C Quinton Byfield (2020, 2nd, LAK) part IV

[Mats26]

Great game. Should of scored on his semi break away.
Huge progression from last year, confident, NHL speed, hands, good board play, pretty good at stripping pucks on the back check . People forget he is only 19, so much more room to grow.

 

[Rob Brown]

Great game. Should of scored on his semi break away.
Huge progression from last year, confident, NHL speed, hands, good board play, pretty good at stripping pucks on the back check . People forget he is only 19, so much more room to grow.

And he's going to fill out and get bigger, too. He's going to be such a beast along the boards and attacking the net from the corners.

 

[majormajor]

Agreed, his skating is similar to Barkov IMO. Smooth, powerful, long strides, good edges - just very technically sound all around. Doesn’t have that MacKinnon/Eichel type nuts acceleration, but he’s a very good skater, especially so for his size.

Similar to Barkov, some casual fans think his skating is average, because their feet don’t move fast, but NHL scouts see/saw both as strong skaters.

My recollection is that Barkov was viewed as a plodding skater with good raw potential (that he realized), while Byfield was and is viewed as a great skater, a really incredible skater for his size. I think even casuals have to be able to see it. Byfield flies around out there.

Anyone know why he uses a mini-stick?

No but we can guess that he handles it better than with using a six and a half foot stick. There is no space to maneuver a puck with a stick as long as he is tall. You can compare Matthews (short stick) to Laine (long stick) and see how it affects handling ability.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I thought he looked pretty solid and belonged. That one shift where he stripped the puck off the Avs player in the offensive zone and turned it around quickly was pretty impressive.

And that could only happen with his speed and reach, he does generate quite a bit like that. Imagine if he used an adult stick!

 

[bsu]

My recollection is that Barkov was viewed as a plodding skater with good raw potential (that he realized), while Byfield was and is viewed as a great skater, a really incredible skater for his size. I think even casuals have to be able to see it. Byfield flies around out there.



No but we can guess that he handles it better than with using a six and a half foot stick. There is no space to maneuver a puck with a stick as long as he is tall. You can compare Matthews (short stick) to Laine (long stick) and see how it affects handling ability.

Crosby uses a super small stick too

 

[bert]

Great game. Should of scored on his semi break away.
Huge progression from last year, confident, NHL speed, hands, good board play, pretty good at stripping pucks on the back check . People forget he is only 19, so much more room to grow.

Oh yeah, the raw tools are there. Its going to take a while but when he gets there he is going to be an absolute force. Big guys take longer, hopefully people are patient with him.

 

[ponder]

My recollection is that Barkov was viewed as a plodding skater with good raw potential (that he realized), while Byfield was and is viewed as a great skater, a really incredible skater for his size. I think even casuals have to be able to see it. Byfield flies around out there.

Examples from Byfield’s last WJC:

C Quinton Byfield (2020, 2nd, LAK) part III

C Quinton Byfield (2020, 2nd, LAK) part III

C Quinton Byfield (2020, 2nd, LAK) part III

Lots of complaints about slow feet, wide turns, lack of agility, “turns like an aircraft carrier”, etc. Also lots of people saying “what?!?! He’s a great skater, especially for his size.”

I do think his skating is more highly regarded than same age Barkov, but Barkov was also regarded as a great skater by scouts, a very smooth, technically sound power skater, while it was more common for casual fans to complain about slow feet, wide turns, lack of agility, etc.

Big dudes who are very textbook power skaters, they take long strides with great extension. This is great technique, much better way to generate speed than short, choppy strides, but if you haven’t had much power skating coaching yourself, it’s easy to mistake this for an agility issue.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Oh yeah, the raw tools are there. Its going to take a while but when he gets there he is going to be an absolute force. Big guys take longer, hopefully people are patient with him.

Can already see at the very least mental growth between last year and this year already, much more confident and assertive. Even with the broken ankle/covid time off.

 

[FrozenKing18]

 

[Noonan61]

Got that Modano jersey flutter on that play.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

My recollection is that Barkov was viewed as a plodding skater with good raw potential (that he realized), while Byfield was and is viewed as a great skater, a really incredible skater for his size. I think even casuals have to be able to see it. Byfield flies around out there.



No but we can guess that he handles it better than with using a six and a half foot stick. There is no space to maneuver a puck with a stick as long as he is tall. You can compare Matthews (short stick) to Laine (long stick) and see how it affects handling ability.

I don’t mean it as a knock on him. I’ve always been a big believer in Byfield. I just don’t think I’ve seen a player of that height use a stick that short. Very unique.

I haven’t really noticed Matthews stick being that much shorter comparatively, but I’ll have to keep an eye on that next time I watch a Leafs game.

 

[majormajor]

I don’t mean it as a knock on him. I’ve always been a big believer in Byfield. I just don’t think I’ve seen a player of that height use a stick that short. Very unique.

I haven’t really noticed Matthews stick being that much shorter comparatively, but I’ll have to keep an eye on that next time I watch a Leafs game.

Byfield's stick to height seems in similar proportion to Matthews.

 

[bsu]

Byfield's stick to height seems in similar proportion to Matthews.

Might be similar, I think it's just Byfield hunched skating style that makes it look even shorter.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

With some of the moves he makes in tight and on the walls, it makes sense that he uses a shorter stick. little tradeoff in reach and protection for comfort, stickhandling in the triangle.

 

[JTeller97]

Kids going to be such a monster in his prime. Talk about a matchup nightmare in a seven game series, just going to wreak absolute havoc for close to 20 minutes a night.

 

[Rob Brown]

That would have been an awesome first goal.

 

[elitepete]

With some of the moves he makes in tight and on the walls, it makes sense that he uses a shorter stick. little tradeoff in reach and protection for comfort, stickhandling in the triangle.

Short stick is generally superior to long stick imo, but it depends on the type of player. A longer stick gives more shot velocity, makes it easier to break up plays defensively/cover more ice, and better reach when in tight close to the net. Short stick obviously makes it easier to handle the puck, which is more important for play drivers.

Pettersson started the season with a new, longer stick, but it only added to his struggles and he went back to his old stick.

 

[WADEugottaBELAKthat]

He looked really sharp in his first game. I came away impressed with how many touches he got and what he did with those touches. I have always thought of him as a long term project. But perhaps he’s one of those guys that shines more playing with high-end players?

 

[Sweetpotato]

I will eat crow, I was never really impressed with him between watching him in the OHL and WJC but he look very impressive. LA chose a project and I think they absolutely killed it.

 

[kilowatt]

He looked really sharp in his first game. I came away impressed with how many touches he got and what he did with those touches. I have always thought of him as a long term project. But perhaps he’s one of those guys that shines more playing with high-end players?

Can't wait to get him with some high-end players then, he was out there with Dustin Brown and Carl Grundstrom for most of the night

Besides his power play time, he was on an island out there.

 

[Kingfan1967]

Let this sink in , Byfield ( 2nd OA 2020) is only 3 months older than Owen Power ( 1st OA 2021) even though they are a draft year apart.

 

[bsu]

Let this sink in , Byfield ( 2nd OA 2020) is only 3 months older than Owen Power ( 1st OA 2021) even though they are a draft year apart.

Both are probably at a similar point too.

 

[Dominance]

Aaaand immediately given less than 10 minutes of ice time. What is wrong with these teams.

 

[ORRFForever]

Aaaand immediately given less than 10 minutes of ice time. What is wrong with these teams.

Taking it REALLY slow, I guess.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Aaaand immediately given less than 10 minutes of ice time. What is wrong with these teams.

He got hurt on a Matt Roy slapshot, might have played into it