LW John Gaudreau - Boston College, HE (2011, 104th overall, Calgary)

[TheHudlinator]

I find that odd, yes he is a slippery player, but you cant avoid board battles in the NHL.

Teams like LA will just grind him out to shut him down.

Have you seen Patrick Kane play, he doesn't battle along the boards often.

 

[MC Ride]

All the Monahan-Toews and Gaudreau-Kane comparisons...

If Monahan and Gaudreau reach their potentials, I'd have no problem with the second coming of Toews/Kane

 

[Bank Shot]

All the Monahan-Toews and Gaudreau-Kane comparisons...

If Monahan and Gaudreau reach their potentials, I'd have no problem with the second coming of Toews/Kane

All those comparisons are coming from Flames fans.....

 

[InfinityIggy]

All those comparisons are coming from Flames fans.....

Monahan has been compared to Toews since far before the draft. Please join us in reality.

 

[King In The North]

All those comparisons are coming from Flames fans.....

Whoa, is TSN part of the Flames fanbase now?

 

[TheHudlinator]

All those comparisons are coming from Flames fans.....

No they aren't

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=664342

Comparison: "Jonathan Toews because he's a leader, he steps up, is serious and plays the whole 200 feet of the ice."

 

[King In The North]

Who else would Gaudreau compare to given his skill, playing style and physical stature anyway? He won't equate to Kane but essentially the same style.

 

[old time hockey4]

Who else would Gaudreau compare to given his skill, playing style and physical stature anyway? He won't equate to Kane but essentially the same style.

Steve Sullivan is always the first player that comes to mind for me. Paul Kariya as well just because of the NCAA reference.

 

[Sean Monahan]

John gaudreau could possibly be a Paul kariya? Yes please

After watching kariya highlights johnny plays so much like him it's scary

 

[The Sweetness]

John gaudreau could possibly be a Paul kariya? Yes please

After watching kariya highlights johnny plays so much like him it's scary

He lacks Kariyas speed and explosiveness though. He's much closer to Kane though he's behind Kane in skating as well.

 

[theIceWookie]

He's implying that Gaudreau is unlikely to engage in a lot of board battles against large elite defencemen, not that he won't be playing against them.

That's exactly what I was implying.

Well there's your issue, players with the skill level of Gaudreau have learned their whole playing career how to slip by the bigger, stronger players. He's shown that at every level so far , he can be a difference maker despite not being a player that spends a lot of time in high traffic areas. He knows when to be there and when it's inefficient. High skilled players have constantly shown that even in the NHL, they can still be just as slippery. It can happen, the question is can Gaudreau continue to be more skilled than his competition at the NHL level.

This goes back to an argument that I have against the whole idea of saying "If he was 6 foot 2 he'd go first overall" when posters or scouts talk about small players in the draft. Players develop certain ways because of the environment they are in and the issues they face. A 6 foot 3 player with the same talent level as Gaudreau is going to play a vastly different game because of his size. He can go on the boards and protect the puck because of that size, and then use that talent to protect the puck while players come to him and try and stop him.

By comparison, Gaudreau can't do that. So why would he even bother going into the boards for that. That's what linemates with a skill set that fits that type of game are for. Gaudreau is going to gain the zone with the puck, dance around while opposing players try and grab him, and then dish it to the open man.

You're rarely going to see him go into the boards, because that's not his game. He knows how to burn opposing teams in other ways and knows that if the puck goes into the boards, his linemates will go after it.

And if he does go into the board area, it will be with the puck and defenders will have the same issue finding him that they do on the open ice. You gotta think he knows what everyone else says about his size. You have to think he knows he can't win a one on one battle with defenders with size like Weber. So he goes into the boards in a way where they can't.

It's not rocket science to figure out from watching him. And just like you've said, he's shown this at every level that he play his game against bigger stronger competition. From the USHL to the WJC to the NCAA, against bigger and better opponents, he just keeps playing as one of the most succesful players. I see little reason to believe that he's suddenly going to lose that IQ and shiftiness that has allowed him to be so succesful just because he's playing against NHLers.

He's always played against players that have been bigger and stronger than him. He's not beating them on strength at the NCAA level. What difference will slightly stronger players make when he's not going to be dueling them in a strength competition?

 

[Pirate King Luffy]

Who cares? We will see when he plays in the NHL. In that time any thing can change between now and when he finally comes to Calgary.

 

[tfong]

Kariya comparison is a pretty big step lol, we're talking about borderline hof at prime.

 

[old time hockey4]

Kariya comparison is a pretty big step lol, we're talking about borderline hof at prime.

Oh I know, that's why I said just because of the NCAA reference, and I wanted an excuse to show that sick highlight of Kariya. Steve Sullivan though is someone I do think of when people talk about potential comparables.

 

[Beesfan]

Kariya comparison is a pretty big step lol, we're talking about borderline hof at prime.

If Karyia were healthy his whole career he would have been a sure-fire hall of famer.

I'm not sure who the proper comparison is. The Kane comparison is ok because of their skill, but they have very different skating styles (Kane is sort of choppy and straight-ahead; Gaudreau skates in circles and moves laterally very well).

With the success of Cam Atkinson and Brendan Gallagher, I'm sure Gaudreau will be a big impact player.

 

[Reinhart]

Kariya comparison is a pretty big step lol, we're talking about borderline hof at prime.

I personally don't take the comparisons as an estimate of how Gaudreau will do in the NHL. I just think about the style of game he plays as compared to whom he is being compared to. I think Kariya isn't a bad comparison at all from that standpoint.

As an aside, I think Poirier would make an excellent linemate for him. Gaudreau could use a big winger on his line to make a bit of room for him (not that Poirier is huge, but he has size). With Poirier's speed, goal-scoring ability, nasty disposition and his love of driving to the net, I bet they would compliment one another really well (though a winger like Poirier would compliment most lines).

 

[Sean Monahan]

I personally don't take the comparisons as an estimate of how Gaudreau will do in the NHL. I just think about the style of game he plays as compared to whom he is being compared to. I think Kariya isn't a bad comparison at all from that standpoint.

As an aside, I think Poirier would make an excellent linemate for him. Gaudreau could use a big winger on his line to make a bit of room for him (not that Poirier is huge, but he has size). With Poirier's speed, goal-scoring ability, nasty disposition and his love of driving to the net, I bet they would compliment one another really well (though a winger like Poirier would compliment most lines).

Gaudreau Monahan Poirier

dat good good

 

[Billybaroo*]

Quite a bit of hyperbole for a shrimp that is far, far from a sure thing to ever even play in the NHL as a regular, never mind make any kind of an impact.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

Quite a bit of hyperbole for a shrimp that is far, far from a sure thing to ever even play in the NHL as a regular, never mind make any kind of an impact.

We would appreciate it if you'd show more respect to Tiny Gretzky.

 

[tfong]

We would appreciate it if you'd show more respect to Tiny Gretzky.

I loved at this

 

[King In The North]

Quite a bit of hyperbole for a shrimp that is far, far from a sure thing to ever even play in the NHL as a regular, never mind make any kind of an impact.

No one said he's a sure thing.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Quite a bit of hyperbole for a shrimp that is far, far from a sure thing to ever even play in the NHL as a regular, never mind make any kind of an impact.

Yeah you can say this about any prospect. There are no sure things..thanks for the meaningful contribution though.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Personally, I think a line of Janko and JG would be sick. Both think the game at a similar level and both are really good skaters. Then adding a gritty, highly skilled guy like Poirier, and that line has the potential to wreak havoc on the NHL.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

If Karyia were healthy his whole career he would have been a sure-fire hall of famer.

I'm not sure who the proper comparison is. The Kane comparison is ok because of their skill, but they have very different skating styles (Kane is sort of choppy and straight-ahead; Gaudreau skates in circles and moves laterally very well).

With the success of Cam Atkinson and Brendan Gallagher, I'm sure Gaudreau will be a big impact player.

The fact that two other undersized players are having success in no way means that Gaudreau will be a big impact player. Smaller players face an uphill battle to even make the NHL. It's not impossible but size is still a significant issue for NHL players.

 

[Jtabo]

More and more smaller players are making an impact at the NHL level now that game is called a lot tighter. In the clutch and grab era, they were few and far between, but now you see a bunch of guys smaller than 5-10 (Ennis, Gallagher, Gerbe and Atkinson come to mind) that are carving out successful careers. I see no reason why Gaudreau can't be a star in the league. Those who write him off solely on size are just being ignorant. I personally have high hopes for the kid after he wowed me in the World Juniors.