Bratt and Gritsyuk were different though.
If anything Gritsyuk dropped because of his skating, which was fine in terms of form, but weak in terms of acceleration and speed.
In his Hockey Prospect grades in 2019 (they ranked him 57):
Hockey Sense: 7
Compete: 6
Skill: 6
Skating: 5
The scale is 3-9: 7 is Very Good, 6 is Good, 5 is Average
It was his size/strength and lack of elite skating to make up for his size that caused Gritsyuk to drop.
Quotes:
“He competes hard during puck-races and can-out pace opposing defenses but there’s still a separating gear he lacks at this time. This extends to his first-step which also doesn’t have the power to remain as elusive as we would like, given his frame. However his hockey sense compensated for a lot of his weaknesses, which is why we have ranked him at the back-half of our list.” (They only ranked 108 players in 2019.)
His strengths were he was always an exceptionally smart and skilled player who works hard & had a nice shot to boot. He’s a small player who’s just really good at hockey.
His skating form was fine though and speed is something you can gain with strength, which was what Gritsyuk needed to do to get over the hump to compete in the KHL.
Hockey Prospects ranked Bratt at 100 in 2016, out of 211, they have shortened the ranked lists more recently.
They didn’t have scores then but the first thing they mention is Bratt “plays a high paced game with the ability to execute at top speed”.
“He is one of the biggest one on one threats in transition, has a rare ability to deke out defensemen and tremendous agility.”
“His quick decision making keeps up with his great skating ability, and together with patience and vision allows him to be a good playmaker.”
“His accurate wrist shot is definitely a legit threat, but Jesper is a passer more than a goal scorer.”
So why only 100? Needs to get more involved with puck battles, “it looks like he doesn’t like getting his nose dirty, especially along the boards”, didn’t like his defense or compete level, blah blah. Bratt was a boom or bust pick though.
Mark Edwards has a bitchy quote “He catches my attention with some flash and dash but he’s a guy I liked less with every viewing. He’s got skill but need to be a more complete player. Not competitive enough. One of our Euro scouts called him this year’s Bracco.”
I actually bought their 2016 book (along with a bunch of early ones) maybe a year ago just for some hindsight fun. They had McLeod at 19 but Mark Edwards did hit a bullseye with his description here (and he probably saw a lot more OHL hockey in 2016).
Hope you can make that out because I don’t want to transcribe the the whole thing.:
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Also lol:
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Zetterlund was ranked 176 in 2017 (out of 217) and is described as “an explosive skater who can generate very good top speed”.
“This speed is his best asset, as he consistently is stretching the ice or attacking the net, forcing the opposition to defend. In viewings this season he found himself on a lot of odd man rushes, and was a player who seemed around the puck on most shifts. He combines this speed with a very good motor, as he has a strong desire to retrieve pucks and forecheck. Another asset that helps his forechecking skills is his ability to change directions, and stop and start.”
They mention him playing bigger than his 5’11” height “as he has no trouble using his body to drive to the net and protect the puck”.
“He has a quick release that can surprise goalies and can score from a distance. As well, he can shoot the puck when at top speed and get the puck up quickly around the net.”
The best quote might be “Fabian’s best offensive asset is his feet and his other skills are complementary”.
“Sometimes when he drives the net, he looks out of control and his feet may move quicker than his mind and hands can keep up, but he still manages to create quality shots.” Still true lol.
“Zetterlund needs open space and time to take advantage of skating skills to produce offense. He’s not as impactful offensively in the cycle game or in tight areas. His on-ice vision with the puck allows him to make easy plays but he has not shown that he can create quality chances for his teammates on a consistent basis. Overall, Zetterlund can be an impactful player at the next level as a third or forth liner because of his speed, work ethic and good forechecking skills.”
Solid call there, even in the AHL with more minutes that’s basically his game in a nutshell now.
