Put him on the 3rd line.Statistically this has been the best performance by a Lightning prospect at this tournament. 7 goals, 2 of them in the gold medal game, and a shootout winner against the Czechs who won bronze.
Gotta learn to play a 200ft game man! Next chapter: two seasons on the 4th line with 40 year-old Glendening and Austin “I lose fights against Pat Maroon” Watson.Can’t wait until cooper gets his hands on our first real prospect with offensive instincts (since Kootchie) and has him dumping in the puck and racing back to the defensive zone in Syracuse.
I don't think anyone is expecting him to join the team tomorrow and blow the league out of the water lol.I'd pump the brakes a bit on Isaac Howard stepping right into the NHL. He's got that dawg in him. I'll give him that.
He played in the WJC against a bunch of other CHL and NCAA players. It was the very best of those players, but it's not directly comparable to the NHL.
He also has a hunger that only Kucherov, Hagel, and Eyssimont show on a consistent basis.I don't think anyone is expecting him to join the team tomorrow and blow the league out of the water lol.
But he tied the tourney for most goals and scored in some huge moments.
He has good hockey iq, great work ethic and knows how to finish. That's exactly the type of player we need. Having someone like that in the bottom 6 would do wonders. Then the sky is the limit as he gets more experience.
Isaac Howard is the kind of player who embraces the big moments.
That's why the Tampa Bay Lightning forward prospect had no issues being looked at as the villain along with his United States teammates against host Sweden in the gold-medal game of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship on Friday.
"We embraced it," Howard said after he scored two second-period goals for the U.S. in its 6-2 victory. "We loved it. It was an electric barn [Scandinavium, in Gothenburg]. Loved the boos. We were able to feed off that energy and keep going."
"These are the moments every hockey player dreams of," Howard said. "I just want to step up to the plate every time I get this opportunity."
"He took over that game out there today," U.S. captain Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets) said. "We absolutely love him for it. He scores goals, he makes plays, he has fun. And he can [celebrate]."
What a resurgent year this has been for Howard, who really didn’t have a great first year of college last year. Now at Michigan State, he’s rediscovered his game and we got a full glimpse of it at the World Juniors. Howard led Team USA with seven goals including two big ones in the gold-medal game. His go-ahead goal to make it 2-1 was just so darn smooth.
Playing on a line with two work horses like Frank Nazar and Gavin Brindley really suited Howard, who could be a little more of the finisher than the driver. He has a good shot, good hands and there’s enough quickness there that he can challenge defenders. It looks like he’s back on track after a down season.