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2024-25: Phantoms (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), NCAA, Jrs., Int'l, etc. | Page 17 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League
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2024-25: Phantoms (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), NCAA, Jrs., Int'l, etc.

BigToe said:
Who said he can't shoot? I swear it feels like you're the main person that says he needs to work on his shot.
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That's been the primary criticism even before he was drafted.
He has size (5'11 187 before turning 18), speed, good passer (saw that in camp), good instincts, can PK (top PK for Canada).
The concern has always been without a credible shot teams would play him to pass and neutralize on offense.
 
deadhead said:
That's been the primary criticism even before he was drafted.
He has size (5'11 187 before turning 18), speed, good passer (saw that in camp), good instincts, can PK (top PK for Canada).
The concern has always been without a credible shot teams would play him to pass and neutralize on offense.
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The the consensus primary concern seems to be his limited offensive upside in general, not specific to his shot. Things like speed while playmaking or carrying the puck, and on ice vision/playmaking in general.
 
freakydallas13 said:
The the consensus primary concern seems to be his limited offensive upside in general, not specific to his shot. Things like speed while playmaking or carrying the puck, and on ice vision/playmaking in general.
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It's more he hasn't had a chance to develop as a playmaker, was only top 6 for one season in the CHL (at 17), even at the WJC he was relegated to a defensive/PK role.

His skill package says he has a high ceiling, his lack of production says he's high risk.
Watching him in camp and a few games, the raw skills are there, how far will he develop with experience?
He's not going to look as good as Michkov, who is almost 2 years older with almost 80 KHL games under his belt before hitting the NHL.

Guelph doesn't help, the only other top player is a 17 year old center, Katzin.
Top forwards - ES scoring
Paquette 38g 10-12 22 -16
Namestnikov 37g 10-12 22 -17
Jett 18g 6-13 19 0
Katzin 14g 5-8 13 +3 [USHL last season, headed to Penn State next year]
Stevens 37g 4-5 9 -10
Snelgrove 38g 7-9 16 -8
McLean 31g 5-6 11 -13
McFadden 33g 3-9 12 -3
 
deadhead said:
It's more he hasn't had a chance to develop as a playmaker, was only top 6 for one season in the CHL (at 17), even at the WJC he was relegated to a defensive/PK role.

His skill package says he has a high ceiling, his lack of production says he's high risk.
Watching him in camp and a few games, the raw skills are there, how far will he develop with experience?
He's not going to look as good as Michkov, who is almost 2 years older with almost 80 KHL games under his belt before hitting the NHL.

Guelph doesn't help, the only other top player is a 17 year old center, Katzin.
Top forwards - ES scoring
Paquette 38g 10-12 22 -16
Namestnikov 37g 10-12 22 -17
Jett 18g 6-13 19 0
Katzin 14g 5-8 13 +3 [USHL last season, headed to Penn State next year]
Stevens 37g 4-5 9 -10
Snelgrove 38g 7-9 16 -8
McLean 31g 5-6 11 -13
McFadden 33g 3-9 12 -3
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He isn't slow at making plays with the puck on his stick because of lack of development, he's slow at making plays with the puck on his stick because that is who he is as a player.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but playmaking and hockey IQ are rarely things players lack and develop later. I guess he could learn to be faster making plays with the puck, but even that seems highly unlikely. Most players do not develop that talent when they already lack it.
 
You will rarely find a top 6 forward in the NHL that didn’t have multiple seasons of high level production before getting to the NHL.

This team is riding their hopes on an outlier.
 
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That's why I was hoping he'd get traded to a real team.
Averaging over a PPG at ES with that slop at wing? Ain't bad.
OHL
Martone 28g 17-26 43 1.54
Rehkopf 28g 16-21 37 1.32
Misa, M 35g 22-22 44 1.26
Greentree 38g 21-26 47 1.24
Ritchie 19g 7-16 23 1.21
Protas 36g 18-23 41 1.14
Misa, L 37g 16-25 41 1.11
Sennecke 33g 18-18 36 1.09
Jett 18g 6-13 19 0 1.06
Roobroeck 39g 20-18 38 0.97
Walton 37g 14-21 35 0.95
He 37g 19-16 35 0.95

Barkey 30g 6-17 23 0.77
Cowen 20g 10-5 15 0.75
 
deadhead said:
His skill package says he has a high ceiling, his lack of production says he's high risk.
Watching him in camp and a few games, the raw skills are there, how far will he develop with experience?
Click to expand...

In preseason he mostly skated backdoor for some tappy taps and barely played on the puck. We all watched the same games. The lack of raw skill plays was the issue. And it’s always been the issue because nothing about his skill package says high ceiling. You can pretend he’s a high risk-reward player, but it just isn’t true. Then again, you PROUDLY claim to have never seen him play a second in the OHL, so I’ll defer to you.
 
freakydallas13 said:
He isn't slow at making plays with the puck on his stick because of lack of development, he's slow at making plays with the puck on his stick because that is who he is as a player.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but playmaking and hockey IQ are rarely things players lack and develop later. I guess he could learn to be faster making plays with the puck, but even that seems highly unlikely. Most players do not develop that talent when they already lack it.
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Talented players may lean on playmaking more once they get older to compensate for declining shoot and speed and that's pretty much it.

Although there are always outliers. Chara somehow developed a solid outlet pass, but then again who knows what kind of coaching he got in his early days. After all he started his NHL career in mike millbury era of Islanders.
 
Magua said:
In preseason he mostly skated backdoor for some tappy taps and barely played on the puck. We all watched the same games. The lack of raw skill plays was the issue. And it’s always been the issue because nothing about his skill package says high ceiling. You can pretend he’s a high risk-reward player, but it just isn’t true. Then again, you PROUDLY claim to have never seen him play a second in the OHL, so I’ll defer to you.
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I'd love to hear what this high ceiling skill package is. He's got great straight line speed. And then?
 
freakydallas13 said:
I'd love to hear what this high ceiling skill package is. He's got great straight line speed. And then?
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Last season, Luchanko had 45% of his points on the PP. That’s a lot (the purportedly inferior Catton was at 26%). A lot of high end guys are in the 30-35% range. Frost was at 20% hitting 112 points as a D+1 (he had 23 power play points to Luchanko’s 33 last year!) For Mr. Even Strength Points, that wasn’t an issue apparently. It was a testament to his raw skill QBing a PP. But, golly, look at his ES points in this 18 game sample now!

Guelph “stunk” last year, and yet they have the same ranked PP presently. And Luchanko is pacing for less than half the PP points as last year. He has 4 PPP in 18 games. How do we reconcile this? Pretty easily, if you want to drop the “high ceiling” revisionism. They’re statistical fluctuations for a player with visibly average NHL raw talent.

I wrote this in June, and nothing I’ve seen since makes me feel differently about his strengths and weaknesses. I’m not saying he lacks the former:

His biggest strength as a skater is off-puck when allowed a few strides/crossovers. I'd call his footwork and first step more okay, but he can get serious build up power, even if his form isn't the most athletic. I also just buried the lede. So much of his skating is without the puck or accelerating into windows for a puck…..I don't see a particularly dangerous transition player. He's not really used as a weapon.

My biggest issue that hasn't resolved -- and @VladDrag had a similar thought -- is he has puck handling issues at top speed or in traffic. Quite a bit of feeling for pucks or bobbling (it's there even on some good plays). He is a quick surveyor for open guys, and he has some touch (this is good), but sometimes I have this feeling his passes are out of necessity. He looks nervy attacking guys 1 on 1 or when sticks get close. Not a lot in the way of high level feints or maneuvering. Instantly, if you're talking "ceilings," that's the thing to which I'll point. Short area, small space skill is king.
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I tuned into the Phantoms OT out of curiosity. Phantoms controlled most of the play, then Gaucher completely wiped out in the corner and Hartford scored on a 2-on-1. I'm sure the guy behind the net rocking a Guelph Luchanko jersey was disappointed.
 
BigToe said:
You should be in the draft thread posting write ups on our top 5 pick targets, breh.
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Last season broke me again. We know they won’t pick top 5. And the only way for the most obvious run to the podium pick to get drafted by the Flyers is to tell the brain trust that he’ll retire if he isn’t drafted by the Flyers because he loves this franchise so damned much.
 
Magua said:
Last season broke me again. We know they won’t pick top 5. And the only way for the most obvious run to the podium pick to get drafted by the Flyers is to tell the brain trust that he’ll retire if he isn’t drafted by the Flyers because he loves this franchise so damned much.
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I bet you they will get a top 5 pick. And when it happens I get to pick you a new avatar.
 
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