Since we don’t have a pick until LATE. here are a couple of late round German prospects that the Sens COULD target.
Here’s what I have to write about both of these kids:
#73 C Linus Brandl
Two way forward that plays the game with confidence, he always wants the puck on his stick - and for good reason. At the level he is at, he is the best forward on the ice night in and out. He likes to hang around the net and cause havoc once the goalie can’t control the rebound. He will be taking cross checks to the back yet he is still banging at the puck trying to squeak it in. He isn’t afraid of going into the corners and digging for loose pucks either, he’s not the greatest at it at this stage but it’s nice to see no fear and a willingness to do this and he should get better with more experience and some training in the weight room.
He is a smart player who tends to lurk around the ice, putting himself in good positions for a shot. One second he is in front of the net battling for position, the next he finds a soft part of the ice where the defender forgot he existed. Doing things like this is promising as anticipating plays, like this translates well to other levels of competition and shows that he has high hockey IQ.
His skating is a mixed bag for me, I find he has good straight line speed and does a good job at accelerating at a good pace but feel he needs work on his lateral movement, and in particular his edge-work.
Defensively he shows a lot of promise, even though he is a high scoring player at this level, I found he didn’t lurk at the awaiting an outlet pass for a play in transition, instead he was dialled in covering for defenders out of position, making smart back checks and just being in good position, cutting off lanes in the defensive zone. There is good reason why he was the first guy over the boards on the PK.
Overall I think this kid can be an NHL draft pick and is a guy I’d take consideration after the 4th round.
#22 LW Kevin Bicker
Bicker is a kid that looks much better when you watch him than when looking at the scoresheet. His numbers this year have been rather pedestrian but whenever I watch him play I am reminded of how being a good skater and having a good motor can take you places in hockey.
Bicker is a fantastic skater, he has the speed and acceleration to blow by most anyone at this level. One thing about Bicker is that he doesn’t like to cut to the middle of the ice, he prefers to use his speed to try and beat defenders to the outside.
During the game, the coach threw out Bicker as the first man on the PK, and you can see why, he doesn’t give up on plays, is constantly hounding players on the back-check and has the speed to disrupt any passive zone entry on the power play. In one play, he was able to stick lift the opposition from behind and poke the puck to his defender in one motion, then he was up the ice awaiting a pass in one swoop.
Overall I feel like Bicker could develop into a bottom-6 penalty killer that uses his speed and motor to frustrate opponents if he makes the NHL. I would select Bicker in the 4th round onward.
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