Holtbyisms
Matt Irwin is a legit talent
Skating he did and in his own zone he did. Offensively and physically he was dynamic. He's really physically strong which creates some false narratives in junior hockey. It was a man against boys scenario for him in the W. There was even a stretch where he was so rough defensively he played winger in his final season with the Pats after continuing to get beat one on one and taking dumb penalties.I didnt think he struggled in junior. I saw him play a lot.
I'm definitely not a Hobbs hater, in fact I absolutely love his game and hope that he does continue to progress enough to make the NHL with the same skills he showed in junior. I was a huge advocate of his coming out of junior and thought he was a heck of a draft pick where they got him. A guy who can fire the puck like that, throw vicious checks and knock somebody out when needed is quite the asset. However, he's got to get the fundamentals down at the pro level before he can start developing the other skills he's shown in junior.