D Brandt Clarke - (2021, 8th, LAK)

[FireBird71]

Yeah we saw how fine it was in the NHL after being able to play like a forward in Michigan.

Not my fault your team was horseshit…Jackson had better playoffs than Frolov LMAO

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Not my fault your team was horseshit…Jackson had better playoffs than Frolov LMAO

Very odd thing to say about a team that was just a couple years out from winning two Stanley Cups and got much better by trading Johnson at the deadline in 2012.

Shockingly, Johnson's defense wasn't good on any other team he played on. Maybe it had something to do with the player himself...

 

[SmytheKing]

Very odd thing to say about a team that was just a couple years out from winning two Stanley Cups and got much better by trading Johnson at the deadline in 2012.

Shockingly, Johnson's defense wasn't good on any other team he played on. Maybe it had something to do with the player himself...

Notorious defensive stalwart Jack Johnson you mean?

 

[TwzKing]

I think we found JJ hf handle. Or maybe it's his friend that use to post updates on the kings board.

 

[wetcoast]

I think we found JJ hf handle. Or maybe it's his friend that use to post updates on the kings board.

Well it's certainly not his parents handle.

 

[kilowatt]

His defense at Michigan was just fine

Hey Jack, hope you're doing well. Was a big fan of yours when you were with LA. We had some great years, didn't we? Hope retirement treats you well!

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Goals in 5 straight for Brandt Clarke. He's had a strong start to the season statistically with 14 points in 10 games.

 

[Dominance]

@ConnorMcMullet beat me to reviving his thread.

LA’s prospect pool is just stupid. I maintain that Clarke was the best prospect in the 2021 draft; adding the second coming of Drew Doughty to Byfield, Turcotte, Kaliyev, Bjornfot, Kupari, Thomas, Faber, Madden, Grans (and on and on) is ridiculous.

 

[elitepete]

Well it's certainly not his parents handle.

This is in bad taste.

 

[wetcoast]

This is in bad taste.

Yes it is in a way but thought it funny enough to go there.

 

[Timeless Winter]

I still remember thinking this right after round 1 of the draft was over; Clarke, Guenther and Eklund were steals and fell a few spots from where I thought they should be picked.

 

[57special]

I still remember thinking this right after round 1 of the draft was over; Clarke, Guenther and Eklund were steals and fell a few spots from where I thought they should be picked.

This is a homer'ish comment, as both were drafted by my team, but i think Lambos and Wallstedt were steals also relative to where they were drafted in round 1. Both have had strong starts to the season.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

I still remember thinking this right after round 1 of the draft was over; Clarke, Guenther and Eklund were steals and fell a few spots from where I thought they should be picked.

The majority of people had those guys (maybe less so Clarke) going above McTavish and Johnson. Clarke was one of my favourite prospects in this years draft.

 

[KapG]

Clarke at 8 was it? All because he has a Wonky stride lmao…

 

[Boonk]

Clarke at 8 was it? All because he has a Wonky stride lmao…

Some people in the World Juniors thread want to leave him off of Team Canada cause of his skating...LMFAO fools

 

[bossram]

Clarke at 8 was it? All because he has a Wonky stride lmao…

And he actually gets around the ice fairly well. He just looks weird doing it.

NHL scouts are still dinosaurs. It's literally the scene in Moneyball where the scouts just don't like how the guy throws, despite him actually getting strikes.

 

[KapG]

Some people in the World Juniors thread want to leave him off of Team Canada cause of his skating...LMFAO fools

That’s outrageous. It’s not even like he can’t skate. Just a weird stride. Guy is absurdly talented

 

[KapG]

And he actually gets around the ice fairly well. He just looks weird doing it.

NHL scouts are still dinosaurs. It's literally the scene in Moneyball where the scouts just don't like how the guy throws, despite him actually getting strikes.

Exactly. He skates well enough in the sense that he gets around the ice just fine. He just does it in a wonky way. Kid ooooooozes talent

 

[Zaddy]

I still remember thinking this right after round 1 of the draft was over; Clarke, Guenther and Eklund were steals and fell a few spots from where I thought they should be picked.

I mean, everyone selected ahead of those guys are doing very well too. Hard to call anyone a steal at this point. The only thing I'll say is that I think Beniers will get ranked a lot lower in a re-draft a couple of years from now.

 

[bsu]

His skate movements are very similar to Laine and both get around just fine. Overstated skating concerns.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

This is a homer'ish comment, as both were drafted by my team, but i think Lambos and Wallstedt were steals also relative to where they were drafted in round 1. Both have had strong starts to the season.

The 2021 draft is looking like a really strong draft in hindsight. Stronger than anticipated if you look at the performance of the guys picked in the top 30.

Wallstedt and Cossa are top goalies in their respective leagues.
Power, Hughes, Edvinsson, Clarke and Lambos are all doing incredible in their leagues.
Benier and Johnson are doing great at UM.
Cole Sillinger made the NHL as the #12 (really #11) overall pick and doesn't look out of place. William Eklund also didn't look out of place but was sent back to the SHL to get stronger. And Mason McTavish also looks like he'll be back in the NHL sometime this year.

While it won't be a generational draft like 2015 it's looking like they could fill out some top lines in the future NHL.

 

[OKR]

His skate movements are very similar to Laine and both get around just fine. Overstated skating concerns.

Laine isn’t ”knock-kneed” tho, Clarke is probably the faster skater but he is naturally held back by him being ”knock-kneed” for multiple reasons.

1. Being knock kneed changes the distribution of the weight, making balance and stability extra difficult.

2. It affects the range of leg motion which has direct effect on speed, lateral movement, and agility

3. Risk of ALC injuries is much higher on knock-kneed people.

Disclaimer: I’m a big believer of Clarke, but all of these still are all valid reasons for concern

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Laine isn’t ”knock-kneed” tho, Clarke is probably the faster skater but he is naturally held back by him being ”knock-kneed” for multiple reasons.

1. Being knock kneed changes the distribution of the weight, making balance and stability extra difficult.

2. It affects the range of leg motion which has direct effect on speed, lateral movement, and agility

3. Risk of ALC injuries is much higher on knock-kneed people.

Disclaimer: I’m a big believer of Clarke, but all of these still are all valid reasons for concern

I forget where the writeup on it was (Athletic maybe?) but they examined this and found a lot of the same plus his 'lean forward' as a result can cause defensive issues on the boards (ie if a guy makes a last second move on you, he's already 'committed' and can't respond)...but that in the end it should be easily correctable by strength training.

Ultimately I think a lot of his deception is created by this stride so I think it's a feature not a bug, but I tend to agree there are drawbacks as well--it's just silly watching people talk themselves out of his ability because his skating isn't pretty.

 

[KapG]

5g 16a 21pts in 16gp

idk how there isn’t more talk about this kid. One point behind his team lead while playing 2 less games.

really, really like this kids potential.

 

[bert]

Laine isn’t ”knock-kneed” tho, Clarke is probably the faster skater but he is naturally held back by him being ”knock-kneed” for multiple reasons.

1. Being knock kneed changes the distribution of the weight, making balance and stability extra difficult.

2. It affects the range of leg motion which has direct effect on speed, lateral movement, and agility

3. Risk of ALC injuries is much higher on knock-kneed people.

Disclaimer: I’m a big believer of Clarke, but all of these still are all valid reasons for concern

I'd love to see the study on #3.

He is a great prospect with incredible hockey sense and vision. He gets around the ice and has good edges that's all that matters. Just read someone try and spin it into a positive lol. Very Hf, absolutely not true but this is the content we get.