Xamar*
Guest
He's ok. Would be a better goal scorer if he played with an elite centre but I guess you could say that about any NHL winger.
How is his low end potential an elite minor league player when he's already a solid NHL player...
My limited view notes on Hoffman...
Mike Hoffman (LW/C) - Sparky offensive forward. A little sparkplug who has a lot of jump and enthusiasm. Has a neat offensive toolset that includes some nifty hands, a good selection of high-caliber shots and the ability to play the point on the power play. He has quick strides and can generate a good amount of speed. He is knocked off the puck and pushed to the perimeter far too easily to be a long-term NHL success as it stands currently. He doesn't possess enough gumption to play on the bottom two lines and be a positive factor unless he is dressing as a power play specialist with limited ES ice time.
Likely potential: Elite minor leaguer/Quadruple-A player, the factor that holds him back: size/strength.
Highest ceiling: Weak second line, offensive winger.
Tell me how the hell his potential is an elite minor player, when he already excelling in the NHL in his first year?
My guess is because he wrote those notes a while back.
Yeah, not that anyone should be sold on a player who has 60 some NHL games at the age of 25 (I know it's not common policy to step out of the moment and look at things from a broader standpoint)...there's guys on teams like this where opportunities are given and someone has to score, so sometimes the stats can be misleading...not speaking of Hoffman specifically, but sometimes these things happen...there's a ton of examples obviously...
And yes, those notes were largely compiled in March or April of 2014 based on what was compiled around then player-wise. So, I'll give him another strong look, as apparently he has really turned the corner. I've seen Ottawa a few times this year of course, but he didn't standout any more than he did for me in the past, but he also wasn't my primary focus...
My limited view notes on Hoffman...
Mike Hoffman (LW/C) - Sparky offensive forward. A little sparkplug who has a lot of jump and enthusiasm. Has a neat offensive toolset that includes some nifty hands, a good selection of high-caliber shots and the ability to play the point on the power play. He has quick strides and can generate a good amount of speed. He is knocked off the puck and pushed to the perimeter far too easily to be a long-term NHL success as it stands currently. He doesn't possess enough gumption to play on the bottom two lines and be a positive factor unless he is dressing as a power play specialist with limited ES ice time.
Likely potential: Elite minor leaguer/Quadruple-A player, the factor that holds him back: size/strength.
Highest ceiling: Weak second line, offensive winger.
Outside of his skating, nothing in my opinion stands out as exceptional, but he does have a very good shot, and can dangle a bit. He's really found some chemistry of late with Ryan and Zibanejad, but whether that last or not remains to be seen.
I think he's still catching guys unaware of his speed, but to me he's similar to early Raymond Mason.
Theres lots of players who had one good season then ended up in lower leagues. Wolski comes to mind
Yeah, not that anyone should be sold on a player who has 60 some NHL games at the age of 25 (I know it's not common policy to step out of the moment and look at things from a broader standpoint)...there's guys on teams like this where opportunities are given and someone has to score, so sometimes the stats can be misleading...not speaking of Hoffman specifically, but sometimes these things happen...there's a ton of examples obviously...
And yes, those notes were largely compiled in March or April of 2014 based on what was compiled around then player-wise. So, I'll give him another strong look, as apparently he has really turned the corner. I've seen Ottawa a few times this year of course, but he didn't standout any more than he did for me in the past, but he also wasn't my primary focus...