He moved to Chicago when he was 2 and played his junior hockey in Chicago, where his dad coached prior to going to the national program. Kid seems like a very good pick to me - skating doesn’t seem to be an issue at all - he can move. Scouting reports have to give areas for improvement, so sure, he can improve there but I don’t see skating as a weakness at all, and his creativity and IQ are things that would be welcome here. Skating is definitely one of the king attributes at the NHL level, but it’s not all just top speed… edges and ability to make quick cuts and hang on to the puck matter, and I feel he has that. Additionally, the notion that his linemates helped inflate his totals may or may not prove true, but being able to play with talent isn’t the worst thing. You may not be a line driver but knowing how to create space and opportunities for top talents on your line is a quality as well. Nik Backstrom was never an all world skater but he knew how to setup great players and made a damn good career out of it. This kid has hands, vision, IQ and compete. Comes from good bloodlines, seems to know how to work hard and even if he becomes a complimentary top six player rather than a line driving player, you take that and run at #23.
