Mike Cammalleri

[trahans99]

I noticed today that he is the leading scorer in the AHL, whats his potential? I remember watching him at the WJC a few years ago where he was one of Canada's best players and I thought he was going to be a very good player. The past couple of seasons hes been quiet but I think he got injured.

Anyways, whats his best and worst case scenario. I'm guessing best case 1st line winger/centre with 70 points , worst case 3rd line player with 30 points. These point totals are not best/worst case for this year but for his career.

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[Legionnaire]

He will be a top line player or a career AHLer. I will elaborate more a bit later, but right now I'm too tired to give a complete breakdown on Cam.

 

[Levitate]

i think he's a pretty small guy if i'm not mistaken...so the worry is always "can he take the bigger more physical NHL players and still produce"

 

[The Gabe Blade]

When Mike came up to the NHL he was having multi point games. He quickly cooled off as Andy Murray seems to do with players by moving them around a lot. The Kings didnt have any real talent for Squid to play with, but I believe, despite his size he will be a legitimate 2nd line winger. He is pretty tough, in the sense where he can take a lick not so much the glove dropper. Considering how talented the AHL is this season, I believe it speaks of how well he can do in the NHL with a decent line.

 

[KingPurpleDinosaur]

not sold on cammalleri being a legit nhl player. he gets knocked off the puck real easily and needs more strength to last in the NHL. if he makes it, i wouldn't be surprised to see him explode somewehre down the line st. louis style. but i also see a good chance of him not making it at all becuase he's just too small

 

[King'sPawn]

He has the potential to be a top 6, but by no means do I think he's a sure fire first liner or second liner. He's small, and, while there are plenty of players who have oodles of talent but not the heart to use it, I think Cammalleri is the opposite.

When he played on the top six for the Kings, he worked really hard. He can get knocked off the puck sometimes, but he's a fast and shifty skater, making himself harder to hit.

He's more of a finisher than a passer.

Thinking back, I can't really see what he does defensively. I guess that's a good thing, because at least he's not a cherrypicker.

The biggest knock on him is his attitude. Some people have said that once Cammalleri got demoted to the bottom six role, or to Manchester, he pouted. Apparently this type of behavior goes back to his college days. Since I'm not one who claims to be "in the know," that is, I'm not completely sure. That's just what other fans have said.

 

[nally]

not sold on cammalleri being a legit nhl player. he gets knocked off the puck real easily and needs more strength to last in the NHL. if he makes it, i wouldn't be surprised to see him explode somewehre down the line st. louis style. but i also see a good chance of him not making it at all becuase he's just too small

Yeah, i think he'll be a legit NHLer...He is fantastic on the powerplay and scores in bunches. He just needs to become more consistant at the NHL level. I beleive he scored 9 goals in 13 games at one point for LA last year. So there is really no doubt in my mind that he can produce at the NHL level. It really comes down to his consistancy.

 

[DuklaNation]

I think he has great skills. The biggest difference between him and St. Louis is grit & toughness. Otherwise, they were in similar situations at same stage in their careers.

Its funny though that we can criticize someone for being easily outmuscled, but plenty of NHLers turnover the puck simply due to their lack of any skill.

Count how many turnovers there are in a game. Way too many by the unskilled players. Yet these turnovers are forgiven for some reason.

If Cammalleri gets checked off the puck, so what, maybe next time he slips by.

 

[KingPurpleDinosaur]

I think he has great skills. The biggest difference between him and St. Louis is grit & toughness. Otherwise, they were in similar situations at same stage in their careers.

Its funny though that we can criticize someone for being easily outmuscled, but plenty of NHLers turnover the puck simply due to their lack of any skill.

Count how many turnovers there are in a game. Way too many by the unskilled players. Yet these turnovers are forgiven for some reason.

If Cammalleri gets checked off the puck, so what, maybe next time he slips by.

true, but those who aer stronger have the ability to get the puck back. cammy is really weak and has trouble taking the puck from the bigger guys. that and u can teach puck handling skills but can't necessarily teach strength. some people are just born stronger and put others at an inherent disadvantage.

 

[DaveyCrockett]

true, but those who aer stronger have the ability to get the puck back. cammy is really weak and has trouble taking the puck from the bigger guys. that and u can teach puck handling skills but can't necessarily teach strength. some people are just born stronger and put others at an inherent disadvantage.

u can teach strength but can't necessarily teach puck handling skills. some people are just born with better puck handling skills and put others at an inherent disadvantage.

I would argue that hands are less teachable than strength. Cammy will never be a big guy, but he can certainly bulk up. Belak will always be one of the biggest and strongest NHL'ers but he will always have rock hands.

 

[The Gabe Blade]

Tie Domi is 5'10". It never slowed him down from being one tough SOB on the ice.

 

[KingPurpleDinosaur]

u can teach strength but can't necessarily teach puck handling skills. some people are just born with better puck handling skills and put others at an inherent disadvantage.

I would argue that hands are less teachable than strength. Cammy will never be a big guy, but he can certainly bulk up. Belak will always be one of the biggest and strongest NHL'ers but he will always have rock hands.

*clap clap* mindless regurgitation is always an impressive argument. anyways, ok, i will concede that what I said about strength is a little off (i was thinking that myself when i wrote it, not sure i worded it correctly), but my point is that there are plenty of skilled players that just are unable to get the strength to survive in the NHL. if you were to compare stickhandling skills of the NHL with the AHL, im not so sure we'd see THAT significant a difference. some of the sickest moves are pulled off in the AHL, does that mean they are going to necesasrily do well in the NHL? absolutely not, why? as i said before, strength. the strength of the players is where the main difference is between the NHL and AHL.

which is why i said strength is sometimes given and sometimes not. as some have already said before me, his potential can reach top 6er status in the NHL or just lay in the AHL as one of the pavel rosas in the league. it woudln't surprise me for him to be either.

 

[maximil]

My favorite part of his game is his outstanding scoring touch around the net. From the limited amount of his games I've seen he's great at sneaking into good position around the net and getting his stick free for just enough time to bury one past the goalie. He's got great instinct for the offensive game and great fundemental skills.

I see him in the NHL next season.

As far as size issues are concerned I don't think it's too much of a factor. This guy obviously isn't going to be a physical presence. It just depends whether or not he can create more scoring opportunities than the other players on his team. My bet is he can.

His NHL success hinges upon if he can consistantly create scoring opportunites without being a liability in the defensive zone (taking penalties).