Nico Cauzuki
Registered User
ohh my apologies was looking at your avatar didnt realise the username lol
D Brandt Clarke - Ontario Reign, AHL (2021, 8th, LAK)
- Thread starter MMC
- Start date
- Jul 25, 2012
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Haha I hang out in the kings boards from time to time, and watch their prospects development pretty closely
Makar and Clarke are both GREAT at these deceptive moves where their legs are out wide, heavily on their inside edges, and they use great ankle and hip mobility to manoeuvre quickly and unpredictably.
For Makar, I'm talking this sort of thing:
Or countless examples here:
Makar is amazing on his inside edges - when he's walking the line and undressing guys, very often he's on both inside edges, in that 10-2 stance, moving in directions that defenders don't expect. Clarke is great at that too, getting into that stance where a lot of guys don't have good mobility/direction changes, but nonetheless changing directions rapidly, which really fools defenders. e.g. countless examples here:
As I noted, Clarke doesn't have the raw speed that you see from guys like Makar, Dahlin, MacKinnon. He's certainly not on their level as a skater, overall, and I agree that his stance often looks a bit "bender"-y (knock kneed, lateral ankle flexion). But once you get over the superficial "looks weird" bits, he does have excellent agility/deceptive edgework, where he's super active with his hips and ankles, very hard to stick with in tight spaces, and just really unpredictable and mobile on those inside edges. This is a big element of Makar/Dahlin/MacKinnon's skating too.
Again, I don't think Clarke is an elite skater, but I think skating is overall a strength of his, not a weakness, once you get over the superficial appearance of his stance. Looks weird but is effective. His straight line speed is average/fine, and he's very mobile/agile/deceptive in tight spaces, especially on his inside edges.
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Fair enough . Guess we’ll know in 4or 5 seasons how they skating held up but one thing we all agree on .. his skill set and processing are unparalleled
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
That avatar is actually my fault lol!
Zegs is my all time favorite Ducks fan. Dude is an example for us all
As has been mentioned often, there is a lot of Klingberg in his game...both the good and the bad.
I think that LA's current #1D proves that maturity is in no way a prerequisite for the position.
Marc the Habs Fan
Moderator
Dominance
99-66-4-9-87/97
cg98
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2017
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Meh, its not a bad idea to hone his craft and work on his defense at the AHL level. Young defensemen take a little bit longer to adjust to the pro game and speed most of the time.
I actually agree with the poster after you getting Clarke huge MPG is more important and I think Spence had to clear waivers so there is more to the story.
kilowatt
the vibes are not immaculate
- Jan 1, 2009
- 18,608
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No, Spence does not require waivers. The fact is, the Kings take into account who has and has not "paid their dues". Clarke should be on an NHL roster right now and I disagree with sending him down, but it's par for the course in LA. You'll also likely see a guy like TJ Tynan called up during the regular season rather than guys like Turcotte or Laferriere if an injury pops up, to reward vets for playing in the AHL.
Spence has played well and they looked about even in camp, but I just pray this doesn't hamper Clarke's development.
Okay fair enough I'm on my phone and can't double check as quickly as when I'm home.
Still huge MPG all situations for a couple of months won't hurt Clarke.
Raccoon Jesus
Draft em but don't play em
Banished for the crime of being 20 and waiver-exempt on a Rob Blake managed team
gotta play that 28 year old journeyman D who wasn't able to hack it on a lottery team, just like playing Walker over Spence and Clarke last year
Dont' forget last year they sent him to the AHL to NOT PLAY for a month till world juniors
big brain development in LA
gotta play that 28 year old journeyman D who wasn't able to hack it on a lottery team, just like playing Walker over Spence and Clarke last year
Dont' forget last year they sent him to the AHL to NOT PLAY for a month till world juniors
big brain development in LA
ScoreZeGoals
Boooorrrrriiiinnnnng
- Jun 29, 2010
- 17,606
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Clarke is going to the AHL for two reasons:
Kings shitty developmental mindset of paying your dues in the AHL
And Blake's awful handling of the cap
Kings shitty developmental mindset of paying your dues in the AHL
And Blake's awful handling of the cap
ORRFForever
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2018
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I wish they'd forced QB to spend (more) time in the AHL.
King'sPawn
Enjoy the chaos
- Jul 1, 2003
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Goodness, no. That was the start of all their problems, in my opinion.
Despite Blake wanting to play a higher scoring, up-tempo game, there's this obsession with having every player they can spend time in the AHL, then play in the bottom-6, to "learn to check" and play a grinding style. They did it with Kaliyev, too. He's spent the past couple seasons alongside Blake Lizotte, Brendan Lemieux, and the like. He finally had the opportunity to play with Fiala and PLD, but the line was having issues with chemistry in training camp, then Kaliyev got suspended.
In a perfect world, Blake would have both Clarke and Laferriere in the NHL as they have the talent and have generally done well in camp. Then they could take turns in games and be shuffled around. Spence just outplayed Clarke during training camp. And because Blake has mismanaged the cap, he has to go with a 21-man roster.
The most galling thing is one of the best players in camp is Alex Laferriere, and he was sent down, too.
Jersey Fan 12
Positive Vibes
- Nov 20, 2006
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Must be missing something. Aren't the Kings considered one of the teams considered to have a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup?
It would seem there is nothing wrong with letting players mature in the AHL.
He is a bad skater, basically a poor version of Ekblad. And Ekblad hasn't had the career in the NHL that you'd expect after his junior years. There's a reason why he fell to (thh in the draft, there's a good chance he'll be a bust. As skating ability rarely improves significantly at this age. He probably would have been a star 30 years ago, but in today's NHL he's just not good enough.
Dominance
99-66-4-9-87/97
Bad take. Ekblad’s had seasons where he’s been a top-10 D-man in the league but just really cannot catch a break from freak injuries. And for the three millionth time, Clarke is an awkward skater, not a bad one.
Frolov 6'3
Unregistered User
With a bit of luck LA get two mid round picks for him, to make up for this error.
johnjm22
Pseudo Intellectual
- Aug 2, 2005
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