Prospect Info: Jordan Kyrou (2016 Draft - 35 Overall)

[Celtic Note]

Interesting about Rattie in juniors. Do you mean that Rattie made things happen in the OZ, or did he push the play in all 3 zones? That's what I see from Kyrou, and that's really what I mean by "driving the offense". I suppose it's more apt to say "drove his line". Kyrou is a big part of the transition, and he's a big reason Sarnia gets the puck back, so he, to me, is more of a catalyst than what I know of Rattie (which is little in the WHL).

I keep hearing "play away from the puck" being used to describe where Kyrou needs to improve. What exactly do you mean by that?

Rattie was a two zone player in juniors. He could carry the puck and distribute it. But he never did much in the defensive zone.

Kyrou needs more work on his defensive positioning, reads, and puck support. He has certainly made strides this year. He just needs to continue putting in the work.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Rattie was a two zone player in juniors. He could carry the puck and distribute it. But he never did much in the defensive zone.

Kyrou needs more work on his defensive positioning, reads, and puck support. He has certainly made strides this year. He just needs to continue putting in the work.

Interesting. I'll try to pay more attention to this when I watch. I'm contemplating doing a gif and picture breakdown (a la The Athletic) for Kyrou's positioning and reads. I'm not expecting to do that anytime soon, but I've already made notes and have taken some screenshots.

What I'd really like is for someone else to provide some photo evidence and breakdown of Kyrou's "play without the puck". I don't know if I'm currently smart enough about that to make a good analysis. Please?

 

[BleedBlue14]

This is why I don't typically listen to podcasts or radio shows around St. Louis for hockey stuff. Too often, I feel like it's a former tough guy, bottom 6, or bottom pairing guy who tries to offer opinions on players that they had nothing in common with. You have the occasional one who is actually good and has a better understanding of the types of games each player has, like Chase, but it seems like more often than not, it's someone who is a little out of touch with the evolving game.

I agree, it's just nice to have something to listen to that I actually care about whenever I have to drive 6-10 hours round trip sometimes

Mainly I didn't remember enough outside of the hype that Rattie had as a prospect so I wasn't sure of where the comparison would come from.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

I agree, it's just nice to have something to listen to that I actually care about whenever I have to drive 6-10 hours round trip sometimes

Mainly I didn't remember enough outside of the hype that Rattie had as a prospect so I wasn't sure of where the comparison would come from.

Yeah, I hear you. I like listening to podcasts while driving as well. I just tend to stick to the national stage. Rattie was just a touted prospect because of his shot, but he didn't get near the love or hype Kyrou is because he's not the same player. In baseball terms, Kyrou has 4 of 5 tools while Rattie had 1.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Yeah, I hear you. I like listening to podcasts while driving as well. I just tend to stick to the national stage. Rattie was just a touted prospect because of his shot, but he didn't get near the love or hype Kyrou is because he's not the same player. In baseball terms, Kyrou has 4 of 5 tools while Rattie had 1.

As a baseball player throughout college who for some reason found a love for hockey I appreciate that usage more than you can know

Also, sort of question what I'm seeing vs. hearing too because of the lack of a general understanding that I have on a technical level aside from skill levels you can distinctly see

 

[PiggySmalls]

I think it has more to do with Jamie not having time to watch Jordan as often as many of us do. His opinions are based more on stats and draft status. I like what he says on the current Blues players point of view due to his work with FSMW and seeing what is happening, but I dont pay much attention to his AHL and Juniors reporting.

 

[Majorityof1]

If you watched the World Juniors, you had a chance to do that very thing. Were you disappointed with his showing? Most didn't seem to be.

Kyrou isn't just a good skater relative to his current peers. He's a good skater relative to NHL quality skaters. It's not even that hard to see, just like it wasn't very hard to see that Tarasenko's shot was an elite shot relative to his NHL peers way before he ever actually hit the NHL. NHL skills can be identified as NHL skills regardless of what competition you're playing.

That's not to say that Kyrou won't need to adapt and round out his game at least somewhat as he moves up the ranks, which is a big chunk of the point you're making, but there's no reason to discard the potential impact of his best abilities out of hand, either. Kyrou doesn't need to reinvent himself defensively to stick in the NHL. He can't just ignore that side of the game as he develops, but he can absolutely leverage his skating ability to help compensate for other defensive deficiencies as he moves up levels. He would hardly be the first.

I don't mean to diminish his skating, and if it came across that way, that's my bad. His skating is beyond NHL level. Its an asset now, and it will be a plus-asset in the NHL. However, the skill gap will shrink. It won't be as much of an advantage in the NHL as it was in juniors. As such, it will cover less of his deficiencies elsewhere in his game (effort, defense, whatever) that may or may not exist. Its hard to get a good read on a players other skill sets when he is soo dominant in one area. As an example, take a 7-foot 3-inch highschool kid who isn't particularly good at basketball but is over 7-freakin-feet tall. He will dominate HS level if he has any coordination at all, since most teams barely have 6 foot players. However, as he goes to college and then the pros, he will have to develop other skills because suddenly there will be 6'11"/7 footers who can move faster than the 6' kids he was dominating before. OR sticking with NHL and speed, Paajarvi and Yakupov both had plus NHL speed, botgh had high draft pedigrees and both did well at lower levels. Neither helped our team a lick. That's not saying Kyrou doesn't have more or better skills than Paajarvi, only that his speed can potentially mask some other deficiencies at lower levels that will cause problems later. If Kyrou develops as a complete player, he'll be golden. I'm not saying that is impossible or even unlikely. But I am saying it is NOT a lock. Nobody ever is.

As for World Juniors, I was impressed. I only caught a few games of the later games as I was at work or at family things for the holidays during most of it, and I don't have NHL network in my area to DVR. I caught what I could. He has made strides from what I saw there, but those are hardly men either. They are the best of the best of the kids, but his team was also the best team hands down. I'd like to see him keep that up over longer time periods. Even based on that, I don't think he improved enough to project as a good- bottom 6 PKer based on what I saw of his performance, but I also don't think he is the worst player there by any stretch. Like you said, my point is to merely point out that he needs to continue to develop. Other posters seem to think he is ready for NHL action right now. Call him up and he'll compete for the Hart, Selke, Norris and Vezina today. I don't agree. I think a couple people who have a history of hyping players with flaws are overly hyping him. I am just trying to slow the hype.

 

[542365]

I imagine Jamie sees a high second round pick torching juniors and just equated the two. Almost as a "don't count your eggs before they hatch" kind of statement. Outside of very surface level details the two players are not the least bit similar. I understand wanting to pump the breaks because things are maybe getting a little off the rails with the "Big 4", but equating Kyrou to Rattie just doesn't seem like the wisest way to do it. Tempering expectations is one thing; blatantly misrepresenting reality is another.

 

[MissouriMook]

I think it has more to do with Jamie not having time to watch Jordan as often as many of us do. His opinions are based more on stats and draft status. I like what he says on the current Blues players point of view due to his work with FSMW and seeing what is happening, but I dont pay much attention to his AHL and Juniors reporting.

If that's the case, he certainly shouldn't be interjecting an opinion on the player. It's fine for you and I on an anonymous message board, but an ex-player making statements (or comparisons) about the future of a prospect without doing his homework is pretty reckless IMO.

 

[PiggySmalls]

If that's the case, he certainly shouldn't be interjecting an opinion on the player. It's fine for you and I on an anonymous message board, but an ex-player making statements (or comparisons) about the future of a prospect without doing his homework is pretty reckless IMO.

Ohh I completely agree, unfortunately talking heads on radio and TV use their past resume to spew UN-knowledgeable things all the time. Like freaking Nick Kypreos today claiming the Blues can't afford Tavares because we are a budget team. HAHA.

 

[The Note in MI]

Ohh I completely agree, unfortunately talking heads on radio and TV use their past resume to spew UN-knowledgeable things all the time. Like freaking Nick Kypreos today claiming the Blues can't afford Tavares because we are a budget team. HAHA.

Does anyone listen to kypreos?

 

[PiggySmalls]

Does anyone listen to kypreos?

I try not to, LOL. Hockey central at noon is so much better when he is not on it.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

From the "Prospects Thread":

So it took longer to make good on my promise, but I think the quality is better.

Here's the Kyrou highlights from the 1st period. There was a lot of starting and stopping, and Kyrou didn't get a ton of ice time since Sarnia couldn't' keep possession, but Kyrou found a way to make his presence known in the first period.

Here's Kyrou with a brilliant pass. He is really good at working the defense for a screen, and making moves at high speed. However, this comes after a bad turnover at the blueline, and a lazy backcheck.



The score got out of hand quickly with lots of really bad passes from Sarnia, making it 3-1 half-way through the first, and then 4-1 by the end of the first when Sarnia got overwhelmed in front of the net on the faceoff. Kyrou took an interesting penalty after being overly physical after a faceoff; Backes would be proud at how he rallied his team. . .

Spoiler: and then...

He scores coming out of the box with a snapper.

There's a limit to 3 videos per post, so I'll have to make another. Somebody should teach me how to gif.

Also, there was an intermission interview and a few of the players got to talking about videogames. Apparently Kyrou (Jordy?) is an ultra-competitive Fortnight player.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Period 2:
Kyrou was getting rocked a little bit from the start of the 2nd as the physicality continued. Schlichting scores off the following faceoff from the point, and makes it 4-3. Kyrou and company got manhandled in a neutral zone scrum, and Ruzicka takes a weak penalty right after (I think) Kyrou takes an elbow to the head in the same scrum. After killing off the powerplay, Kyrou gets on the ice for a long shift, makes a between-the-legs deke, but gets stopped by the goalie.



Ang scores after receiving a drop-pass on the rush, showing good patience as he crosses through the slot to make it 4-4.

Later, Kyrou draws a penalty entering the zone. He has a rather uneventful powerplay shift following, but passes the puck to himself along the boards while protecting the puck with his body to elude a defender, and has a nice zone entry.



Period 3:

Kyrou finishes up the remaining time on the powerplay fairly uneventfully. Josling and Levin go at it for their second fight of the year each. Interestingly, players only get 3 fights on the year before they begin to get suspensions. Ernst later scores in front of the net from a feed from Sproviero and Dineen. 4-5 Sarnia.

Sarnia put on good pressure in the OZ, and drew a penalty from one of the Pilon twins after the whistle. Kyrou has a short shift on the PP with a decent zone entry, but nothing much to write about here. Pilon then gets out of the box and chirps Ang on the bench, and looks f***ing stupid doing so. The Wolves take another penalty shortly after: a trip by Tabak in the neutral zone on Josling. Kyrou gets cute in his own zone on the breakout, but no harm done. Kyrou later breaks up a play in the OZ and keeps the play in, but nothing really comes of it. Ang plays really well on PP2. No video really necessary here.

Be sure to check out the shift-by-shift to see Pilon look stupid and hear some spicy trade talk about one Jordan Kyrou.

Shift-by-shift:

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

It seems like strength is an issue for JK still. He ends up on the ice a lot, and doesn’t seem overly engaged in - or very good at - board battles. If you get him the puck in the neutral zone I’m not sure there’s anything he can’t do, but I think he might struggle getting the puck himself, which is what great players do. He’ll add strength, I’m not too worried about that, but idk maybe I just saw him try that “drive-by” move too many times. What do you think, Vincenzo?

Edit: also, what’s up with his shot? He seems pretty good at getting those quick little wristers off in tight spaces, but it doesn’t seem like he gets much behind them? Like it reminds me a bit of how Mikey McLeod shoots with his hands super close together. JK seems to prefer trying to drive to the net and shooting when he’s run out of other options rather than finding space and letting his shot do the dirty work.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

To the above: sample size.

Sudbury is incredibly physical, and it wasn’t exactly a clean game. I don’t disagree that Kyrou needs to work on strength, but I would put him ahead of Sanford and Thompson when it comes to staying on his skates and dealing with physicality.

He’s not going to our-muscle a majority of NHL players along the boards - but that’s not his style. His poke check and ability to strip the puck are good enough for him to come away with the puck more often than not when I watch him. In Yeo’s system he will be able to have numbers on his side, and will be able to pick and choose when to engage. A lot of times players defer to Schwartz, Steen, Berglund, Jaskin, Sobotka to do the dirty work if they are in the relative area, and as long as Kyrou isn’t the nearest person to the puck he can choose not to engage in Yeo’s system and instead wait to receive while covering a zone. Even if this weren’t the case, Kyrou isn’t bad at getting the puck himself, and won’t be a liability in that way, but like all rookies will probably need to adjust to the faster game with bigger bodies.

When it comes to his shot, he can snipe it from far away - the only attempts he made in this game were from in close and at awkward angles; which he has the wrist strength to do. I would compare his shot to Barzal’s, personally. Neither are Tarasenko-level, but i would say they are at the very least NHL-average power, but above average accuracy. Kyrou has the ability to get his shot off quickly, and he can do so while being in awkward positions. His ability to get his shot off accurately and quickly while at a 45 degree on his edges is highly impressive. Kyrou’s ability to score while standing still won’t be good enough to be great at the NHL level, but it will be good enough. His ability to score while moving at high speed and with great agility from any angle will be what makes him deadly.

This game in general was a very poor game by Kyrou’s standards. He always seemed to be away from the play defensively in this game (by virtue of being a RW), and was constantly the F3 meaning his impact was limited. Offensive rushes seemed to happen after his line did the dirty work, and many goals occurred right after he got off the ice while starting in the DZ. He didn’t really get to show off his ability to take the puck away and start a transition. PP2 would score right after PP1 sustained a bunch of pressure and then made a change at a whistle. I’ll try to do this more often in order to provide a greater sample size. If you have the ability, I suggest checking out the games against Hamilton, London, and SSM recently, as those games are all better competition where Kyrou was able to be a force in both ends of the ice.

Edit: Kyrou’s passing wasn’t as crisp. Part of this was because it was a tight-checking physical game, but in other instances it was due to his sauce being weak.

 

[carter333167]

Quote on Kyrou from the STL Today article:

Meanwhile up in Sarnia on Sunday, forward Jordan Kyrou scored four goals and added three assists during a 9-0 victory over Flint in the Ontario Hockey League. That outburst gave him 99 points in 49 games this season and reaffirmed his vast potential.

“He’s dynamic,” Sting goaltender Justin Fazio told the Sarnia Obsever after that game. “It’s unbelievable watching him play. It’s honestly a treat to watch him play from my end. The things he does are just unbelievable. It’s awesome having him on my team and not having to face him.”

 

[carter333167]

Player of the week, again:

 

[Ranksu]

Can he play LW? Has he played ever LW spot? In My eyes he would Be perfect fit to ROR - Tarasenko line.

Blais would also work well in that line, but questionmark is can Kyrou play LW spot so I can stop speculation about that case.

 

[Spektre]

Can he play LW? Has he played ever LW spot? In My eyes he would Be perfect fit to ROR - Tarasenko line.

Blais would also work well in that line, but question mark is can Kyrou play LW spot so I can stop speculation about that case.

He plays LW on the PP and excels doing so with both passing and scoring. He can certainly play RW and simply play LW on the PP. I don't see the need to drop Maroon to the 4th line. It would be hard not to unless you want to play Maroon on the RW with Schwartz & Schenn.

Schwartz, Maroon, Steen, & Fabbri are all LW's. Even if for some reason Fabbri isn't ready opening night do you really want Kyrou playing LW on the 4th line? I've said from the beginning that Kyrou's best fit is with Schwartz and Schenn. He fills the need at RW. When everyone is health:

Schwartz Schenn Kyrou
Maroon O'Reilly Tarasenko
Steen Bozak Perron
Fabbri Thomas Blais

xtra's Barbashev & Jaskin

 

[Ranksu]

He plays LW on the PP and excels doing so with both passing and scoring. He can certainly play RW and simply play LW on the PP. I don't see the need to drop Maroon to the 4th line. It would be hard not to unless you want to play Maroon on the RW with Schwartz & Schenn.

Schwartz, Maroon, Steen, & Fabbri are all LW's. Even if for some reason Fabbri isn't ready opening night do you really want Kyrou playing LW on the 4th line? I've said from the beginning that Kyrou's best fit is with Schwartz and Schenn. He fills the need at RW. When everyone is health:

Schwartz Schenn Kyrou
Maroon O'Reilly Tarasenko
Steen Bozak Perron
Fabbri Thomas Blais

xtra's Barbashev & Jaskin

Looks like you missed My point why Maroon isn't right Guy with ROR and Tarasenko and what that line needs and why Kyrou was The questionmark?

Steen, Fabbri, Perron, Blais all are better option for playing with ROR and Tarasenko then Maroon. But Maybelline The best option could Be Kyrou.

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

Looks like you missed My point why Maroon isn't right Guy with ROR and Tarasenko and what that line needs and why Kyrou was The questionmark?

Steen, Fabbri, Perron, Blais all are better option for playing with ROR and Tarasenko then Maroon. But Maybelline The best option could Be Kyrou.

via Imgflip Meme Generator

 

[ezcreepin]

Looks like you missed My point why Maroon isn't right Guy with ROR and Tarasenko and what that line needs and why Kyrou was The questionmark?

Steen, Fabbri, Perron, Blais all are better option for playing with ROR and Tarasenko then Maroon. But Maybelline The best option could Be Kyrou.

If he can score 27 with McDavid and then go to NJ and score at nearly a point per game clip, then I think he'll be just fine on ROR and Tarasenko's wing. He hasn't even played a regular season game with this team so let's see what he's got before he becomes a whipping boy.

If he were Finnish this conversation wouldn't be happening...

 

[EastonBlues22]

If he can score 27 with McDavid and then go to NJ and score at nearly a point per game clip, then I think he'll be just fine on ROR and Tarasenko's wing. He hasn't even played a regular season game with this team so let's see what he's got before he becomes a whipping boy.

If he were Finnish this conversation wouldn't be happening...

The biggest thing there is that a huge chunk of his recent success has come from playing on lines with guys who have speed. McDavid is a burner and one man transition show. In NJ he was playing with guys like Grabner, Wood, and Hall.

It's not that I don't think he can't find some measure of success with slower skilled guys, but I do think the overall play of his line is nowhere near as effective when you don't have a dynamic skater who can push the transition pace himself and get back quickly to help cover for any gaffes/turnovers that might happen while guys like Maroon catch back up to the play.

On defense, it's basically just ROR by himself back there. Tarasenko and Maroon contribute rather little in the defensive zone. Maybe that's enough for some of the matchups they'll get given the help they'll have behind...but it definitely won't be for some.

I just don't see it as the dominant sort of line composition that people seem to be hyping it up as. It's fine in the offensive zone, but flawed (and thus exploitable) elsewhere.

 

[Spektre]

Looks like you missed My point why Maroon isn't right Guy with ROR and Tarasenko and what that line needs and why Kyrou was The questionmark?

Steen, Fabbri, Perron, Blais all are better option for playing with ROR and Tarasenko then Maroon. But Maybelline The best option could Be Kyrou.

Right now that’s simply your opinion. We don’t have 10, 15, or more NHL games to compare.

It’s possible Fabbri will wind up being the LW with O’Reily and Tarasenko. It’s all guess work at this point.

Looking at the squad today I agree with multiple others it seems Kyrou and Blais are doing enough to make the roster. The coaching staff might feel otherwise. We simply don’t know and won’t until the final cuts.