Llamamoto
Nice Bison. Kind Bison. Yep.
- Sep 5, 2018
- 8,855
- 12,207
My thoughts:
Cozens
He scored 2 goals and really showed his ability to finish. Overhandled the puck quite a few times, and I don't like his PP play at all. He's being used on the right side as the set-up man, where his shot wasn't utilized as much and his lack of playmaking ability was clear. I much prefer him on the left half-wall where his one-timer becomes a threat. I stand by what I've been saying for a while now, that he'll need a playmaker on his line in the NHL to succeed. In the WHL what little he generates by himself is a result of bulling past others with his speed and size. His best work comes when others are carrying the puck and he plays the role of a sniper. I did like his play in front of the net though. Overall I think he might be a good fit for the Oilers since we have 3 great playmaking centers, but there are a handful of others I'd prefer at 8th overall.
Podkolzin
Let's start with the positives. There were some unnecessary dekes and he was caught trying to do too much in his own end on the breakout, but his play in the defensive end was good overall. He was quite physical, competed very hard, and scored a goal. The negative is that it was a very low-event game for what you'd expect in a junior league. His lack of vision and offensive IQ was evident at times. There was one play in particular when the other team was caught on an awful line change and Podkolzin had a two-on-one, but he kept his head down and took a slapshot from an awful angle and wasted a great chance. I could see him becoming a good energy bottom 6er in the NHL that can bring a good shot to the PP, but there is nothing that warrants him being a top-10 pick in my mind.
2 side notes: 1) He played LW most shifts, which I didn't know he did, and 2) there were 3 times he went down for ~5 seconds and it seemed he was injured, but he played the next shift.
Krebs
The biggest takeaway is just how awful his team is. Krebs recorded a goal and 2 assists (both primary), but the team lost 4-3. They were stuck in their own zone for so much of the game, and their mentality was to get the puck out and dump it in. Their breakouts were pathetic and they iced the puck every second shift. Krebs was good and made smart plays all night long, and although he was unspectacular, he was clearly the most noticeable player on the team. The offense ran through him and he played well over 20 minutes but received no help. It is not the case that he records points because he is ridden on so heavily; while he can lead a line effectively, he performs and produces much better when playing with better linemates (Dach + Lafreniere at Hlinka, Kaliyev + Robertson at TPG, Cozens + Newhook at U18s). One thing that could help his game is if he bulked up a bit. There were a few times he was pushed around and knocked down too easily.
Dach
An outstanding game by Kirby Dach. He recorded a goal and an assist, and the amount of chances he generated was incredible. His skating didn't look poor or even just decent. There were a few times he blew past defensemen in 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 rushes. He was dangerous at all situations, including the PK. Only thing that stood out to me was that he was he seemed off balance at times and wasn't strong enough on his skates. Improving his lower-body strength could improve this.
Byram
Very involved offensively, on for 4 goals for and recorded a goal and an assist. Was very calm and composed with the puck and had some beautiful rushes. Did a great job covering for his partner who joined the rush a lot. He never forced plays and was okay with turning back and passing back to his partner if he didn't like what he saw. On the PP, I found he was better suited to the half-wall than the point. He prefers a quick wrister over a slapshot, and is best at getting it off on from close in. Defensively he displayed nice gap control, but lost his man a couple times.
Dach's hands also stood out like crazy. I'd say him and Zegras have the best hands in the draft.
