Who is Jason Zucker and why isn't anyone talking about him?

[Vashanesh]

If I was going to compare him to another Wild player it wouldn't be Parise. I'd say he is a poor man's young Gaborik with more grit and no glass groin.

Except he's a 200' player. He doesn't float or cherry pick. He works harder per shift than Gaborik ever had.... I don't see it.

The only things they have in common are speed and shot.

 

[AmericanDream]

What a weird thread... A fan base having to justify why we like our 2nd leading scorer.

I am still in shock over this as well...

 

[plock]

If I was going to compare him to another Wild player it wouldn't be Parise. I'd say he is a poor man's young Gaborik with more grit and no glass groin.

Gaborik at 19-20 years old put up 30G 37A with very little skilled players supporting him.The only similiarity between them is that they are both fast skaters.

 

[El Nino 22]

Gaborik at 19-20 years old put up 30G 37A with very little skilled players supporting him.The only similiarity between them is that they are both fast skaters.

I feel like I need to ask why you hate Jason Zucker. Is it something personal? Did you get bullied by him growing up? You seem to only pay attention to stats so I don't get your agenda.

 

[plock]

I feel like I need to ask why you hate Jason Zucker. Is it something personal? Did you get bullied by him growing up? You seem to only pay attention to stats so I don't get your agenda.

I don't dislike him at all,all I have said is that there is an aspect of his game that needs improvement and that is his involvement in goals that are not scored by him.He has earned his spot in the top six but I think if he wants to hold onto it he is going to have to be more involved in setting up his linemates.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

As long as he's not passing up his own scoring opportunities to do it, fine by me.

 

[AKL]

What a weird thread... A fan base having to justify why we like our 2nd leading scorer.

What's more is that some of the people we're justifying it to are Wild fans...

 

[Sarge58]

He's a dirty little thief, and he pays for it. This was the 2nd time on the same shift that he swiped the puck from Benn. He did the same thing on the previous shift.

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

I don't dislike him at all,all I have said is that there is an aspect of his game that needs improvement and that is his involvement in goals that are not scored by him.He has earned his spot in the top six but I think if he wants to hold onto it he is going to have to be more involved in setting up his linemates.

I can't even.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Comparing him to Parise means Literally nothing.

In the NHL he is a minus above average one dimensional player.

Too only use healthy NHL season

Since November 1st be had been in 37 games.

599 minutes of ice time. 16 mins a game.

He has 3 assists.

One every 13 games getting top 5v5 mins.


In 42 mins on the pp this year. Equal to 21 full minor PPs of ice time.

He has zero points.

Having 15 seconds of PP time spread out throught games is not even close to the same as 21 full minor PPs. That's just completely asinine. He averages 54 seconds of PP time a game. The Wild averages nearly 6 minutes of PP time a game, and he's not even on for a sixth of that. Jesus christ. So for each minor penalty he gets less than 20 seconds on the PP.

Alright cool, you don't like Zucker based on stats and nothing to do with watching him play. Wild fans love watching him play and see his value. He's not one-dimensional, I don't think you know what that means. He plays more on the PK than he does on the PP.

 

[Nsjohnson]

Interesting that in 41 games the previous two seasons he put up 8G and 2A.


This year his shooting percentage ballooned to 16% from an 11% average before.

Even in the AHL last year he was 8G 5A.


Certainly and ugly trend.


In 96 career NHL games he has 26G and 9A.

Take out his first 6 games in 2011-12 thats 90 games 26G 7A.

Zucker has been banged up big time the previous three seasons as well as brought up and demoted and changed linemates all the time. This is the first year he has finally stuck and been able to get into a groove. He has put up nice point totals in college and the AHL when he is healthy and has the opportunity to play more than a handful of games. He has really taken a step, you can really tell by the way he looks on the ice. His 16% is high, and it wont sustain, but he is a shooter first, and fast as hell. Now that he knows how to play in Yeo's system, he is finding success.

 

[Uberdachen]

I can't believe he doesn't pass the puck more often when he leaves nine other skaters behind him to score.

 

[Jacques The Mayor]

I can't believe he doesn't pass the puck more often when he leaves nine other skaters behind him to score.

Pass it back to Koivu who then passes it back to Vanek who then passes it back to Suter who then uses his famous diarrhea wrister to shoot it at an almost vicious speed into the opponents calf. That's how you win games.

 

[Biggs111]

Pass it back to Koivu who then passes it back to Vanek who then passes it back to Suter who then uses his famous diarrhea wrister to shoot it at an almost vicious speed into the opponents calf. That's how you win games.

Unfortunately that has been their MO for parts of this season...

 

[Uberdachen]

Unfortunately that has been their PP for all of this season...

Fixed. Zucker left the ice after his pass back, of course. Skating the length of the ice at blazing speed used up his allotted time.

 

[WreckItRask]

Pass it back to Koivu who then passes it back to Vanek who then passes it back to Suter who then uses his famous diarrhea wrister to shoot it at an almost vicious speed into the opponents calf. That's how you win games.

Amazing post. I hope people that haven't watched the Wild on a regular basis are still able to enjoy this in all it's glory. Totally defines the Wild on a bunch of nights, which is shameful considering they FINALLY have some guys with legitimate wheels to push the pace.

On the Zucker thing...I can't believe people are complaining that he doesn't set up teammates enough. Two things that are absurdly rare in the NHL (and subsequently in high demand) are the ability to self-create scoring chances AND the ability to finish. Guys that can do both are few and far between. There's a lot of burners in the NHL that can't finish on a regular basis, and there's a lot of snipers that can finish when someone is feeding them pucks...but there aren't a ton of guys that can do both. Zucker is showing signs of being both.

One other thought...at every decent level he's played he's shown the ability to be a balanced offensive player. He just turned 23, he's less than 100 games into his NHL career...I think he'll round out his game.

 

[Randy BoBandy]

Zucker has been our best player much of the year. Especially right now on the winning streak. When him and his line get going it is great to watch. Him and Koivu work great together. His speed and ability to find soft spots in the slot make him an ideal scoring threat on that line and on this team in general.

He's not all about goals though despite his stats. Lets not forget his speed and his tenaciousness in the corners and on the forecheck. He will be in one corner putting the first hit on the opposing defenseman as the F1, and if he hasn't already taken the puck he retreats back to the slot to defend against the breakout, often pickpocketing defenders because of his great puck pursuit and backchecking.

Great on the PK too.

Zooks is so dangerous on the regroup. He can catch defenders sleeping or a bad change because of a great stetch pass and hes gone.

Great young player, who is truly blossoming this year. Don't understand the hate from plock. He isn't supposed to be Parise or Gaborik or Thorton. He is a shoot first speedster. A 2nd line guy from what I've seen and he is still going to get better. He has a nose for the net and can create a lot of chances.

I'm not even going to get into his low assist numbers. Watch a game. And if you still complain about him you don't know what you are watching. So turn off the TV.

 

[Nordique]

He's on pace for 32 goals at only 23. I'm ok with him wanting to shoot first if he's gong to score 35 goals.

It's not like he doesn't ever pass, he's just shoot-first. Which is a good thing.

I like that he's 23 and not a kid, I think it adds some legitimacy to the numbers......but lets circle back if/when he hits 30g Its not easy to maintain 16% shooting. NHL goalies have a lot to say about that.

 

[plock]

Zucker has been our best player much of the year. Especially right now on the winning streak. When him and his line get going it is great to watch. Him and Koivu work great together. His speed and ability to find soft spots in the slot make him an ideal scoring threat on that line and on this team in general.

He's not all about goals though despite his stats. Lets not forget his speed and his tenaciousness in the corners and on the forecheck. He will be in one corner putting the first hit on the opposing defenseman as the F1, and if he hasn't already taken the puck he retreats back to the slot to defend against the breakout, often pickpocketing defenders because of his great puck pursuit and backchecking.

Great on the PK too.

Zooks is so dangerous on the regroup. He can catch defenders sleeping or a bad change because of a great stetch pass and hes gone.

Great young player, who is truly blossoming this year. Don't understand the hate from plock. He isn't supposed to be Parise or Gaborik or Thorton. He is a shoot first speedster. A 2nd line guy from what I've seen and he is still going to get better. He has a nose for the net and can create a lot of chances.

I'm not even going to get into his low assist numbers. Watch a game. And if you still complain about him you don't know what you are watching. So turn off the TV.

The question was why aren't people talking about him.The low point and assist numbers,lack of pp scoring,bad +/- are why.
There really is not any hate and I find it hard to understand why people would have a problem with him having more assists in addition to the goals.

 

[Uberdachen]

The question was why aren't people talking about him.The low point and assist numbers,lack of pp scoring,bad +/- are why.

No, they're not. He's possibly the most exciting player on the Wild. +/-, assists, and PP productivity are not going to alter whether or not people talk about him. If they were bad enough, they would actually be the reason why he is talked about. Players constantly have threads pop up examining why their +/- is so bad and how it makes them seven flavors of cancer.

The reason nobody was talking about him was because Minnesota is an infamously boring team that had been crapping its bed for over a month: it doesn't have many non-fans watching, and the fans watching aren't going to call anyone over to share their candy until the sheets are burned and the room is aired out.

 

[Chrisinroch]

What a weird thread... A fan base having to justify why we like our 2nd leading scorer.

He shoots too much.

...and Brawndo has what plants crave

 

[plock]

He shoots too much.

...and Brawndo has what plants crave

Who said anywhere in this thread that he shoots too much?I certainly never said that.

 

[Sharppi]

Zucker has electrolytes

 

[Biggs111]

Zucker getting another goal as they steamrolled Chicago... He is certainly fun to watch...

http://www.nbcsports.com/hockey/nhl/scandellas-long-outlet-pass-sets-zucker-goal

Amazing what your 4th goaltending option can do when he can actually stop the puck... Next up - the Avs - should be interesting...

 

[Teppo]

Who said anywhere in this thread that he shoots too much?I certainly never said that.

So why, in your opinion, do you think his assist totals are low? Poor vision? Are his passes not accurate? I assume you have seen him play many times, so I would be interested to read your take.