GDT: Game 46 @ DRW 4pm

[drunksage]

SNOG announcement​

No SNOG. Maybe updated tables soon?

 

[Lebanezer]

 

[The Nemesis]

View attachment 961331

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[JoeThorntonsRooster]

I think you can go back and look at how Eklund's game has grown and extrapolate. I think Eklund was more active in his first audition with the Sharks but he was getting dummied at 19 also. Nowadays, he's pretty good at handling contact and board play. Just hoping that Smith gets more comfortable initiating contact.

so luckily for me, Sheng posted an old Eklund article with gifs for us to look at

EXCLUSIVE: William Eklund Breaks Down His Sharks Tape | SJHN+

Imagine getting to study game film with a 19-year-old Erik Karlsson. Learning from a future master of the game, who’s just coming into his full powers. That’s what I thought about when I got a chance to sit down with 2021 first-round pick William Eklund — before he got re-assigned — and break...

sanjosehockeynow.com

Where Has Eklund Improved This Year, Where Can He Get Better?

Remember the Gecko? That was William Eklund’s nickname last season during his nine-game NHL debut. Brent Burns’s nickname for William Eklund is the Gecko. “He slings around like a little lizard out there. He’s always got his head up. He just makes great offensive plays. You don’t really know if...

sanjosehockeynow.com

I will have to take a closer look at this later. I remember 18 year old Eklund making mistakes and being torn on whether or not he should say; I do not remember him losing basically every single puck battle the way Smith has. But memories can be hazy and he might be a great example of somebody making massive improvements even if he was never quite as bad as Smith (since he's really good at battling for pucks now)!

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[hohosaregood]

I will have to take a closer look at this later. I remember 18 year old Eklund making mistakes and being torn on whether or not he should say; I do not remember him losing basically every single puck battle the way Smith has. But memories can be hazy and he might be a great example of somebody making massive improvements even if he was never quite as bad as Smith (since he's really good at battling for pucks now)!

Eklund was better for sure no doubt about that. Especially about wanting to get in there but he lost battles in similar ways.

 

[Jargon]

I will have to take a closer look at this later. I remember 18 year old Eklund making mistakes and being torn on whether or not he should say; I do not remember him losing basically every single puck battle the way Smith has. But memories can be hazy and he might be a great example of somebody making massive improvements even if he was never quite as bad as Smith (since he's really good at battling for pucks now)!

I don’t remember how he did in puck battles but he played much faster than Smith and was, even then, a surprisingly good defensive player. He was also and sneaky as hell and could evade guys in a very noticeable, positive way. I kinda think Eklund sort of always looked pretty good and then suddenly amazing, and then okay again.

I think with Will, he looks a little slow and a little behind (though getting better) and has shifts where he looks just awful and shifts where he makes 3 passes that very few guys can make with ease. Like, I think his highs were higher than Eklund’s but his lows AND his mids look worse, if that makes sense.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Absolutely. Smith is basically average height for a forward, and is far from the only 19 year old to ever play in the league. Why is he being dominated in puck battles like no player we’ve ever seen before? I don’t claim to know the answer, but we can’t pretend it doesn’t raise concerns regarding his long term future.

Probably just a lack of preparation. Not everyone is a fitness freak, or really into modern training/fitness.

 

[karltonian]

Absolutely. Smith is basically average height for a forward, and is far from the only 19 year old to ever play in the league. Why is he being dominated in puck battles like no player we’ve ever seen before? I don’t claim to know the answer, but we can’t pretend it doesn’t raise concerns regarding his long term future.

Patty is priming him to break his record