“He checks all the boxes and hard work, what a great kid,” said Tocchet. “It’s grasping the NHL, like the reads and the hockey IQ — things like that. I think it’s very important for development. I think him spending time with Jeremy [Colliton], playing a lot. Putting him in these situations, a lot of situations is going to help that growth in his mind, that’s what I really believe in. And the organization, we’re all aligned in this.”
Tocchet expanded on Podkolzin.
“It’s like chess,” said Tocchet when getting more into detail on Podkolzin’s development. “He’s got to have to think two steps before you make that play. I think he’s looking at that exact moment and [in] hockey, you’re going to have those reads like a few seconds before and I think playing him 10-12 minutes is not really beneficial and we have some guys that are a little bit, quite further ahead than him when it comes to the hockey IQ. So, I mean, listen, it’s part of development and doesn’t matter what’s happened the past year. I just feel, and Jim [Rutherford] and Patrik [Allvin], and the coaches that this is the best way for him to get his reads and his hockey IQ up to standard NHL level.”
via Canucks Army