In regard to your last couple sentences, I don’t really understand how that much improvement can happen either. Jiricek will likely be able to improve it because he has to grow into his body still.
I think Jiricek, like many of the “highly touted” CBJ prospects, has been no more than average, when looking at their fitness/strength levels. I think he will improve his speed a bit by gaining more muscle, which is clearly needed. That said, especially in relation to K Johnson, I think Jiricek’s “skating form” is easily just as bad or worse, and they both simply lack (lower body/leg) strength.
Also, while “big” guys get looked at better for a myriad reasons over “small” guys, some more legitimate than others, at a certain height/weight, other than a VERY few players, there is a
negative impact on skating and agility. Whether it’s “good weight”/muscle or not, Jiricek is going to have to adapt even more and will be impacted by whatever amount of weight he surely should or will gain in the near future.
Who knows what will happen, and if he can find that “sweet spot” regarding his size and “technique” regarding his skating. I don’t wanna harp on his words any more, but, all I’ll say is HOPEFULLY he sees what many others see and acknowledges the need for improvement, which I’m not sure we actually have heard much from him.
But guys like KJ and Sillinger probably won’t see that much skating improvement as the issue is form. Form can be corrected but it takes a lot of time to truly break bad habits and even then it’s not like they’ll suddenly get a lot faster. Imagine how good KJ could be if he was a bit faster, he would basically be Jack Hughes lite.
Idk how much of it is “form” with any of these guys. I think Jiricek’s skating is quite a bit worse than both of these guys, but, I think his size has a lot to do with it. Was Chris Pronger a “good skater”? It’s also a reason I can’t stand people bashing Gudbranson for his skating.
These 3 young guys all have 1 main thing in common though. I don’t think it’s “form”, it’s FITNESS.
I have been very vocal from the beginning that I thought it was clear that Sillinger was quite literally “fat” for an NHLer. One of the most ridiculous aspects of him being in the NHL so soon. He clearly lost a bunch of fat and immediately gained speed/acceleration. You don’t get “in shape” in a year however, and his lacking endurance is something that shows up regularly, along with the fact that NO, his “form” is not great. Like a Boone Jenner though, with a commitment to getting his body in good shape, and a consistent “on ice” work ethic and intensity that seems to be there, he can get to point A and B fine. His “hockey IQ” is a whole other conversation.
I think KJ is similar to the other guys that he simply needs to FOCUS on his body/strength/fitness. You can add guys like Marchenko and Voronkov, and to a seemingly lesser extent Mateychuk, just for simply how “small” he is. Johnson and Marchenko are clearly and simply “weak” when looking at NHLers. If, or hopefully
when they mature physically, look the f*** out. Marchenko may ultimately lose a bit of speed/acceleration while adding a different element to his game, which could be beneficial. I think Johnson will quite literally look like Panarin as soon as he gets his body in NHL shape, as long as his intensity remains consistent.
Shit, we’ve already seen a guy REALLY commit to his fitness level and the difference in Chinakhov after just about 1 year or so.
Skating, or at least speed, seems like it is very much a “you have it or you don’t” trait, but I’d love for folks to come in and give me some examples to the contrary.
Strength and Conditioning
What you either “have or you don’t” is the WILL to get there. Similar to having the will to get to the slot or the front of the net.
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