C Leon Draisaitl (2014, 3rd, EDM) II

[groov2]

Never good to see prospects fail, even if it is rival prospects.

Still hope Bennett will be better though.

And this is the attitude I think everyone should have. I love that the Flames are doing so well this year; it makes our rivalry that much more fun. It makes winning that much more sweet, and losing that much more painful.

Great to see that Leon is doing so well. I really, really liked him before the draft and hope he goes on to having a great career against a West Coast rival.

 

[Aceboogie]

Does he have a similar play style to Dylan strome? Which of the two have better skating?

Fairly similar. Strome has better skating than Draisaitl last year, but Draisaitls is better this year

 

[Aceboogie]

7 points in last 2 games. 1.62 ppg overall and good as ever defensively

 

[Psychoil]

if anyone that has seen him on tv or in person in kelowna can answer this question?



Is he playing physical? Becuase when he was in the nhl, he shyed away from every single physical battle in the boards and i hope he's getting engaged more at the whl level

 

[KidLine93]

if anyone that has seen him on tv or in person in kelowna can answer this question?



Is he playing physical? Becuase when he was in the nhl, he shyed away from every single physical battle in the boards and i hope he's getting engaged more at the whl level

No he didn't. He doesn't take runs at guys but he battled along the boards and used his body positioning to fend off the D just fine. When he matures and gets his strength it will be more noticeable but I felt his board play was one of his strengths while he was up here.

 

[eyetest is useless]

Will Leon have to play in the ahl playoffs?

Would be nice if he could go to the world championships

Edit: or how long to the chl ones take?

 

[zeropotentate]

Will Leon have to play in the ahl playoffs?

Would be nice if he could go to the world championships

Edit: or how long to the chl ones take?

Basically, if Kelowna makes the Memorial Cup, Draisaitl won't be playing in the World Championships, nor the AHL playoffs. If Kelowna loses any time before that, he still has a short at playing in some of the later games in the World, and if Oklahoma is still in the playoffs he could go there as well

 

[Sanderson]

Basically, if Kelowna makes the Memorial Cup, Draisaitl won't be playing in the World Championships, nor the AHL playoffs. If Kelowna loses any time before that, he still has a short at playing in some of the later games in the World, and if Oklahoma is still in the playoffs he could go there as well

Kelowna making it to the WHL-finals should be enough to prevent Draisaitl from playing in the WCH, as both happen early to mid May.

 

[KidLine93]

Will Leon have to play in the ahl playoffs?

Would be nice if he could go to the world championships

Edit: or how long to the chl ones take?

He's with Kelowna and they will most likely have a long playoff run. Assuming Kelowna will make it to the WHL finals at least. They are stacked with talent this season.

 

[A91]

Any WHL followers care to chime in on how Leon is doing?

 

[dustrock]

2 assists, 2nd star in Game 1 against Victoria.

3 assists, 1st star in Game 2.

 

[Aceboogie]

Some of his passes in these playoffs are incredible. Looks like the game is slow motion for him

Going into beast mode when the time matters

 

[covfefe]

He has been somewhat inconsistent in the playoffs thus far but has played very well recently.

In the first 3 games against Tri-City he had trouble establishing control/space/time with the puck and was off his game. He still got on the board (game 1 was a blowout win and he picked up 2 assists, think he had a goal and an EN assist in game 2), but he wasn't playing like you would want your #3 pick to play. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous, but Kelowna is good enough that you can play in such a manner and still happen on opportunistic points.

Since game 4 + the Victoria series he has been outstanding. Easily our best player in the first two games against Victoria. He has a knack for picking up loose pucks and anticipating where plays break down to get to loose pucks. Has been really effective in slowing the game down and waiting out players on the Royals.

Obviously has superior hands and vision at this level...but the constant (drawback) remains his skating. He doesn't have to and surely never will be a burner, but he needs to keep working on this area to become the player he projects as.

 

[A91]

He has been somewhat inconsistent in the playoffs thus far but has played very well recently.

In the first 3 games against Tri-City he had trouble establishing control/space/time with the puck and was off his game. He still got on the board (game 1 was a blowout win and he picked up 2 assists, think he had a goal and an EN assist in game 2), but he wasn't playing like you would want your #3 pick to play. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous, but Kelowna is good enough that you can play in such a manner and still happen on opportunistic points.

Since game 4 + the Victoria series he has been outstanding. Easily our best player in the first two games against Victoria. He has a knack for picking up loose pucks and anticipating where plays break down to get to loose pucks. Has been really effective in slowing the game down and waiting out players on the Royals.

Obviously has superior hands and vision at this level...but the constant (drawback) remains his skating. He doesn't have to and surely never will be a burner, but he needs to keep working on this area to become the player he projects as.

Thanks for the awesome insight, its great to hear he's stepped up. I wish you folks the best of luck, a run at the memorial cup is super exciting.
How are the quality of his line mates, and the quality of competition he faces?

 

[Eppic]

Obviously has superior hands and vision at this level...but the constant (drawback) remains his skating. He doesn't have to and surely never will be a burner, but he needs to keep working on this area to become the player he projects as.

Like you said, he'll never be a burner, but it doesn't even look like he's trying to hustle. At times he's looked pretty lethargic on the back check. He's so smart at anticipating the play though, that he's usually in excellent position. And when the puck is on his stick, there's no one better at slowing the play down.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Like you said, he'll never be a burner, but it doesn't even look like he's trying to hustle. At times he's looked pretty lethargic on the back check. He's so smart at anticipating the play though, that he's usually in excellent position. And when the puck is on his stick, there's no one better at slowing the play down.

He isn't moving his feet enough for my liking. This is why I disagreed with everyone saying "he needs to be in the CHL". The AHL would be the perfect place for him right now. In order of preference for me it'd be AHL > NHL > CHL. He'd get to work on his puck possession game against men in the AHL, the only thing the CHL is good for him right now is in terms of confidence.

 

[PuckG]

He isn't moving his feet enough for my liking. This is why I disagreed with everyone saying "he needs to be in the CHL". The AHL would be the perfect place for him right now. In order of preference for me it'd be AHL > NHL > CHL. He'd get to work on his puck possession game against men in the AHL, the only thing the CHL is good for him right now is in terms of confidence.

I agree. I don't think it's a lack of skating ability but rather a lack of the need to use his skating ability. Not sure how much weight can be put on this, but didn't he beat Taylor Hall in the speed competition?

 

[covfefe]

Thanks for the awesome insight, its great to hear he's stepped up. I wish you folks the best of luck, a run at the memorial cup is super exciting.
How are the quality of his line mates, and the quality of competition he faces?

He's been on a line with Gage Quinney and Tyson Baillie for a while. The Rockets have also recently been going with a Morrissey-Bowey Chartier-Draisaitl-Merkley PP1, which is kind of silly but a lot of fun to watch.

I knew little of Quinney before his arrival, he was an afterthought in the Josh Morrissey trade but he has played quite well for us. Almost PPG in his last ~40 games.

Baillie is a jack of all trades guy, PPG-ish for the last 3 seasons. Was (somewhat) surprisingly passed over in the draft which I suspect was due to his skating. If he can continue to mesh with Draisaitl and the Rockets have a good run, I see him getting signed - at the very least he'll get some rookie camp shots.

Like you said, he'll never be a burner, but it doesn't even look like he's trying to hustle. At times he's looked pretty lethargic on the back check. He's so smart at anticipating the play though, that he's usually in excellent position. And when the puck is on his stick, there's no one better at slowing the play down.

He isn't moving his feet enough for my liking. This is why I disagreed with everyone saying "he needs to be in the CHL". The AHL would be the perfect place for him right now. In order of preference for me it'd be AHL > NHL > CHL. He'd get to work on his puck possession game against men in the AHL, the only thing the CHL is good for him right now is in terms of confidence.

I agree with both of you. Lethargic backchecks have been a constant since he came to Kelowna. Unfortunately, not much will be done with that here. He's good/productive enough to get away with it and both Quinney and Baillie are responsible defensive players.

As for moving his feet - he tends to stop moving when there is a puck battle and/or when there is a shift in possession in the o-zone. Definitely needs to improve this.

I'd submit that he needs to improve just about every aspect of his skating, from fundamentals like stride/posture, to explosiveness via plyos/weight training, to agility/edgework. While just about every prospect could work on these areas, Draisaitl has other tools that many guys could never sniff. If he is able to incrementally improve in these areas over the next few seasons, he could be a gem.

 

[Aceboogie]

I agree. I don't think it's a lack of skating ability but rather a lack of the need to use his skating ability. Not sure how much weight can be put on this, but didn't he beat Taylor Hall in the speed competition?

in the CHL I care more about edge work and initial speed versus top end speed. Like you said, his top end speed is good, its just how quickly he can explode. In the CHL he is smart enough to anticipate plays and can look lazy because he is always sint he right position. I want to see his speed his first steps once he gets the puck.

That's what held him back in the NHL. He looked smart out there and NHL ready positionally wise. But wasn't effective because he could get going fast enough

 

[PuckG]

He's been on a line with Gage Quinney and Tyson Baillie for a while. The Rockets have also recently been going with a Morrissey-Bowey Chartier-Draisaitl-Merkley PP1, which is kind of silly but a lot of fun to watch.

I knew little of Quinney before his arrival, he was an afterthought in the Josh Morrissey trade but he has played quite well for us. Almost PPG in his last ~40 games.

Baillie is a jack of all trades guy, PPG-ish for the last 3 seasons. Was (somewhat) surprisingly passed over in the draft which I suspect was due to his skating. If he can continue to mesh with Draisaitl and the Rockets have a good run, I see him getting signed - at the very least he'll get some rookie camp shots.





I agree with both of you. Lethargic backchecks have been a constant since he came to Kelowna. Unfortunately, not much will be done with that here. He's good/productive enough to get away with it and both Quinney and Baillie are responsible defensive players.

As for moving his feet - he tends to stop moving when there is a puck battle and/or when there is a shift in possession in the o-zone. Definitely needs to improve this.

I'd submit that he needs to improve just about every aspect of his skating, from fundamentals like stride/posture, to explosiveness via plyos/weight training, to agility/edgework. While just about every prospect could work on these areas, Draisaitl has other tools that many guys could never sniff. If he is able to incrementally improve in these areas over the next few seasons, he could be a gem.

Well they say skating is what can be improved upon the most for any given prospect so that's fortunate for us Oiler fans.

 

[Aceonfire*]

1st star again tonight with an assist and a short handed goal.

Greg Chase also scored so it was a good night for Oil fans.

 

[Evolu7ion]

Saw him live tonight. He's just got those silky smooth hands and the ability to protect the puck and then distribute with tricky little passes ala Joe Thornton. His edge work and dexterity is tremendous for a big man, did not know he had that in him. The one knock I saw is that he just seems a little top heavy, needs more power in his legs and lower body strength. Elite potential nonetheless. If he develops a stronger base look out at the NHL level.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

He's been on a line with Gage Quinney and Tyson Baillie for a while. The Rockets have also recently been going with a Morrissey-Bowey Chartier-Draisaitl-Merkley PP1, which is kind of silly but a lot of fun to watch.

I knew little of Quinney before his arrival, he was an afterthought in the Josh Morrissey trade but he has played quite well for us. Almost PPG in his last ~40 games.

Baillie is a jack of all trades guy, PPG-ish for the last 3 seasons. Was (somewhat) surprisingly passed over in the draft which I suspect was due to his skating. If he can continue to mesh with Draisaitl and the Rockets have a good run, I see him getting signed - at the very least he'll get some rookie camp shots.





I agree with both of you. Lethargic backchecks have been a constant since he came to Kelowna. Unfortunately, not much will be done with that here. He's good/productive enough to get away with it and both Quinney and Baillie are responsible defensive players.

As for moving his feet - he tends to stop moving when there is a puck battle and/or when there is a shift in possession in the o-zone. Definitely needs to improve this.

I'd submit that he needs to improve just about every aspect of his skating, from fundamentals like stride/posture, to explosiveness via plyos/weight training, to agility/edgework. While just about every prospect could work on these areas, Draisaitl has other tools that many guys could never sniff. If he is able to incrementally improve in these areas over the next few seasons, he could be a gem.

If he starts taking the puck to the net all but the strongest and smartest of defensemen will be victimized by him. IMO in the offensive zone he has a knack of timing his passes to coincide with body contact. He'll need to get stronger to pull this off with regularity at the next level against the bigger and stronger defensemen and centers of the league but he's well on his way to doing just that. Wherever he plays next season he'll be doing it against men so it'll be a good test for him to see how close or far he is from playing his style of game at the NHL level.

Saw him live tonight. He's just got those silky smooth hands and the ability to protect the puck and then distribute with tricky little passes ala Joe Thornton. His edge work and dexterity is tremendous for a big man, did not know he had that in him. The one knock I saw is that he just seems a little top heavy, needs more power in his legs and lower body strength. Elite potential nonetheless. If he develops a stronger base look out at the NHL level.

Yeah he has room to get stronger in his legs, this was something that he worked on last offseason and undoubtedly should work on again this season and likely for a number of seasons to come. He is pretty strong already but to dominate physically at the next level takes some serious strength.

 

[BIitz]

He's got a wicked quick release. I don't think there's been anyone more dangerous than him offensively this playoffs other than Tambellini, I guess that's expected though.

I think his edgework is fine, he could use some more explosiveness in his stride though. It's rather sluggish.

 

[KidLine93]

Another 3 points tonight. Kelowna off to the Eastern conference finals vs Portland most likely