piqued
nos merentur hoc
- Nov 22, 2006
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Could probably use a thread as well for our top prospect who should be in the opening night lineup.
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Suck it, Satan. Beat ya to it!
I'm not sure there are many modern players out there who play a prototypical "power forward" game, at least the way in which that term was understood in previous eras. Ritchie has elements of the power forward, which for all intents and purposes makes him one when compared to everyone else.I like what I've seen from him in the post season so far. My take on him is that he has good offensive instincts, soft hands, and a good shot. He's not overly dynamic in terms of accelleration or dangling, nor is he the "power forward" in the true sense of the word IMO like some scouting reports say, but he gets the job done. I think he'll be a good 3rd maybe 2nd liner if he continues to develop...tough to play against, hard to knock off the puck, scores timely goals, goes to the net.
I'm not sure there are many modern players out there who play a prototypical "power forward" game, at least the way in which that term was understood in previous eras. Ritchie has elements of the power forward, which for all intents and purposes makes him one when compared to everyone else.
The next James Neal
Brendan Morrow was a power forward for instance. I just don't see a much of a physical dimension/mean streak to Ritchie's game. He's big and he uses his size to protect the puck. He's not a big hitter. He doesn't seem to have much of a mean streak.
I like what I've seen from him in the post season so far. My take on him is that he has good offensive instincts, soft hands, and a good shot. He's not overly dynamic in terms of accelleration or dangling, nor is he the "power forward" in the true sense of the word IMO like some scouting reports say, but he gets the job done. I think he'll be a good 3rd maybe 2nd liner if he continues to develop...tough to play against, hard to knock off the puck, scores timely goals, goes to the net.
He doesn't need to be Brenden Morrow or Steve Ott and get 200+ hits a season. I hope he doesn't do that.
Benn throws hits less often, and no one would say he's not a physical or mean guy. He's more timely about it, and he's more concerned about offense. He's the new kind of power forward, and that's a better version.
Ritchie for sure has thrown some big hits this year, and he doesn't let up on the forecheck. It's not quantifiable in the AHL as it is in the NHL since the stat isn't tracked, but there's little doubt in my mind he fits a Jamie Benn type mold of today's power forward.
I think the days of guys like Morrow are probably over where you have a guy that's going to hit anything that moves and scores 30 goals consistently. Health caught up with him, and I think more and more teams are clamping down on extra, unnecessary penalties. that are often a result of over-aggression.
Didn't the Hockey News have some article recently exploding the myth of the power forward? Sounds to me like we need to have him focus on offense and be just tough enough that they don't take liberties, which it sounds like he is.
I have heard him compared to James Neal and better than Chaisson. I guess I expect him to make the Stars next year as a second line wing. Probably have Cole on the right for a year, and hopefully a new center.
Why do you feel that the old time power forward days are gone? Rule changes?
I've heard the Neal comparisons as well. Neal was more dynamic with the puck(puckhandling), a better skater, and a better body-checker. I think he's a poor man's Neal. I don't see the upside in Ritchie that Neal had when he was coming up. Not to take anything away from Ritchie at all, he's going to be a very good player, but Neal's skill level is near Elite in the league. I don't see that in Ritchie at this point from the 4 games or so that I've watched him. He doesn't have that "wow factor" of a true NHL 1st liner like Neal or Nichushkin does when they are on their game.
Can you name any in the game now?
You sound very sure of quite a bit about Ritchie.
His junior scoring numbers were superior to Neal's, as were his stats in his first AHL season. Neal had huge question marks about his skating when he was coming up so let's not re-write history there. He got much better in that regard - I recall one scouting report likening his turning ability to that of a cruise ship. Ritchie's shot and quick release are at least equal to Neal's at the same age, if not better. Ritchie's release is more like Benn's at the same age than Neal's.
Calling Ritchie a poor man's Neal isn't fair. At 20 Neal was a poor man's James Neal.
Neal. But yeah I get your point. There aren't a lot.