He is a RW at Michigan- 22 pts in 22 games as a Freshman which is pretty impressive.
Has anyone seen him play? How does he compare to the other top Blues prospects- i.e. Oshie, Berglund, Perron?
Does he have top-2 line potential?
He is a RW at Michigan- 22 pts in 22 games as a Freshman which is pretty impressive.
Has anyone seen him play? How does he compare to the other top Blues prospects- i.e. Oshie, Berglund, Perron?
Does he have top-2 line potential?
Well I haven't been able to watch him as much as I would like but I can say the kids pretty good. Skating isn't great, but not horrible, and hes not overly physical. That said he got a great release, seems to see the ice well as he makes creative passes. Ok along the boards but I have seen him loose some battles that he maybe should have won. Great down low, and getting open in the slot. The kid has a high upside but its early and he has a long way to go. I've been more impressed with Fairchild.
I've only seen Palushaj play one game on tv this year but I live in Des Moines so I did see him numerous times the previous two seasons playing for the Des Moines Buccaneers.
I am honestly very surprised he is doing so well at Michigan. He was easily be best prospect here last year but he really didn't impress me that much (maybe just because I was comparing him to Okposo who was here the year before that) and was a little surprised he was taken as high in the draft as he was. Anyway, my take on him is that he has good all around skill but above average hockey sense. He didn't have one physical skill that stood out (although he was quite the sniper on the PP) but he was just always in the right place at the right time. Hockey sense is probably the most important skill to have so hopefully he can go far.
Well I haven't been able to watch him as much as I would like but I can say the kids pretty good. Skating isn't great, but not horrible, and hes not overly physical. That said he got a great release, seems to see the ice well as he makes creative passes. Ok along the boards but I have seen him loose some battles that he maybe should have won. Great down low, and getting open in the slot. The kid has a high upside but its early and he has a long way to go. I've been more impressed with Fairchild.
He has definitely impressed me this season, probably because I had absolutely zero expectations. I agree with your assessment. It wouldn't hurt him to be a little quicker and play a little better D. He's got good hands and a nice shot. He does get PP time so that helps his numbers, but 5 on 5 he skates on the 2nd line with 2 other freshman...He's only a freshman so I'm sure he'll only improve. My favorite Palushaj moment was when Chris Summers pinched at a kind of inopportune moment and they collided in the slot. Palushaj, visibly upset, "What the ******* is he doing!?" as he skated to the bench. Everybody and their mom heard.
He was average at Blues prospect camp.... He was outshined by Perron, Berglund, Oshie, and a few others... I thought Travis Erstad looked better than him....but hats off to the kid, he is playing his heart out on a good team with ALOT of freshman and sophmores.
He may not have looked as good as Oshie and Berglund at development camp, but did anyone expect him to, seriously... He still showed more hustle and creativity than Kariya and Duncan, IMO.
he has 3 more years of eligibility left, so lets just leave him alone. And I am sure at the end of his college career, we will definitely have a better feel for him. Which I personally believe will be on the 2nd line.
He's improved as the year as gone on. To start the year, almost all of his point were coming via the powerplay thanks to Porter and Kolarik, but he's starting to make plays at even strength regardless of who he is lined up with.
The kid will always be a scorer. It's just a matter of improving his skating and physicality to an NHL level.
He's improved as the year as gone on. To start the year, almost all of his point were coming via the powerplay thanks to Porter and Kolarik, but he's starting to make plays at even strength regardless of who he is lined up with.
The kid will always be a scorer. It's just a matter of improving his skating and physicality to an NHL level.
Since I have not yet seen him play, could you elaborate on this? Does he shy away from contact? Not hit enough? Is too small and needs to make up for it?
He's improved as the year as gone on. To start the year, almost all of his point were coming via the powerplay thanks to Porter and Kolarik, but he's starting to make plays at even strength regardless of who he is lined up with.
The kid will always be a scorer. It's just a matter of improving his skating and physicality to an NHL level.
I have seen him play all of two times for MI, but I thought he was fairly physical in both games. I don't think he goes out to look for contact, but he does seem to finish his checks, but then again, it is a small sample and if you have seen him more then you would have a better idea.
In the games I've seen him play so far his best asset is his vision and passing. He seems to know where the holes in the defense are and he almost always puts the puck there.
Palushaj was just awesome against Notre Dame and Ian Cole. He looked like a true force. It's hard to believe with his hockey sense that he's a freshman
Palushaj plays with such energy, passion, and creativity it's unreal. He may not go out of his way to make a hit, but he'll pay the price to score a goal. Last night he ran over the goalie and the crossbar and when he got out of the penalty box he went right to the front of the net again. If he doesn't ever make it to the NHL it will be a real shame because he's so darn fun to watch.
Everybody and their mom heard. 
