koko he doesnt even have 32 id say he would have about 14-18 without Koko and i mean it helps that he is really just a one way player, you gotta be a 2 way player because thats what scouts look for not just goals
I dont know about that in the 6 games that Koko has missed Rychel has scored
Except he hasn't been playing with Koko for upwards of 2 months now. Maybe to start the season he was riding a bit of Koko's coat tails but he's shown to be able to score without him now.
I won't disagree with you on his 2-way play though. It's brutal to put it nicely.
yeah i know that but in the first 30 games with koko on his line 17 goals last 22 games 14 goals now while koko was gone 4 goals in 2 games but first game back koko set him up for 2 goals, its fair to say he would only have about half of what he has now without koko and not to mention BB puts koko with him on the PP so he still plays with him in games just not every shift. im not surprised he has 32 because he only skates when he is in the offence zone one zone player and has NO back check
Kerby has a nose for the net and I am pleasantly surprised at his totlas, was hoping to see 20 from him this year so good for him.
Khokhlachev does help with his totals but if anyone can get him the puck out front he has shown he can bury his share of chances. Khokhlachev is one of the few capable of making those plays this year on this team.
His two way play/lack thereof though is a big problem. It is not just that he is nt a very good back checker, he makes no attempt at all which, 17 or not does not set the example this team needs. It may be unfair to a certain extent but as the son of one of the owners he does need to set an example. As someone who already had a full year under his belt he needs to set an example. As someone who is supposed to be a key part going forward he needs to set an example.
He comes up way short on this and it does need to change or it will become an issue with the team. It is great that he is opportunistic out i front of the net but imagine if he put just a bit more effort into his all around game. His total could be higher as well as the overall defence of the team could be that much better.
Certainly there will be some unfair expectations on him because of who his dad is but most expectation people have of him are fair, two way effort, a bit of physical play when fighting for the puck, nothing more than what is expected of most players. Bring his game up in those areas and the kid will definitely benefit personally but the whole team will as well.
Kerby has a nose for the net and I am pleasantly surprised at his totlas, was hoping to see 20 from him this year so good for him.
Khokhlachev does help with his totals but if anyone can get him the puck out front he has shown he can bury his share of chances. Khokhlachev is one of the few capable of making those plays this year on this team.
His two way play/lack thereof though is a big problem. It is not just that he is nt a very good back checker, he makes no attempt at all which, 17 or not does not set the example this team needs. It may be unfair to a certain extent but as the son of one of the owners he does need to set an example. As someone who already had a full year under his belt he needs to set an example. As someone who is supposed to be a key part going forward he needs to set an example.
He comes up way short on this and it does need to change or it will become an issue with the team. It is great that he is opportunistic out i front of the net but imagine if he put just a bit more effort into his all around game. His total could be higher as well as the overall defence of the team could be that much better.
Certainly there will be some unfair expectations on him because of who his dad is but most expectation people have of him are fair, two way effort, a bit of physical play when fighting for the puck, nothing more than what is expected of most players. Bring his game up in those areas and the kid will definitely benefit personally but the whole team will as well.
Makes me wonder if his name was Kirby Jackson would there be such criticism
Few talk about Koko who has been a dog since the world jrs,vail who has struggled
offensively until sunday,Johnson has cooled considerably of late,Czinder and Clarkes"
scoring troubles,Marchese"s inconsistency,and I wont even talk about the defence
and goaltending inconsistencies
To center out 1 player is unfair and disengenous at best
Kirby like most 17 year olds has warts in his game but his positives and performances
far outweigh the negatives
On Sunday his physical play was evident on Sinday as he threw a couple of
thunderous checks
I am sure we will see more of that going forward
Just saying he draws far more criticism then some of the names I mentioned above
Makes me wonder if his name was Kirby Jackson would there be such criticism
Few talk about Koko who has been a dog since the world jrs,vail who has struggled
offensively until sunday,Johnson has cooled considerably of late,Czinder and Clarkes"
scoring troubles,Marchese"s inconsistency,and I wont even talk about the defence
and goaltending inconsistencies
To center out 1 player is unfair and disengenous at best
Kirby like most 17 year olds has warts in his game but his positives and performances
far outweigh the negatives
On Sunday his physical play was evident on Sinday as he threw a couple of
thunderous checks
I am sure we will see more of that going forward
Just saying he draws far more criticism then some of the names I mentioned above
and thats not riight
Khokhlachev has 10 points in 12 games since returning. He hasn't been good but he hasn't been a dog. To put it in perspective since the break the goal scoring has dried up a bit, 2 goals in 2 games against Plymouth, 2 goals in one game against London, shutout against Guelph. Khokhlachev is responsible for this as well but the whole team has had issues as well. If 4 of those 12 games the team has only scored 4 goals it's on the whole team.
Kerby might not get as much criticism but he's also given more rope than usual. Everybody agrees his 2 way game is bad but he's also consistently out on the ice all the time during the PK. You can't tell me that another player would be getting that much rope when his defensive game is bad and he still gets to kill penalties. Heck Khokhlachev barely gets a sniff of the PK and up until recently his 2 way game was much improved.
People haven't forgotten about Czinder or Clarke it's been mentioned how they have gone into the tank and as you mentioned Marchese who only goes one way.
Part of the criticism also has to do with Kerby being a 1st round pick as well, he wasn't that good last year and did get a lot of ice time and that's what probably struck a chord with fans. His offensive game is much improved and nobody has really picked him out of a crowd. How about Maletta? He's a 1st round pick and has struggled. In general 1st round picks will have a bigger bullseye and you will see that next year with whoever the Spits pick. Not all of it is fair but it comes with the territory in my opinion.
I think Kirby gets more criticism not just because of the name on his jersey but because it's clear he is and should be a dominate player in every aspect of the game. The kid is the total package but watching him float back, not hustle with little second efforts at times and pouting is frustrating to watch knowing what he's capable of when he is going.
He is very young so the inconsistency isn't unexpected, but as he goes into his draft year and also gets older, wiser hopefully he'll brings a consistent effort every night and maximize the great potential that he has.
I agree that Kerby may see some extra critism because of his name but quite a bit of has been warrnted. The others you mentioned have seen their share but let's face it, with the owner's kid on the team criticism towards him will overshadow the others.
Building off of what youngblood said. It is the negatives of his game that stand out so much. It is not he is a poor defensive player it is that there is no effort at all in this area of his most nights. I agree that when he does put that effort into his two way game he can be a dominate force but when you come across as coasting and you're the owner's son it does get magnified.
The others deserve their fair share of criticism and with some being in their first year yes, like you said it comes with being a rookie and maybe their second year in the league is a better time to pass judgement on them. Kerby is in his second year so is it time?
Again, people do go over the top but with the situation he is in, fair or not he has an extra bit of resposibility as the owner's son to put that effort out. Regardless of what you do if you are the son of an owner you have higher expectations on you. The fact that this is a public supported sport it will draw the extra criticism while not always drawing the extra praise for the good. Not fair but it is reality, fans will have a tough time separating the owner part from the hockey player.
He has been a pleasnt surprise this season offensively and he deserves kudos for that. His numbers have meant a great deal to the team because without them would they have the record they currently have? Probably not.
The fans do pick up on the ice time as well. I know those around me have comments every time he steps on the ice for certain situation because it is not always justified. Not much of a defensive game yet he sees regular PK time? Not going hard both ways yet he sees all kinds of time in critical situations. He gives up on a play when it turns the other way instead of giving that second effort.
he has been better at times lately but again no consistency. The kid has talent, more than I and many others originally gave him credit for but in his position he needs to display the effort a bit more.
I rarely criticize 1st rd players because I know an adjustment for most takes alot of time
In Rychel"s case he was not rated a 1st rd player though he certainly is playing like one
now
Last year was not surprised he struggled,but I knew the work he put in the summer
vis-a-vis power skating and the improvement is very evident
As for Maletta staying healthy and coupled with some tough luck has made his rookie
year challenging
The fact he is playing the wing,when he has been a center all his career has been an
adjustment as well
His play of late has improved,though he will continue to be a work in progress
I dont say much about rookies especially the 16 year olds until they are in the middle
of their 2nd year
I choose not to be impatient with the youngsters
Most of the players from last year have improved especially Rychel,Vail,Clarke,and
Czinder
Kokolachev overall has improved learning to play in all 3 zones but he needs to bring it
every nite,he does go for stretches of not doing much,hopefully going forward they are
far and few between
I understand your point of view not trying to judge players in their rookie year and wait until middle of the 2nd year and sometimes in might be impatience but I do think players often show a lot of flashes of what they are capable of when they are 16. Ryan Strome was dealt to Niagara in the Pieterangelo deal and Strome did not play a lot with Barrie but was still pretty productive overall 8g 19a. Nemisz showed a lot down the stretch of his rookie season, Monahan 16th pick overall produced out of the gate. Then we have cases like Webermin who didn't show much and was dealt. Justin Kea did nothing last year and this year has picked up where he left off. It's not an exact science but I still believe you can see glimpses of what a player is capable of in their rookie year.
In other news Bob MacKenzie came out with his top 40 no current Spitfire players in the top 40. Three players did make the list in DiGiuseppe, Schmaltz and Sieloff. There was not any type of report on the latter 2. On DiGiuseppe the only thing worth noting is apparently people believe he will stay the full 4 years at Michigan.
I think the good majority of us have highlighted the positives Kerby brings to the table. To totally ignore his biggest downfall is being disingenuous to the other players around him. It's one thing to praise the things players do well...it is just as important to criticize the things they do poorly. You don't learn anything by only focusing on the positives... it gives the person a false sense of accomplishment.
You learn more from being criticized by the mistakes you make. A person should be able to take those and apply them to make them better. Legend, your stats are only relevant if there were people saying Rychel isn't very good offensively. That's not the case as we all are well aware what a surprise his offensive output has been so far. The biggest knock against him is his back checking...it's very uninspiring at the best of times. And this is a legitimate concern...it's not just us making things up "because he's the owners son".
I think the good majority of us have highlighted the positives Kerby brings to the table. To totally ignore his biggest downfall is being disingenuous to the other players around him. It's one thing to praise the things players do well...it is just as important to criticize the things they do poorly. You don't learn anything by only focusing on the positives... it gives the person a false sense of accomplishment.
You learn more from being criticized by the mistakes you make. A person should be able to take those and apply them to make them better. Legend, your stats are only relevant if there were people saying Rychel isn't very good offensively. That's not the case as we all are well aware what a surprise his offensive output has been so far. The biggest knock against him is his back checking...it's very uninspiring at the best of times. And this is a legitimate concern...it's not just us making things up "because he's the owners son".
If thats true why does not Koko get taken to the woodshed for his -13 stat
Do u think Boston drafted Koko because of his defensive awareness? I doubt it
I will take Rychel"s offensive prowess any day over his defensive shortcomings
NHL teams will to after all they drafted Koko
defence can be taught, offensive skill cant,I will Rychels offence over some
defensive shortcomings any day of the week
Of late he is hitting more,he blocks shots,his overall game is getting notice
he is definitely one of the best underage forwards in the CHL and we mentioning
that too to go along with any weeknesses that most 17 year olds have
There's a difference between having short comings and just not putting in the effort. Rychel puts very little effort on the back check. It's not because he can't do it more than like he won't do it. No player is perfect and will be better in one area more than others but you want to see the player putting an honest effort into the areas in which they are lacking. I don't feel Rychel puts an honest effort into his defensive game and as I've said my opinion has NOTHING to do with him being the owners kid.
Your better players are going to garner more criticism...it's a fact of hockey. Sure you can pick on the negative of every player but to me, Rychel's issues are more of him not wanting to back check then him not having developed that part of his game yet.
There's a difference between having short comings and just not putting in the effort. Rychel puts very little effort on the back check. It's not because he can't do it more than like he won't do it. No player is perfect and will be better in one area more than others but you want to see the player putting an honest effort into the areas in which they are lacking. I don't feel Rychel puts an honest effort into his defensive game and as I've said my opinion has NOTHING to do with him being the owners kid.
Your better players are going to garner more criticism...it's a fact of hockey. Sure you can pick on the negative of every player but to me, Rychel's issues are more of him not wanting to back check then him not having developed that part of his game yet.
If Rychel were say 18 and drafted ala Khoklachev I would be worried, but 4 months
into his 17th year I am sure there is plenty of time for him to address the critics
concerns and be the player we want him to be, a well rounded player who now
only scores game winnners,is 4th best in goals scored,is one of 8 who have
scored 20 or more even strength goals in the league, and the only true plus
player on the team,did I leave anything out Libbs? as well as being one of the best
