I've only had limited viewings of McLeod. Can anyone comment on his two-way game and his playmaking? I've seen a lot of good plays off the rush and simple short passes, but does he have any sort of gamebreaking passing in his game?
C Michael McLeod - Mississauga Steelheads, OHL (2016, 12th, NJD)
- Thread starter varsaku
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This guy is the real deal. Strong centre with deft hands and great vision. Just outstanding hockey sense. Can't let this guy slip out of the top 3.
landy92mack29
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He's a great player who has a good chance of being top 10 but there is no way he should be top 3. Matthews, Chychrun and Puljujarvi are those guys. I'd rank him in the 9-12 range.
Who knows, he certainly has the upside to be a top line centre (size, skating, hands).
Really good wheels with silky hands. He has a really powerful stride which makes him a special player 1 on 1, and a nice release to go with it. Not a belligerent player but he goes to the net and opens up space for his linemates Nylander/Bastian.. He's money from in close around the slot which is a good indication of a pro-style game (a la Strome).
I really like his tools. He also looks a lot bigger than he's listed in my opinion. Reminds me of a bigger, less dynamic Duchene in the way he carries himself and handles the puck.
He always passes the eye-test for me, but you'd like his numbers to be a bit better. I think he's a top 10 talent, unless his production stagnates. Going to be a big test going up against Dvorak and the Knights tomorrow in the fishbowl.
landy92mack29
Registered User
Ryan shows flashes and could end up better but he's too far away to be confident that he'd be.
I'd say he'd be a top 6 C in the NHL. Low end #1/high end #2 is what I expect reasonably. Never know how he'll develop though. Unless he runs into injury problems I'm very confident he'll be at least a #3 C though
I'd say he'd be a top 6 C in the NHL. Low end #1/high end #2 is what I expect reasonably. Never know how he'll develop though. Unless he runs into injury problems I'm very confident he'll be at least a #3 C though
Agreed.
2C is a pretty conservative bet. Certainly has the upside to be a #1 in some capacity, but he needs to take that next step offensively.
The Winter Soldier
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- Apr 4, 2011
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Overall I thought Mcleod was good in today's game. Mississauga ran into penalty trouble so the game got out of hand in the 3rd. Would have liked to seen more 5 on 5 play. But he was noticable enough. Has some jam to his game. Will be interesting to see his progression this year. He has the right Left Winger to pad on some stats later this year.
TheLeastOfTheBunch
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High praise from Grant McCagg on Twitter. Says he would draft McLeod #3 if the draft's held today
Also says it's not a stretch he may end up as the #1 forward for this draft by June
Also says it's not a stretch he may end up as the #1 forward for this draft by June
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BB88
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TheLeastOfTheBunch
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I don't think he did. Certainly high praise for Mike considering the quality of Laine, Puljujarvi, etc. Perhaps Grant can post in this thread and provide his insight later on in this season
dballislife2
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BB88
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If he said the best forward by June then it would feel like it or did I get that wrong?
(Matthews.)
But high praise indeed, a lot more than 2nd line predictions I have seen here lately, if he is ahead of Pulju/Laine which I doubt it would mean that he screams elite potential.
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TheLeastOfTheBunch
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If he said the best forward by June then it would feel like it or did I get that wrong?
(Matthews.)
But high praise indeed, a lot more than 2nd line predictions I have seen here lately, if he is ahead of Pulju/Laine which I doubt it would mean that he screams elite potential.
He'd draft him #3 behind Matthews and Chychrun at the moment to be fair. Perhaps he just sees McLeod's potential higher than most
Going to follow Mike a bit more now, haha. Grant is one of the more connected scouts (Habs, Flyers, etc head scouts).. Remember last season McKenzie sent his final draft rankings to McCagg for his impressions
BB88
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Went look for that tweet and said could be #1 on my list by June, that's a high high praise.
I've missed your Bob story, but clearly he knows something then
But like I said amazing to see how his predictions are so different, from Ok 2nd line C to elite #1C.
Steve Kournianos
@thedraftanalyst
In a goal-starved NHL where finishing is far more of a concern than playmaking, there is no chance in hell McLeod gets picked ahead of Laine - the best amateur pure goal scorer in a long, long time.
McLeod can't finish. Does everything else at a very high level. He cannot bury the puck.
McLeod can't finish. Does everything else at a very high level. He cannot bury the puck.
Ryan is definitely the better finisher, even in an interview the boys said Ryan was more of a shooter while Mikey is more the playmaker.
Bang on comparison!
Agree with this to an extent. I think he can finish plays and score goals, IMO he needs to work on his shot to be a more complete player at the next level.
Steve Kournianos
@thedraftanalyst
I think his shot is fine velocity-wise. Too many of his shots hit the logo or go wide. In my viewings he either didn't shoot off the pass with the cage yawning or shot it back into the goalie cutting across.
Zaddy
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It's very good. I think MacK has better top end speed, but both are very explosive.
- Dec 2, 2010
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The talk about his shot being poor is overstated I think. He was a fine scorer in Midget and he will be when his jr career his done.
HenriquesJawLine
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Could you see him as the 60 point version of Travis Zajac? Strong two way RH center that won't blow you away with any elite tools.
He has elite tools to me though.
Don't think his two-way game is that strong. He has good defensive potential but he's mostly a top end offensive forward when I watch him play.
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