Hard worker, good in the face-off circle, always keeps his feet moving. Not the most talented player but keeps his game simple, which usually leads to offensive success. A better passer than a shooter.
The biggest knock on him is that he runs hot and cold offensively, but he always makes an impact in the game. He's similar to Michael Peca.
Alex Pietrangelo Strengths:
Elite hockey sense, vision, and passing ability, good skater, strong wrist shot with great accuracy, not afraid to jump up in the offensive zone, rarely gets caught out of position defensively, always seems to avoid danger, tremendous in transitioning the puck from deep in his own end with a man or two on him.
Weaknesses:
Very few. Slap shot is accurate but not very heavy and he isn't very physical, he doesn't need to be, though.
Overall:
Honestly, one of the top 4 defensemen in the NHL.
TJ Oshie Strengths:
I'll start with what you know, he is a very physical player that can absolutely lay a guy out no matter his size. He is an outstanding defensive player that works hard, blocks shots, and avoids dumb penalties. Offensively, he has good speed, soft hands that make him dangerous one on one, is a strong passer, and has a nice wrist shot. He can make the wow play but often doesn't. You never see him take a play off.
Weaknesses:
Off ice maturity has been in question in the past but most believe he is over it. He doesn't seem adept at finding great scoring areas as he is more of a pass first guy. He has always had some problems staying upright. Good for one or two spills a game.
Overall:
One of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. It will be a shame if he doesn't retire with a Selke or two.
Kevin Shattenkirk Strengths:
Outstanding hockey sense, skating ability, passing abilty, and vision. Does pretty much everything Pietrangelo can do with the puck but just a tad bit worse(like 99 for Petro and a 96/97 for Shatty on NHL13's rating system). Good accurate wrist shot. Has improved his defensive game exponentially in the two years since the trade. He is now on the Blues 2nd PK behind Petro-Jackman.
Weaknesses:
Not very physical and can tend to drift out of position from time to time defensively but he has been much better since Hitch became coach. His slap shot is nothing special.
Overall
Pietrangelo-lite. The Blues pretty much have a Brian Rafalski-Scott Niedermayer duo in Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo.
If we just kill the joke ones; it's not too bad. No players not currently playing in the NHL. Prospects or retired should not be requested IMO.
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Garrison
Canucks fan so not much to report yet, but:
- Puck mover/ carrier
- Has a heavy shot, but so far not great at getting the pucks through
- He's got size to handle most players physically
- Can't recall his first pass/vision being much yet
- Had a couple lapses in positioning, but not a huge knock
- Likes to pinch and be aggressive offensively
Overall, he's got a heap of potential as a puck moving offensive defenseman, but still has to settle in to Vancouver's particular system.
Overall a fine 4th defenseman if paired with someone defensively responsible.
Last edited by LetsBeReality: 01-31-2013 at 04:12 PM.
Corrado's slapshot? Nothing to write home about in junior let alone when pitted against the Weber's and Chara's. He's a good prospect but he's not bombing pucks past NHL goalies anytime soon.
Hey Oilers fans, whats the skinny on Magnus Paajarvi?
Strengths:
-Exceptional speed, acceleration and agility
-Growing willingness to go into the dirty areas and contribute on the cycle
-Good penalty killer with potential to be an elite one
-Seems to be growing into his frame and using it more often
-Looks like he'll be a regular NHLer for years; question is will it be top six or bottom six
Weaknesses:
-Doesn't have a great shot and struggles to finish plays
-Offensive instincts are questionable at times
-Offensive upside isn't as high as his proponents at the draft may have suggested
Outlook:
He'll be a good NHLer for years because of his size and speed combination and has some upside still where he could find himself as a contributor in a top six. I wonder if he's on the block in Edmonton because he's not exactly intimidating nor does he have the offense of Hemsky, Yakupov, Eberle, Gagner and even Hartikainen is probably on par with him on the winger depth chart. Oilers have needs up the middle and on the blueline and Paajarvi has decent value on the market still and could turn out to be a fine player - think Radek Dvorak with a lesser shot.
Hey Oilers fans, whats the skinny on Magnus Paajarvi?
Struggling at the professional level to put up points, but has taken well to the role that he's needed in (checking winger). Defensively, he's quite reliable. He's not a very physical player at all, but is OK as far as strength on the puck. He should be better for a guy that is 6'3 (?) and in the 200lbs+ area. He has a LOT of speed and is a talented passer, and can dangle quite well.. however the finish has never been there with him.
At this point, I'd love to see him molded into a Michael Samuelsson type of two way player, but it doesn't seem like the offense will really come. He's also now permanently in the bottom six here, so it's hard to generate much offense when you play with guys like Horcoff, Petrell, and Belanger, who aren't really known for their offense (at least now for Horcoff and Belanger).
Brodziak has good size. He doesn't use it frequently in an aggressive manner, but more in a smart manner as far as puck possession and board work. He's a gritty player that scores most of his goals on hard work, more than skill.
For a guy that started his career here as a PK specialist on our 4th line, he's really bloomed into a 2-way player, providing solid offense as well as excellent PKing. He is also quite solid on the faceoff dot, generally around 50%.
Brodziak and Glencross are two players I wish the Oilers had hung on to.
We haven't seen enough of him here, but excitement was high on this kid early on until he got tripped up in a pre-season game on an icing call and slammed into the boards by a useless Minnesota Wild thug (Eric Nystrom). He badly broke his leg on the play (femur I believe) and missed the entire year.
What we saw leading up to that was a kid who was a silky smooth skater who was reliable defensively, but showed some offensive potential. I think his skillset reminds me of Jeff Petry of the Oilers. Both are College trained right handed D with more of a potential for putting up offense with a smart positional defensive game. Fedun doesn't strike me as a very physical player.
He's more of a balanced defenseman that provides a limited but decent amount of offense, but also provides a solid enough defensive game. His hockey instincts are quite high, which will make him a full time NHLer eventually.
I see him as a good option for a 2nd pairing defenseman. Good right handed D are harder to come by, so he would be a good asset to a team. His development will likely be slow early on, but I think he'll turn into a very good player down the road.
There were questions as to whether he can get completely into the game after what could have been a career ending injury, but it seems he's doing well for OKC now.
Areas he could use work on: his shot and toughness. There are some parallels between him and Jeff Petry of the Oilers.
Has above average straight line speed and hockey sense. Plays very well positionally on both ends of the ice. He will get chances, but lacks finish. Seems to have all the offensive tools to be a 2nd line player, but thus far has not been able to put it together.
5'10" 180 lbs and uses a stick almost as long as Chara. He uses a longer stick than 6'6" Antropov. Very under rated player in the league.
Positives:
- Great shot, if a bit under used
- Can strip the puck from anybody
- Pretty good on the boards for his size
- Very smooth skating
- When he carries the puck, he makes everyone back up
- Very high IQ, you need to read the play well when you're paired with Byfuglien
- Does incredibly well on 2 on 1's, which happen too often
- Good point main on the PP
Negatives:
- Size, he gets run over from time to time, sometimes leading to injuries
- Needs to shoot more
- Not as good defensively as he is offensively
- Not good in front of the net
Just got chance to watch Jordan Eberle against the Sharks, and he looked really dangerous. I'd love to know some more about him.
Strengths: Hockey IQ through the roof. Very good passer. Known for having a deadly, accurate backhand. Excellent dangler. Doesn't take very many penalties. "Clutch" goal scorer - the guy you put out when there are 10 seconds left and you're down by a goal.
Weaknesses: Small, so he has to win his 1-on-1 battles with brains/good hands. That small size can sometimes factor in from time to time in defensive zone struggles. For all his skill, he has struggled in the shootout.
I think the majority of Oilers fans consider Jordan Eberle to be the best player of the young stars on the Oilers (including Yakupov, Nugent-Hopkins, Hall, and J. Schultz)... at the very least, the current best player.
Pros: Sammy G knows where to be in the offensive zone. Really shifty player. Good slap shot, and really quick hands. Also really popular in the dressing room. The kid has a lot of heart and sticks up for his teemates, no matter who it is. Just ask Beauchiman
Cons: Foot speed is not the greatest though it looks better this season. Still commits some defensive lapses in the neutral zone especially. And his faceoff ability needs to improve if he wants to stay at the center position.
I would like to hear a scouting report on Cory Conacher please, when I watched him he reminded me of MSL
Strengths:
-Exceptional speed, acceleration and agility
-Growing willingness to go into the dirty areas and contribute on the cycle
-Good penalty killer with potential to be an elite one
-Seems to be growing into his frame and using it more often
-Looks like he'll be a regular NHLer for years; question is will it be top six or bottom six
Weaknesses:
-Doesn't have a great shot and struggles to finish plays
-Offensive instincts are questionable at times
-Offensive upside isn't as high as his proponents at the draft may have suggested
Outlook:
He'll be a good NHLer for years because of his size and speed combination and has some upside still where he could find himself as a contributor in a top six. I wonder if he's on the block in Edmonton because he's not exactly intimidating nor does he have the offense of Hemsky, Yakupov, Eberle, Gagner and even Hartikainen is probably on par with him on the winger depth chart. Oilers have needs up the middle and on the blueline and Paajarvi has decent value on the market still and could turn out to be a fine player - think Radek Dvorak with a lesser shot.
- Elite PKer as the forechecker
- Draws a lot of penalties on the PK
- Can do "keep away" like nobodys business, isn't unusal to keep it away from 3 guys
- Excellent work ethic, doesn't take a shift off
- Isn't afraid of physical play, has knocked down guys like Chara quite often
- Good wrist shot, although under used
- Even though he's the youngest player on the Jets, he keeps his emotion in check and doesn't take bad penalties
Negatives:
- Small size, lacks some strength
- Questionable offensive zone instincts
- Usually seems lose the puck crossing the blue line
- Tries to hold on to the puck rather than dumping it in
- Needs to shoot more
- Seems to have droughts offensively
- Keeps his head down with the puck
Low end potential - defensive center who is excellent on the PK
High end potential - Datsyuk
That being said, there's a noticeable improvement in his negatives this year.
