IceDogsandLeafs
Registered User
I know I've given my opinion on Strome in many of the other threads started on him in the past two months, but why not give it again.
The first thing you notice about Strome is his explosiveness and creativity. Every game, he has a couple of rushes where he gets by at least one or two defenders, only to be stymied by a third. He's also not afraid to try to by creative with the puck and has a bevy of moves outside of simply using his speed to get by defenders. But, unlike a lot of creative offensive players at this level, it's not at the sacrifice of his defensive game. He picks his spots well and isn't the type of selfish puckhandler you see attempt to go through an entire team.
He's very dangerous with room to move (thus all his powerplay points) and is just an elite skater in every category. His edging and agility is fantastic and it allows him to be as creative as he is offensively, because defenders have a difficult time staying with him.
He's definitely a complete offensive player too. A lot of people have complimented his vision and passing ability, but he's also got a very accurate shot which will only get better as he adds strength (and velocity).
I think the development of his physical game will be the most interesting moving forward. A lot of people are seeing and hearing about him fighting and assume he's a tough player. But I wouldn't go as far as calling him a tenacious/gritty guy. He'll go into the corners and in front of the net, and he'll occasionally throw a hit on the forecheck. But he's not someone who's out there consistently hitting people. That's not his game. He's fought a few times this year, which shows a certain level of fearlessness, but I'm not sure I see that carrying over to the NHL.
Quite frankly, I don't think there are any holes in his game and it puts him right up there with Landeskog and Saad. All three are fantastic players with very complete games, who profile very well as NHL players. I think that when all is said and done, he'll definitely be in consideration for at least the top 10 and possibly the top 5.
I'd love to see him go top 5. Maybe I am just being too cautious. You broke down his game very well.