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C Nick Suzuki - Guelph Storm, OHL (2017, 13th, VGK; traded to MTL)

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Not sure if his thread also disappeared in migration. Anyway, Suzuki leads the league in scoring with 18 points in nine games. He's off to a very good start, and with this pace he should reach to numbers (45+51=96) he collected last year.

He participated in the Golden Knights' training camp among Glass, Brännström and Hague scoring one goal in few games. He turned 18 just a few months ago, but do you think that his development is enough fast for him to make to the team within next two seasons (2018-2020)?
 
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Sure. But personally based on my observations, he needs to diversify his game and add some bulk to his frame. His ability to pull off dazzling moves works really well in the OHL. Obviously. But against tougher NHL defenders he largely fell silent for big portions of his games. He needs to figure out how to be effective beyond nice dangles and slick puck handling.
 
HanSolo said:
Sure. But personally based on my observations, he needs to diversify his game and add some bulk to his frame. His ability to pull off dazzling moves works really well in the OHL. Obviously. But against tougher NHL defenders he largely fell silent for big portions of his games. He needs to figure out how to be effective beyond nice dangles and slick puck handling.
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I think you’re discrediting him quite a bit. He’s an effective and responsible player defensively, extremely positionally strong, and I’ve always thought he’s far above average in terms of board work, too, although he could definitely add 25 pounds. I didn’t see him in Vegas camp, though, so maybe he didn’t showcase all his talents well there.
 
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99664987 said:
I think you’re discrediting him quite a bit. He’s an effective and responsible player defensively, extremely positionally strong, and I’ve always thought he’s far above average in terms of board work, too, although he could definitely add 25 pounds. I didn’t see him in Vegas camp, though, so maybe he didn’t showcase all his talents well there.
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Oh he did. He looked pretty good for an 18 year old in preseason IMO.
 
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Can you elaborate on what you mean by needing to do more than nice dangles that don't translate to the NHL? He pulls off moves at top speed and sees the ice while he's doing it. Just because a guy plays a skill game in Junior doesn't mean it automatically doesn't translate to a bigger league.

He's not just cherry picking points like a Conor Garland, he's dominating. That doesn't go away because he didn't dominate the preseason as an 18 year old.
 
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99664987 said:
I think you’re discrediting him quite a bit. He’s an effective and responsible player defensively, extremely positionally strong, and I’ve always thought he’s far above average in terms of board work, too, although he could definitely add 25 pounds. I didn’t see him in Vegas camp, though, so maybe he didn’t showcase all his talents well there.
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I'm not discrediting him one iota. I'm saying if he wants to be a star player in this league...we don't exist in an NHL where players with his offensive flash can thrive just on having better hands than defenders do ability. It's a dead puck trap hockey man coverage era. What Suzuki can do with the puck is conducive to dominance over junior league players. If he doesn't figure out how to score from different areas and with different methods than just flashy hands, he could still be a good player but i think he'd have trouble reaching his full potential.

I'm not saying he doesn't have the tools or skills to be great.
MordredGK said:
Oh he did. He looked pretty good for an 18 year old in preseason IMO.
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I mean relatively speaking, yeah. When he could make opportunities for himself he looked good. But the other 80% of the time he would just disappear. And that's fine. I didn't expect him to make the team out of camp but there's things to work on with him.
Bevans said:
Can you elaborate on what you mean by needing to do more than nice dangles that don't translate to the NHL? He pulls off moves at top speed and sees the ice while he's doing it. Just because a guy plays a skill game in Junior doesn't mean it automatically doesn't translate to a bigger league.

He's not just cherry picking points like a Conor Garland, he's dominating. That doesn't go away because he didn't dominate the preseason as an 18 year old.
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Listen I'm not making the argument that he's a future bust or anything. He just needs more polish at the pro level. Many players are capable of dominating juniors because there is a lot more space to work with. Not as many players are able to take the context of less space and more aggressive defense and able to translate it to the kind of efficiency needed to be a star in this game. Suzuki has that capability but even the best in the NHL can't make mincemeat of teams the way he's able to in juniors. If he wants to produce like a star he's gonna have to do more than just try flash plays until they work. It's what Anaheim went through and still sometimes goes through with Rakell. He's got a lot of flash and he tries to flash his way to the net but often times he just gets stopped.
 
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HanSolo said:
I'm not discrediting him one iota. I'm saying if he wants to be a star player in this league...we don't exist in an NHL where players with his offensive flash can thrive just on having better hands than defenders do ability. It's a dead puck trap hockey man coverage era. What Suzuki can do with the puck is conducive to dominance over junior league players. If he doesn't figure out how to score from different areas and with different methods than just flashy hands, he could still be a good player but i think he'd have trouble reaching his full potential.

I'm not saying he doesn't have the tools or skills to be great.


I mean relatively speaking, yeah. When he could make opportunities for himself he looked good. But the other 80% of the time he would just disappear. And that's fine. I didn't expect him to make the team out of camp but there's things to work on with him.


Listen I'm not making the argument that he's a future bust or anything. He just needs more polish at the pro level. Many players are capable of dominating juniors because there is a lot more space to work with. Not as many players are able to take the context of less space and more aggressive defense and able to translate it to the kind of efficiency needed to be a star in this game. Suzuki has that capability but even the best in the NHL can't make mincemeat of teams the way he's able to in juniors. If he wants to produce like a star he's gonna have to do more than just try flash plays until they work. It's what Anaheim went through and still sometimes goes through with Rakell. He's got a lot of flash and he tries to flash his way to the net but often times he just gets stopped.
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I still disagree with your assessment that he's "just flashy hands" and that he thrives on "just having better hands than defenders do". Considering you don't think you're "discrediting him one iota" by reducing him to that I'd hate to see you be critical of the guy.
 
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Bevans said:
I still disagree with your assessment that he's "just flashy hands" and that he thrives on "just having better hands than defenders do". Considering you don't think you're "discrediting him one iota" by reducing him to that I'd hate to see you be critical of the guy.
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I didn't say all he is is flashy hands. I'm just reporting to you what I saw him do with both other Vegas prospects and among actual NHLers. When he played against rookies he would pull off some very dazzling moves cause his offensive skill greatly outweighed the defensive skill of the guys facing him. He would make it a point to do something creative and flashy every time he got space in any rookie game or scrimmage.

When he played against veterans he humbled his game up and became an opportunist. He would attack the net when he had a lane but he was mostly forced into sharp angle or unscreened shots. And most of the rest of his offensive game was played on the perimeter, waiting for opportunities to attack the net or pass it around the perimeter. And yeah he got into board play here and there and tried forechecking but he wasn't particularly effective at it.

I don't think it's underrating or short selling to say an 18 year old's flash and dazzle game he was able to pull against rookies fell apart against seasoned veterans. It's something that tends to happen with freshly drafted players. He needs to add polish and find ways to get more involved in the offensive zone rather than ride the permiter against NHL players. It's my observation. I want Suzuki to succeed and I think he will. I just pointed out what he needs to do against NHLers to speed up the process of joining the big club. Am I talking to Suzuki himself? Why the sensitivity?
 
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Think him and Glass should prove to be quite a combo in Vegas. Be interesting to see them play together.
 
Suzuki is up to 2ppg with 18 in 9, and Glass just short with 17 in 9.

Suzuki is leading the OHL by a point for the league lead, and Glass is 12th in points and 4th in assists in the WHL.

iirc Glass finished in the top 10 last year, but if he can bring an improved two way game and faceoff ability, I will take the minute slide in stride.

Suzuki leading the league in points is huge, and there’s a realistic possibility he stays there. That would be an amazing haul for Vegas.
 
Still leading the OHL points, now up to 23 pts in 11 games. Looked very solid, playing his usual style of play.
 
I've been a fan of Suzuki for awhile, and what he's doing this year is quite impressive. His numbers last year, when adjusted for age and league quality, blew everyone else out of the water in regards to CHL forwards. Despite that, I still had him behind Hischier, Patrick, Villardi and Glass, but still had him 12th overall on my final list. Nothing has changed enough for me to dramatically change this stance, but his stock is increasing just based on proving his ability to produce again at a high level, even when accounting for the extra year of development.

What will determine whether Suzuki is a star NHL player or simply a complimentary piece (or at worst a guy tearing up the NLA) will be his ability to create space to utilize his hockey IQ at the next level. He'll never be a guy who is going to hold guys off using brute strength, but with some improvement in his skating, he could be able to do so with his hands, footwork, and speed. Its very tough to be a high-end producer in the NHL just off of IQ, because the biggest thing will create time and space to utilize your vision and awareness. I'd love to see Suzuki become a star in Vegas, as I've highly enjoyed his game at the OHL level. Going forward, I would think Golden Knights fans should be ecstatic with their young forward core between Glass, Suzuki and Tuch. While they didn't get lotto luck, GMGM and his staff had a solid showing at the draft.
 
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Hearing very little about Suzuki. Anybody have any updates on how is play has been as of late?

Stats-wise it looks as if he has gone from a roaring start to somewhat pedestrian numbers as of late. Perhaps the WJC-snub shook him a bit? Or perhaps the other way around - his play before Christmas caused the Canada brass to look elsewhere?

Personally I was fascinated looking at his clips from the 16-17 campaign. I figured he was a strong bet to lead the OHL in points this season.
 
WADEugottaBELAKthat said:
Hearing very little about Suzuki. Anybody have any updates on how is play has been as of late?

Stats-wise it looks as if he has gone from a roaring start to somewhat pedestrian numbers as of late. Perhaps the WJC-snub shook him a bit? Or perhaps the other way around - his play before Christmas caused the Canada brass to look elsewhere?

Personally I was fascinated looking at his clips from the 16-17 campaign. I figured he was a strong bet to lead the OHL in points this season.
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Barely noticeable in the game last week vs North Bay. Saw some creativity with the puck, but nothing really awe-inspiring.
 
He was playing absolutely amazing until just before the WJC camp. The problem is that camp and the Attack's complete falling apart happened at the same time and he hasn't taken it well. Has shown glimpses of form, but has mostly been uninspired, lazy, and selfish. The first time there's ever been red flags with Nick, but it might be more of a symptom of a team that has lost faith in itself (and probably the coaching staff).

Of particular concern is that without Gadjovich and Hancock, he was completely helpless out there. Rather than step up and continue dominating opposing teams, he let getting picked on get to him and couldn't muster much through December. It was more than just missing the space that his linemates provided.

The lack of production is concerning but it is likely a team issue first. At least, I hope.
 
whitstifier said:
Is that his style, though?
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No, the previous poster didn't gave a fair picture of Suzuki, I guess he probably saw him on a bad game. His style his offensive dynamo, insane creativity and puck skill ability, coupled with a terrific wrister, a real treat offensively when he is on the ice, continually creating scoring chances. His size is the obvious issue(edit: even then, if you can call it one), his speed is good, but considering his size I would like to see him improve his skating further in order to be dominant at the NHL level.
 
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I don't think that his size is particularly an issue, but he should improve skating, especially lateral movement and the first two/three strides. His skill set compensates the size, and based on that, he'll definitely be an effective NHLer in the future (when the skating is also fine)
 
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Responded really well this week with eight points in three games, including a hat trick today against the Otters.

Erie's obviously not a dangerous opponent at this point in the season, but Suzuki's getting back to doing what he does well. Helps a lot that Hancock has come back into the lineup and immediately carried on where he left off.
 
Suzuki in terms of his skill set reminds me of barzal and o think he an be that good in the nhl Vegas got a good one
 
ProspectsFanatic said:
He does not have such dynamic skating ability, I personally wouldn't go with this comparison.
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Play style is in fact quite comparable. Both depend on their speed, aggressiveness, and puck control to put defenders on their heels and make plays off the rush, and both like to pounce with sudden, all-out aggression on defenders to force turnovers. It’s a stretch to say that Suzuki will reach even the level of Barzal’s rookie season, but he does play similarly and IMO has significantly better shooting.
 
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