King'sPawn
Enjoy the chaos
- Jul 1, 2003
- 23,188
- 24,094
He was the more dynamic part of the Chromiak/Wright/Wisdom trio when I watched the games. I THINK Edmunds took Wisdom's spot later, but I don't remember 100%. He has very good speed and a great shot. Kaliyev was more deceptive with his skills in all situations - better at sneaking a pass in. Chromiak has some similarities in his shooting arsenal, but can telegraph his intent more.
Looking at raw skillsets in junior comparison, I'd say:
Straight speed: Chromiak > Kaliyev
Agility: Chromiak > Kaliyev
Passing: Chromiak < Kaliyev
Deception in offensive tools: Chromiak < Kaliyev
Shot variety: Chromiak < Kaliyev
Shot power: Chromiak = Kaliyev
Release: Chromiak = Kaliyev
Shot accuracy: Chromiak < Kaliyev
Stickhandling/Puck control: Chromiak < Kaliyev
Physicality: Chromiak < Kaliyev
I know many skillsets above favor Kaliyev, but that's not a major indictment. Chromiak is arguably the second-best pure shooting forward the Kings have in this age group (after Kaliyev). Much better than Fagemo (who's a volume shooter) and Byfield (who has a decent shot, but he can generate offense more from his ability to protect the puck and stickhandle).
He's a very good junior-level player. As always, with flash, comes the question of can you pull it off (like Kaliyev, he pulled off the Michigan goal multiple times)? At the junior level, he was able to do this without much problem. In the NHL, though, with vets bearing down on you and reading your body language, it gets much more difficult (which is why I questioned Zegras' ability to translate it at the highest level).
And then, with most prospects, the issue of consistency in effort gets questioned.
I think, with the loss of Frk, there's good potential to have him play a similar role in the AHL this year. He's a faster skater but has a good mix of a quick release and power to make him a trigger man. If he adds deception and consistency to his game, he could develop into a good second-line option. He still has a way to go though.
