Mess
Global Moderator
Well "the next Sakic" is a bit unfair to Barzal right now.
But he's a very talented player.
Barzal is often compared to the Edmonton Oilers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who came through the same Burnaby Winter Club program. Barzal acknowledges some similarities in their games but points to another NHL star he likes to emulate. “I really like to watch Claude Giroux,” he says. “I think we have pretty similar characteristics on the ice. He’s a passer but he likes to score and he’s always there in the big moments.”
Giroux also kills penalties, something Barzal is being asked to do this year for the first time in his WHL career. “I think that really completes you as a player,” Barzal says. “I still can get better at it, I still have some things to learn.”