Breakfast of Champs
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Another solid game with 3 assists as the Mooseheads advance, Critchlow stole the show tonight though with 4 goals.
C Nathan MacKinnon - Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL (2013 draft) II
- Thread starter JawandaPuck
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Man Rocket
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- Jul 12, 2011
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im curious about his size, when this thread was made he was listed as 5'11 179, but hes a growing teenager.. Has he grown taller or put on any weight (muscle)?
TA1 Sports
@TA_Stephenson
No idea, I would guess yes. But here's the thing, if he didn't grow an inch, and only added a couple of pounds per year for the next 2 years, his size would never be an issue at the pro level. Hell, if he went pro this summer he'd still score 20-30 goals as a rookie. His physicality with the puck is unmatched among other players in the Q. If he ends up 6'0 200lbs, great, all the better ( I'd bet he will ) but he definitely doesn't need it to succeed.
Mackinnon tied for 2nd in playoff scoring, Halifax advances thru round 2.....this kid is something else and he is doing it at 16 yrs old. I dont remember a performance like this from a 'true' rookie in a long long time! 100 pt man easy next year......
saintflannel
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- Oct 6, 2011
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Didn't catch the game, but what a comeback by Halifax, down 3-0 in the series to a strong Remparts team, and came back to win the series including an OT win in game 7, doesn't get much better than that! Great series for MacKinnon (and the team in general), pretty terrible series for Grigorenko (3 points and -5 in 7 games, plus an unreal collapse by his team). Sounds like Grigorenko was playing hurt, and Halifax were really focusing on shutting him down, but even still I can see this affecting his draft stock, especially since people were already concerned about him feasting on weak competition but not performing in big games. Onwards and upwards for MacKinnon and Halifax though!
No idea, but he looks reasonably big, solid and strong on the ice, especially for a 16 year old. He's no Milan Lucic or Todd Bertuzzi, but he's pretty physical for a speedy offensive star, and solidly built, size is not an issue for him at all. Similar build to guys like Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin IMO, and on draft day I can see him being about as big as they were on their draft days.
Totally agree with the previous comment from Stephenson84. From what I have seen of him, he does not get muscled off the puck too easy and is a fairly strong player. I think he'll grow an extra inch and add a few more pounds but not sure if he'll tip 200lbs.
MacKinnon for me, so far, is the best prospect in the 2013 Draft and with the team Halifax has at the moment, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he actually comes close, career wise, to Crosby's Q numbers (sorry I compared!).
One wonders if he stayed with Baie-Comeau...
MacKinnon for me, so far, is the best prospect in the 2013 Draft and with the team Halifax has at the moment, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he actually comes close, career wise, to Crosby's Q numbers (sorry I compared!).
One wonders if he stayed with Baie-Comeau...
I was 5'7" MAYBE at his age and grew to 6'0". Who knows how much growing he has left. I don't find him very physical though per se.
markrander87
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- Jan 22, 2010
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Physical per se?
How many physical 16 year olds are there in the Q? I've been blown away with how he protects the puck and uses his body. He is not afraid at all to muck it up after the whistles or to take a number and take a run at someone.Physical per se?
He's strong, but he's not "physical". He's physically TOUGH. I guess that can be construed as "physical", but traditionally "physical" means tossing your weight around and throwing hits which he doesn't do. He's an excellent protector of the puck and he stands people up well, but I don't consider him a crash and bang type by any means.
markrander87
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So he's not a Milan Lucic? How many top scorers in the league are bang and crash? Lost in all of the MacKinnon, Drouin talk has been Adam Erne. I was very impressed with his overall game. He scored a great goal last night and has very good size as well.
May I ask what's wrong with you? Where did I say anything about him not being a Lucic? and why is that relevant?
He doesn't use his body a whole lot unless he has the puck and is protecting it or himself, therefore, he is not very physical per se.
ZetterBurger
Registered User
Are you trying to say he doesn't hit? Physical cannot be the word you are searching for.
Funny how page 10 + 11 everyone agrees on a consensus. All of a sudden page 14 he's some big heavy hitter and any other opinion is absurd.
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I see some posters here have already started jumping on anyone who is perceived to say something bad about Mackinnon.
Personally, I had no trouble understanding what you mean by him not being physical, and I'd say you're pretty bang on.
Physical players use their physicality as a big part of their game. Wendel Clark was a guy Mackinnon's size who was pretty damn physical. Mackinnon is not. He'd much rather be on an end to end rush than deliver a big hit, nothing wrong with that.
He won't back down from anyone, and has no problem getting involved if things get nasty after the whistle, but he's probably never going to be the physical, big hitting type.
markrander87
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Breakfast of Champs
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Watching him play in Canada games and the ACC tournament last year he dominated guys his own age with his physical play at times, and would go out of his way to lay the big hit.
This year he has gotten away from that which in my opinion is a good thing. He is still a physical player as he often uses the body when necessary very effectively, but I wouldn't call him extremely physical.
This year he has gotten away from that which in my opinion is a good thing. He is still a physical player as he often uses the body when necessary very effectively, but I wouldn't call him extremely physical.
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Yea it's just not a defining characteristic of his play. If I had to make a list of the qualities that define him I'd have it pretty low on the board. That might be because he's just better at everything else. Kovalchuk is 6'3" 235lbs, protects the puck well, stands people up, has dropped the gloves a few times, and hits here and there (esp when he's angry), but I highly doubt there's a lot of people who go "You know what's great about Kovalchuk? How physical he is. He is a physical player."
He's still the best prospect to come out of the Q in ages and could probably play top line on any team in the league. Assuming he'll improve, he'll definitely put up over 100pts and probably be a record breaker for Halifax
Pick Six
@Lafortune_FC
I'd be surprised if he was still that size. He looks a lot bigger on the ice, especially in person. I wouldn't be surprised if he was 6'0 right now. I can see him being a Taylor Hall-like build when he's in the pros.
Lost in all of the MacKinnon, Drouin talk has been Adam Erne. I was very impressed with his overall game. He scored a great goal last night and has very good size as well
I definitely feel the same. He's a really impressive prospect and has a great motor.
I'd compare his physicality more to a Hossa or Nash. Obviously a skilled player first and foremost, as you said, but he has great puck protection skills and often engages opponents physically. He wins a ton of battles along the boards and often outmuscles older bigger players. I think his physicality is a real underrated aspect of his game, and should translate great to the pro level.
Habs 4 Life
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@TA_Stephenson
Just to touch on this "physical" discussion a bit more.
He's not physical in comparison to a Wendall Clark, like you said. However, his offensive style of play, is physical in the sense that he uses his "physical" ability to it's maximum capability. Now you may say, well who doesn't. True, everyone tries, but his ceiling is so much higher then most players at his level that just using the eye test you can see that his physical gifts are exceptional.
When I saw he's a physical player, I don't mean Lucic and Clark physical.
His acceleration
His puck possession skills
His first step
His balance
His body control
I consider those all physical talents, when you put all of it together, and watch Nate you see that he's extremely physical. He can crash the net, and bang bodies in the corners, its not his go to style, but the ability is there. At 16.
The plays he makes routinely on the half boards where he stops on a dime, 2 quick cross overs in the other direction and he's already made two guys miss in front of the net and got the puck to the net. Often ending up in it, by his stick of another's because of the collapsing forwards he draws in.
his skating is incredible
I think he needs to work on his decision making (who doesn't at that age?), but when that's rounded out he'll be dominating the junior game
I think he needs to work on his decision making (who doesn't at that age?), but when that's rounded out he'll be dominating the junior game
gifted88
Dante the poet
I've been comparing him to Grigorenko all year...not really sure why seeing how they aren't the same age or the same type of players.
If MacKinnon was 2012 eligible would he be ranked over Grigorenko and Yakupov?
If MacKinnon was 2012 eligible would he be ranked over Grigorenko and Yakupov?
