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LD Sam Dickinson - London Knights, OHL (2024, 11th, SJS)

Peasy said:
Not sure exactly when, but he was definitely on PP1 their final 2 games. Canada was running both Bonk and Dickinson on it but Bonk was playing in the bumper
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Gotcha. Thanks. I guess the Schaefer injury changed things.
 
Playing great in a junior hockey league and then coming to a tournament like this can be eye opening over what a player actually is. All these guys dominate against competition that is mostly future cashiers and cooks.

Even more so I think when you play on the London Knights. There are good aspects of development you get from a team like that, but it’s also an unrealistic environment. You have to take some of what’s accomplished with a grain of salt.
 
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Deas said:
Wow these are strong words. How much is disappointment over the early exit a factor in that?

Also, he wasn't on PP1 for most of the tournament right? Despite destroying Bonk and even Cowan as an older forward on their team he wasn't on PP1 in the WJC right? Or was he in the last game?
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It was Bonk, then Dickinson but his first chance last night he tried to pass a puck through a Czech skate and it's funny how the puck didn't go through the skate.. stopped right in front of the player so he could shoot it down the ice. It was Molendyk after that who ended up with the blast that Martone tipped.
 
From what it sounds like from folks on the Sharks who have been watching him, it seems like the coach has told him to play a quiet defensive game. It’s possible that he’s being coached against his own instincts and those moments of indecision are coming from not really knowing what’s expected of him. I’d be a bit more worried if this team didn’t generally sound like a mess.

There’s no doubt he’s got a ton to learn still but he’s very very young and has all the tools.
 
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When all of Team Canada looked in disarray it kind of blunts the significance of any one particular prospect having a bad tournament.

Dickinson has to improve to jump to the pros. Most prospects do because that's normal. But I'm not going to hang him for struggling when cast into a role he wasn't used to playing, then having to suddenly shift gears mid-tournament due to injury and looking unsure about what he should be doing (gee, some practices might've helped with that...)
 
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They definitely needed more from him. He wasn't very good all touney and horrible in the QF against the Czechs.

Doesn't mean he's not a solid prospect but for me kinda reinforced my thoughts pre-draft he'd be more of a good top 4 NHLer than a sure fire top pairing or #1. Good looking floor and a solid pick at #11 but I dunno about the home run some were seeing it as.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich said:
Playing great in a junior hockey league and then coming to a tournament like this can be eye opening over what a player actually is. All these guys dominate against competition that is mostly future cashiers and cooks.

Even more so I think when you play on the London Knights. There are good aspects of development you get from a team like that, but it’s also an unrealistic environment. You have to take some of what’s accomplished with a grain of salt.
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Didn't you recently say the same thing on a different thread about USNTDP players?
 
Dickinson is still on track to become a perennial Norris winner once he makes the big club. It's not his fault that Team Canada sucks and has a terrible coaching staff that couldn't win even if they had prime Gretzky on their squad.
 
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Bizz said:
Dickinson is still on track to become a perennial Norris winner once he makes the big club. It's not his fault that Team Canada sucks and has a terrible coaching staff that couldn't win even if they had prime Gretzky on their squad.
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Well I'm high on Dickenson having a long NHL career, I doubt that he even has more than 2 top finishes in his future as the NHL is blessed with many elite Dmen.
 
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once he's back into london it won't take long for him to get his confidence back up kinda worrying though he had a real hard time with competition just above ohl levels.
 
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Bounces R Way said:
They definitely needed more from him. He wasn't very good all touney and horrible in the QF against the Czechs.

Doesn't mean he's not a solid prospect but for me kinda reinforced my thoughts pre-draft he'd be more of a good top 4 NHLer than a sure fire top pairing or #1. Good looking floor and a solid pick at #11 but I dunno about the home run some were seeing it as.
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It really depends on where one stands in the good judgment nature vs. nurture debate.

Watching him in preseason, the tools are evident. The one tool that didn't seem apparent to me was that even when he makes the right decision, he's an okay passer at best and passing in my opinion is the most important trade of an offensive defenseman - even above the heavy shot. In preseason, he was playing very similarly to how it sounds like he played for Canada (I didn't watch any of the games), but a more cautious trying to be responsible on the defensive end style of game and not as offensively aggressive as he is with London. Our challenge with him is that his two options next year are to return to London, where he's not really being sufficiently challenged or to play at the NHL level where he may be overwhelmed even in a third pairing role.

I hope he can learn to make quicker stronger decisions as he matures.
 
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Bizz said:
Dickinson is still on track to become a perennial Norris winner once he makes the big club. It's not his fault that Team Canada sucks and has a terrible coaching staff that couldn't win even if they had prime Gretzky on their squad.
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Perennial Norris winner.. I will gladly return to this space and eat a smorgasbord of crow and crow like materials if he wins a Norris. If he gets a vote in his career even.
 
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one2gamble said:
People are putting way to much blame on the players for that shit show lol
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100% I was absolutely expecting more from Dickinson based off the season he has had in the OHL. But I feel like to a man pretty much the entire team under performed. At a certain point that stops being on the players and is on the coaches being unable to unlock anyones best game.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich said:
Playing great in a junior hockey league and then coming to a tournament like this can be eye opening over what a player actually is. All these guys dominate against competition that is mostly future cashiers and cooks.

Even more so I think when you play on the London Knights. There are good aspects of development you get from a team like that, but it’s also an unrealistic environment. You have to take some of what’s accomplished with a grain of salt.
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Ironic that the London Knights model is a bit like the USNDTP one eh?
 
Pavels Dog said:
I try not to let one WJC influence my entire opinion about a player, but this guy gave me vibes of David Rundblad’s disastrous tournament many years ago. Not a great sign.
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Rundblad played in 113 NHL games, pretty sure that Dickinson will play that many before he is 22 years old.
 
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