Hockey East and the NCHC mirror the AHL more than any North American development circuit. Big-10 is all run and gun now. Wood is built for the NHL. How high he hits is the question. Elite hands and vision. Quick release. Game is no longer played in the NZ. If he loses a foot race or lags on a play, he anticipates and picks off breakout attempts and starts the possession. Very smart player. Did better than Brady Tkachuk’s freshman year that’s for sure.
Speed is so overrated here.
It’s one thing if an entire team lacks speed. But having a slow scoring forward here and there means very little on the outcome of the game. Speed is what got Rico Fata and Zach Senyshyn drafted high. Both had 10-cent heads. Joe Thornton and Jagr were putting up good numbers past 35 and they were slow as shit. Jagr nearly won a Hart by scoring from static positions. Hands, release, accuracy.
You can't claim speed doesn't matter and then compare that to upper echelon Hall of Fame players. Not to mention Joe Thornton actually did fall off a cliff once his speed disappeared so I also think it's a bad comparison.
The reason why speed matters is for two reasons: one being that come playoff time the game becomes a different animal and the pace picks up twice as much and two being that if you don't have it you're more than likely relegated to being a powerplay guy.
Speed is especially important for somebody who is a goal scorer. If you can't get time and space to get your shot off you end up from a guy who has the capabilities of being a 40 goal scorer to somebody possibly 20 and under. Look at guys like Boeser, Tarasenko, etc. Once they got slower their goal scoring dipped significantly.
Would you want a powerplay guy if you're drafting top 10? Is it worth a gamble to take him in the top 15? All these questions have to be asked.