Best poke check in the NHL?

[Kale Hulls]

I've seen Kopitar dismantle offensive transitions with a simple poke check, but I've also seen Bergeron do it very well.

What FORWARDS have the best ability to poke check the puck away from opponents?

 

[JaegerDice]

Having a smart stick is pretty much a mandatory feature of a great two-way forward. Most of them have highlights of knowing exactly where to be and when to use their stick to disrupt a play or strip a puck. Kopitar, Bergeron, Toews, OReilly, Barkov, etc.

Even guys built like trucks, a la Marian Hossa, were smart enough to realize it was quicker and more efficient to disrupt a play with your stick, than wear yourself down and take yourself out of position by trying to take away possession with a hit.

 

[benjiv1]

Mark Stone, and it’s not even close.

 

[TheGoldenGod]

Idk about poke check but ROR does things like this pretty frequently. Insane defensive stick.

 

[Kamiccolo]

People are just going to name defensive forwards but that doesn't mean they are the best. For example, Nylander has one of the most effective poke checks in the league (especially in the Neutral zone) but I don't think anyone will call him a defensive specialist or even good defensively.

 

[Default]

The amount of times I've seen ROR take the puck away last season in a clean fashion was admirable. Granted a lot of those weren't exactly poke checks, but still.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Bergeron's defensive stick really isn't anything that special, although it is quite good. He's more just about positioning. Stone is the best at the moment I'd say. Datsyuk is easily the best I've ever seen though, his understanding of how to use leverage and deception is absurd.

 

[Necrobutcher]

 

[Machinehead]

Zibanejad's positioning isn't good as some of the other guys mentioned but he wields a mean stick.

 

[57special]

Not so much of a poke check, but Jordan Greenway's sweep check is unusually good because of his length, and skill in applying it. I don't know how many times I've seen a player skate past him thinking they were good, only to have him take away the puck from a seemingly impossible distance.

I don't know of a forward who employs a true poke check on a regular basis.

 

[Shawnathon]

People are just going to name defensive forwards but that doesn't mean they are the best. For example, Nylander has one of the most effective poke checks in the league (especially in the Neutral zone) but I don't think anyone will call him a defensive specialist or even good defensively.

Take off the blue coloured goggles.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

 

[Machinehead]

Tavares is another one who I certainly wouldn't consider great defensively but he can relieve guys of the puck.

 

[izzy]

The amount of times I've seen ROR take the puck away last season in a clean fashion was admirable. Granted a lot of those weren't exactly poke checks, but still.

yeah though i wouldnt say ROR is great at “poke checking”

his defensive skill comes from knowing where to go to intercept a pass, elite hand eye to knock pucks out of the air and a really good stick lift.

doesnt exactly use the poke check very often since he rarely actually skates at the player with the puck but instead either gives them just enough room to make a mistake and have him pick the pass or let his linemate go to the puck and wait for the loose puck

 

[Super Hans]

Another oldie from O'Reilly (I advise watching on mute).

 

[Kamiccolo]

Take off the blue coloured goggles.

Do advanced stats have blue colored goggles?

 

[adsfan]

The best poke checker that I ever saw was ...

Danny Lorenz. He played 8 games for the Islanders in the early 90s.

He was a goalie who figured out that if you closed the distance on a forward, it was easy to knock the puck off of his stick. A breakaway becomes nothing!

It also worked great in a shoot out.

 

[SotasicA]

Marcus Johansson

 

[Cursed Lemon]

It's probably still Lidstrom pushing 50.

 

[Shawnathon]

Do advanced stats have blue colored goggles?

Yes they do. Advanced stats have always been flawed. Everything I read from you on here is white knighting the Leafs. Nylander isn’t even close to being the best at anything defensive. It’s laughable you’re sitting here trying to hype Nylander up as some sort of defensive player because of how he uses his stick. Bull****.

 

[frapp10]

Joel Armia is elite at stick checking and poke checking. It’s amazing sometimes how he can get his stick in the way of anything

 

[IPS]

Ryan Suter is a poke check connoisseur

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Yes they do. Advanced stats have always been flawed. Everything I read from you on here is white knighting the Leafs. Nylander isn’t even close to being the best at anything defensive. It’s laughable you’re sitting here trying to hype Nylander up as some sort of defensive player because of how he uses his stick. Bull****.

but this thread is asking about players who are good at using their stick, not great defensive players

 

[ESH]

Do advanced stats have blue colored goggles?

What stats are you referring to?

 

[Alwalys]

Idk about poke check but ROR does things like this pretty frequently. Insane defensive stick.

lol realistic plays all around

let's think about the OP here though

exactly what position does a FORWARD need to reliably and routinely poke check?