That sounds a lot more like Quinn Hughes to me than Evan Bouchard.Because he is a freak athletic talent. Do you see how he plays? I mean, it's pretty obvious what his deal is...you see how he joins rushes and hangs around the attack zone?
Full disclosure here; I have not watched enough of Bouchard to have my own opinion on his hockey sense, but...Bouchard's skating is not the issue, he is just not smart...
Why do people think Bouchard will be an NHL defenceman when he can't even skate well enough to defend against junior players? Serious question.
The only little thing about Dobson that I don't like, and I feel like we don't talk about it enough, is that his puckhandling ability seems iffy at times. When he's got the puck on the PP and he's moving around, he sometimes looks awkward and not fully in control. By comparison, Bouchard, Hughes, and Boqvist are guys who have that puck with a death grip. They're all great puck possessors with hands for days. Dobson is not in that group for me.As successful a season as Dobson has had, he still shows a lot of raw abilities, suggesting he's poised to become a better player... and teams will no doubt look at that when they're deciding between the two.
Thx, fair points.That's an excellent point. And I can't speak for them, I have no idea what they're factoring into that...I doubt they're reading his chemistry tests though...
So, I coach at a level where I'm asked to vote on things of this nature in some respects. And yeah...there's video...yeah I'm obviously at the games...yeah I'm talking to other coaches...I talk to my players...at the end of the day, I'm not studying for this type of poll, these types of awards...I want to get as close as I can to something reasonable and then I want to turn it in...
So, I might have a little voter fatigue (because the OHL poll isn't short) because I've already voted for some of the same guys for other things and I know that every time I play London I get my lunch fed to me by this kid who never comes off the ice...so he must be doing something...I don't know the rationale, I don't get how anyone can watch that player and think he plays the game intelligently. Maybe with the puck on his stick and some of the passes he makes, you see some quick puck movement and assume he's intelligent because of that (the guy with the fastest draw in the West is Morgan Frost, he won first place in the smartest competition, so maybe it's that)...
In 2014, Connor McDavid didn't finish top 3...in the conference...for smartest player. He was already put down for (and won) best skater, best playmker, best stickhandler. There's no doubt McDavid is a hockey genius...
But you're right, it's a good question...it's not like one or two coaches said it...a bunch did and I'm just some idiot...so I'd have no problem with someone taking exception. That said, he's not a smart player in my eyes...I think he'll have success early on in his pro career - I'm not sure how long it will last maybe 2 or 3 years...maybe even 5 or 6...but I really don't think we're looking at a long-term, stud defenseman...I just don't think he has the brains or the adaptability to pull that off...like Phaneuf, I imagine that all of his best seasons will come before the age of 22 or 23...
The only little thing about Dobson that I don't like, and I feel like we don't talk about it enough, is that his puckhandling ability seems iffy at times. When he's got the puck on the PP and he's moving around, he sometimes looks awkward and not fully in control. By comparison, Bouchard, Hughes, and Boqvist are guys who have that puck with a death grip. They're all great puck possessors with hands for days. Dobson is not in that group for me.
Edit: there was another section here, but I've been drinking and I can't numbers.
The only little thing about Dobson that I don't like, and I feel like we don't talk about it enough, is that his puckhandling ability seems iffy at times. When he's got the puck on the PP and he's moving around, he sometimes looks awkward and not fully in control. By comparison, Bouchard, Hughes, and Boqvist are guys who have that puck with a death grip. They're all great puck possessors with hands for days. Dobson is not in that group for me.
Edit: there was another section here, but I've been drinking and I can't numbers.
Based upon what we get from the media and our tendencies my guess is that our D board looks like Bouchard, Hughes, Dobson, Boqvist. A couple of insiders have suggested that Bouchard would be our pick. Some others have said if not Bouchard then Hughes. Draper said some good things about Boqvist earlier in the year but I don't think the Wings would like his concussion history. Furthermore Tyler Wright has been a size queen thus far so that's why I think Dobson over Boqvist even though neither has been talked about much.
That being said it's all smoke and mirrors so I could be totally wrong and we take Boqvist.
Yeah you can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out who they're going to pick. I'm just going to assume that the Bouchard rumors are earnest and try to get hyped for him. If we take someone else I'll probably be pretty happy regardless. I like this top 9.I find it odd when Wings front office have publicly discussed the draft the last few months they never seem to mention Hughes. It's not really the Wings style to leak draft info and I almost feel like the Bouchard buzz would be to throw teams off who they really want. Hughes might actually be the guy they covet, they got a really close look at him at WC's. Or perhaps even Wahlstrom if they really think he's gonna be an elite scorer
Word is that the Sens like Bouchard do you may be in luck.I find it odd when Wings front office have publicly discussed the draft the last few months they never seem to mention Hughes. It's not really the Wings style to leak draft info and I almost feel like the Bouchard buzz would be to throw teams off who they really want. Hughes might actually be the guy they covet, they got a really close look at him at WC's. Or perhaps even Wahlstrom if they really think he's gonna be an elite scorer, they've been looking for a RH sniper for like a decade. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Full disclosure here; I have not watched enough of Bouchard to have my own opinion on his hockey sense, but...
It's odd for me to see you so adamant about his lack of hockey sense while at the same time reading about him being voted 3rd smartest hockey player in the western conference in the OHL coaches poll. I'm of course assuming that the poll isn't asking about academics and instead is looking for opinions on the players hockey sense.
This isn't a criticism of your opinion, you've shown in the past to back your opinions up, I'm just trying to understand what those voting coaches are seeing that you aren't, or that you're seeing that they aren't. I guess it's possible the coaches are really focused on offensive instincts, idk...
I have never understand why Lindstrom was so good , he was slooooowMost people think way more of his skating than you appear to. Personally I'd rate him as an average to above-average skater in this draft, and I believe that's a fairly consensus opinion. Furthermore because he played 30+ minutes a game this season, there's a strong possibility his skating suffered due to the need to conserve energy. His stride is a little awkward and he's being compared to Hughes (best skater in this draft and truly phenomenal), Boqvist (great skater), and Dobson (great skater) so Bouchard's skating is underrated. He's pretty great at joining the rush, and is sufficiently smart that he's rarely caught out of position because of it.
That being said he's my least favorite of those 4 D because I really value skating and the other 3 are all pretty great at it.
The only little thing about Dobson that I don't like, and I feel like we don't talk about it enough, is that his puckhandling ability seems iffy at times. When he's got the puck on the PP and he's moving around, he sometimes looks awkward and not fully in control. By comparison, Bouchard, Hughes, and Boqvist are guys who have that puck with a death grip. They're all great puck possessors with hands for days. Dobson is not in that group for me.
Edit: there was another section here, but I've been drinking and I can't numbers.
I met a Red Wings scout at work today (the Combine is in town). We got to talking about the draft and he said that they really like this Defenseman from London. TIFWIW.
This has been the consistent rumor from our beat writers, so that makes sense. Doesn't mean they'll actually draft him, but the organization sure likes to talk about him.I met a Red Wings scout at work today (the Combine is in town). We got to talking about the draft and he said that they really like this Defenseman from London. TIFWIW.
I often wonder why we hear things like this from scouts. You're not the first person to relay info heard from a scout in a passing conversation (and this isn't the first time I've heard someone report that Det likes Bouchard), I kind of wonder if it's a matter of they don't think it will make a difference if it's leaked, or if they are planting it, or if they are just really bad at keeping quiet...