glovesave_35
Name
I'd be happy with those kinds of numbers. I'm just the type of person who would rather be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed.
This is good. He had many chances last year where he was able to take the puck to the net but saw his opportunity die because he was unable to elevate the puck. He's end up pushing the puck along the ice and into the goalie's pads.
i feel like a lot of people are starting to forget a bit about val, or take him for granted.
with spezz and hemmer joining the team, there's so much focus on the center depth, and the addition of a second scoring line... but no matter which line val plays with, he is going to be poised for a big year. finally rested up. defensive matchups having to split between two scoring lines (and the eakin/rous/garbs line isn't going to be a slouch either). another year of development, and learning english to better understand the coaches...
he isn't the shiny new toy any more, so i think a lot of people aren't really thinking about him... but i expect big things from him. hard to believe he's still not even 20. he gets me more excited about being a stars fan than any other player we've got in the system.
After answering the original question about Gelinas, Jagr, a former Dallas Star, turned his attention to Valeri Nichushkin, saying the 18-year-old has impressed him the most of all the rookies this season.
“Maybe it was his best 3 games I watched, but I said, ‘This guy is going to be the best in the world one day,’ ” Jagr said.
Question: Hey Mike. Do you know if Nichushkin is doing any off-season training programs with other NHLers (like Gary Roberts camp) this year?
Heika: Not to my knowledge. He has spent the past couple of weeks in Frisco with Jamie and Jordie Benn and Brenden Dillon, and they have been working out pretty hard. Val appears open to the workout guidance of the Stars, so the guess is he will have a good, physically-demanding summer and be ready to go in the fall.
You are all making some very bold statements.
Kid has potential for sure, though.
i feel like this isn't a bold statement:
val was the most impressive rookie i've ever seen wear a dallas stars jersey, without even factoring in his age. and i've seen every rookie to ever wear a dallas stars sweater.
was he as impressive as modano? no idea. i didn't get see mo until he was already in dallas... but as far as rookies of the last 21 years, i've never seen a more impressive stars rookie. that is why he has me so excited. he is a combination of size and skill and strength that is easy to fall in love with.
How are they any more bold than actual projections for the kid? I get that there is a stigma around here that nobody should get overly excited about prospects because most of them never hit their projected ceiling, but that doesn't mean that you have to taper expectations to every single player. It's kind of a drag to think that way, wouldn't you agree? Why not just get excited about what the kid could bring to the franchise, rather than be boring and reserved about it which takes the fun out of things like this anyway?
Idk some people need to lighten up with stuff like this. Not you in particular but I see a lot of it around here about our prospects. There's a reason Nill drafted him and has kept him with Benn and Seguin for the majority of his playing time. I guess you call it bold statements that he should be able to hang with other top players in the league for points and skill but really it's just called player projection.
I'm the one that's most likely to make exaggerated statements/predictions on players. I fully expect Seguin to hit 95-100 points next year, for example.
I just think saying a 19 year old kid will be as good as Datsyuk is a bit extreme. We haven't seen enough out of him yet.
With that being said, I hope very very much so that you're right.
i feel like this isn't a bold statement:
val was the most impressive rookie i've ever seen wear a dallas stars jersey, without even factoring in his age. and i've seen every rookie to ever wear a dallas stars sweater.
was he as impressive as modano? no idea. i didn't get see mo until he was already in dallas... but as far as rookies of the last 21 years, i've never seen a more impressive stars rookie. that is why he has me so excited. he is a combination of size and skill and strength that is easy to fall in love with.
I think Nichushkin has the POTENTIAL to be the most prolific goal scorer that this franchise has ever had. Do I think he'll pass Modano in any category...not likely, but he has undeniable, sick talent that is largely untapped. This year will be a very telling year as to his true potential (i.e. a potential legend or another very good player). For instance if you look at pure offensive talent alone, Brett Ritchie can't hold a candle to Nichushkin. That's not to say that Ritchie won't become a better player, and it takes NOTHING away from Ritchie, but that's the kind of natural talent that Nichushkin has in my eyes. Whether he uses his gifts, or fizzles into relative averagedom due to laziness is all up to him. He's the kind of natural talent that you might not see drafted by the Stars for another 15 or 20 years. That said I'm not sure if the desire is there to really push himself into superstardom...jury is still out.
You don't need to be lazy to not reach legend status despite having world class skill. Don't underestimate hockey IQ and such, that is what sets apart the good and great ones. Zubov and Lemioux smoked, which is pretty undisciplined but still were amazing. If say a Alexei Kovalev smoked everyone would bash him for it.
Absolutely. Hockey IQ is huge. Do you have your concerns about Nuke's hockey sense and decision-making?
Yes, I'm personally not sold yet. But then he was only 18 and had a weird season while playing with men, I'm sure he is going to have better decision making with more experience.
While on the topic about Val, I have no concerns about his work ethic. Think he'll be good in that department.
Well Benn was flat out better than Nichushkin in his rookie season. But you may be factoring in their respective ages by using the term "impressive", in which case an argument could be made.i feel like this isn't a bold statement:
val was the most impressive rookie i've ever seen wear a dallas stars jersey, without even factoring in his age. and i've seen every rookie to ever wear a dallas stars sweater.
was he as impressive as modano? no idea. i didn't get see mo until he was already in dallas... but as far as rookies of the last 21 years, i've never seen a more impressive stars rookie. that is why he has me so excited. he is a combination of size and skill and strength that is easy to fall in love with.