Player Discussion: Adam Pelech

[majormet]

I didn't see a thread for this, but think it merits discussion.

Seems like the Islanders are very high on him, they were adamant about protecting him in the expansion draft and may have been deemed untouchable in trade talks.

I thought at times last year he looked like a top pairing guy and some points during last season he was making obvious mistakes.

For 2017/18, he simply has been our best defenseman for 9 games (LOL) and looks to be groomed to be the first unit Power player quarterback, he has been the pointman on both power play goals this year and has about 80 seconds of power play time logged in.

The small sample size of 2017/18 is still not meaningful but he seems to be the enchanced version of Travis Hamonic early on. I felt that he stepped up this year, it would be a good sign for this team's growth.

Is he one of those player's that is a student of the game and can develop into a top pairing guy.

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[leeroggy]

I didn't see a thread for this, but think it merits discussion.

Seems like the Islanders are very high on him, they were adamant about protecting him in the expansion draft and may have been deemed untouchable in trade talks.

I thought at times last year he looked like a top pairing guy and some points during last season he was making obvious mistakes.

For 2017/18, he simply has been our best defenseman for 9 games (LOL) and looks to be groomed to be the first unit Power player quarterback, he has been the pointman on both power play goals this year and has about 80 seconds of power play time logged in.

The small sample size of 2017/18 is still not meaningful but he seems to be the enchanced version of Travis Hamonic early on. I felt that he stepped up this year, it would be a good sign for this team's growth.

Is he one of those player's that is a student of the game and can develop into a top pairing guy.

Similar growth path to another 3rd round pick that turned out well . . . Alex Edler. Same size, tended to produce on the PP more than 5 on 5. I see a lot of Edler here. I also see similarities with Toews. Both Pelech and Toews are comfortable on the puck in the defensive zone and as they gain experience the outlet passes get better and better. Pelech also seems to be taking leadership on the pairing with DeHaan.

 

[mm11]

Is it me but does he have a weird skating stride? Seems kind of heavy of feet. Taking that into consideration though he has been very good this year. Who knew he may be a PP guy as well? Seems to pass much better than my dime store eyes thought.....

 

[PK Cronin]

He has to be the less mobile defenseman in a pairing or he's not as effective, that's what I've noticed. So for all the hate de Haan gets, he's allowing Pelech to play a simple game by being more active and mobile. Pelech is a steady guy and he's at his best when he can get his head up and make those nice crisp breakout passes. He's at his worst when he's slamming the puck off the glass blindly hoping for it to get out of the zone when there are better options.

I like his game and hope he sticks around. Hopefully he becomes more assertive offensively in the near future.

 

[Strait2thecup]

He's kind of like what people thought Reinhart would be

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

He's aight. He's a guy.

 

[boredmale]

He's kind of like what people thought Reinhart would be

I always though Pelech was sort of a less physical version of Hamonic. Both were defensive defensemen who put up good numbers in junior

 

[Strait2thecup]

I always though Pelech was sort of a less physical version of Hamonic. Both were defensive defensemen who put up good numbers in junior

Thats a good comparison. Pelech also doesnt try to rush the puck as much as hamonic but i think thats a good thing.

 

[doublechili]

Is he one of those player's that is a student of the game and can develop into a top pairing guy.

Could be. After the draft I saw some guy on (I think) the NHL Network absolutely gushing about what a great pick Pelech was. His main thing was that Pelech was super motivated and a really hard worker and could be a future captain. We have already seen his OHL numbers improve dramatically (20 points in his draft year to 54 points two years later). So Pelech could be one of those guys who just keeps working to make himself better. Hope so, anyway.

 

[majormet]

Could be. After the draft I saw some guy on (I think) the NHL Network absolutely gushing about what a great pick Pelech was. His main thing was that Pelech was super motivated and a really hard worker and could be a future captain. We have already seen his OHL numbers improve dramatically (20 points in his draft year to 54 points two years later). So Pelech could be one of those guys who just keeps working to make himself better. Hope so, anyway.

A lot of good dmen were not drafted in the first round, so it is a lot about development

Isles need to removed Leddy and Boychuk from the PP

First Unit: JT/Lee/Eberle - Barzal puck carrier, Pelech point man
Second Unit: Bailey/Ladd/Nelson - JHS puck carrier, Mayfield point man

I have disagreed with people on this board about Leddy on the PP but I have seen the light as well, he really hurts the PP, he is a great skater, and puck carrier, but his shot isn't that great and he tries to do too much

 

[ekill08x]

A lot of good dmen were not drafted in the first round, so it is a lot about development

Isles need to removed Leddy and Boychuk from the PP

First Unit: JT/Lee/Eberle - Barzal puck carrier, Pelech point man
Second Unit: Bailey/Ladd/Nelson - JHS puck carrier, Mayfield point man

I have disagreed with people on this board about Leddy on the PP but I have seen the light as well, he really hurts the PP, he is a great skater, and puck carrier, but his shot isn't that great and he tries to do too much

I agree 100%. Leddy is a solid middle of the pack Dmen but he really is the most overrated player we have by fans. When Dougie came out and said he expects Leddy to compete for a Norris I thought that was adorable. He definitely holds back that PP.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

No, no, no Pelech on the power play. Stop it now.

 

[Strummergas]

#tradeleddy

 

[majormet]

#tradeleddy

I wasn't attacking Leddy, he is very solid but maybe not the answer on the PP, when a power play has performed this awful for this long under two coaches and different assistant coaches, you have to look at what might be the broken link.

Leddy should not be traded, still our best dman, he can play more even strength minutes as well and that helps us.

 

[CupHolders]

I’ve been surprised by his stick handling. The guy can actually dangle around players when carrying the puck.

He’s interesting in that he seems to have long legs and a high center of gravity much like Nelson. Yet the result is vastly different, Nelson can get easily removed from the puck whereas Pelech looks like the human tri-pod and is stronger on his skates.

 

[Strummergas]

I wasn't attacking Leddy, he is very solid but maybe not the answer on the PP, when a power play has performed this awful for this long under two coaches and different assistant coaches, you have to look at what might be the broken link.

Leddy should not be traded, still our best dman, he can play more even strength minutes as well and that helps us.

That wasn't a direct response to you, but this thread was starting to look like the Leddy version of the bitch about Tavares thread. I figured I would just speed up the story arc of the thread. It goes like this:

Complain about Player X
Call for Player X to be traded
Player X performs well a couple of games in a row
Isles HF deems Player X worthy of staying

 

[eoin92]

That wasn't a direct response to you, but this thread was starting to look like the Leddy version of the ***** about Tavares thread. I figured I would just speed up the story arc of the thread. It goes like this:

Complain about Player X
Call for Player X to be traded
Player X performs well a couple of games in a row
Isles HF deems Player X worthy of staying

I thought the islanders let player X walk for nothing as a free agent?

 

[majormet]

That wasn't a direct response to you, but this thread was starting to look like the Leddy version of the ***** about Tavares thread. I figured I would just speed up the story arc of the thread. It goes like this:

Complain about Player X
Call for Player X to be traded
Player X performs well a couple of games in a row
Isles HF deems Player X worthy of staying

I was hoping this to be a positive thread, because I think he got a diamond with this guy.... as for Leddy even if the guy gets 8 points this year (he will be over 30 points for sure LOL), the amount of ice time he logs in successfully trumps everything.

 

[Strummergas]

I was hoping this to be a positive thread, because I think he got a diamond with this guy.... as for Leddy even if the guy gets 8 points this year (he will be over 30 points for sure LOL), the amount of ice time he logs in successfully trumps everything.

It should be a positive thread. Pelech has played pretty well this season and had a great game on Tuesday. But as this is Isles HF, nothing stays positive for too long.

 

[seafoam]

8-4-1 with him in the lineup.

 

[steveat]

how the tables have turned....there were only a few Pelech supporters before . myself and some others..
So many people bashing Snow for holding on to him during the Vegas draft..now he's way popular..I do see him as a top 2..actually, I see Mayfield with that ceiling too....This year changed my mind..I thought he'd be top 4 at best...

Anyway..I think we have enough talent to land a real 1D...whether it's trading up for Dahlin or trading for one from another team..

 

[seafoam]

how the tables have turned....there were only a few Pelech supporters before . myself and some others..
So many people bashing Snow for holding on to him during the Vegas draft..now he's way popular..I do see him as a top 2..actually, I see Mayfield with that ceiling too....This year changed my mind..I thought he'd be top 4 at best...

Anyway..I think we have enough talent to land a real 1D...whether it's trading up for Dahlin or trading for one from another team..

I've been a big fan of Pelech since we drafted him.

There is a strong correlation between CHL defenseman who are able to put up good offensive numbers and improve on them year in and year out. Pelech's last season in in the OHL he put up a PPG ratio of .90 while Reinhart put up a .47.

The interpretation that I get from that correlation is that in order to even be a low-end defenseman in the NHL, you have to have legitmate offensive instincts to be considered viable for an NHL system.

I honestly wonder if we see Pelech on the powerplay by the end of the year. He seems to be more instinctual than Leddy who in my opinion needs to assess what he wants to do with the puck before he makes a decision (talking strictly while on the point of the PP) while Pelech more naturally feels play developing and is reactionary with the puck.

Now, of course Pelech just doesn't have the naturally ability to skate like the wind and be such an asset in zone entries as Leddy, but from a more static perspective Pelech is better.

 

[Strait2thecup]

His contract is already looking to be a bit of a steal. I think pelech has legit top 4 potential. Thinking he tops out at a good hamonic level player. They're not similar stylistically but I could see pelech having a similar overall impact

 

[BelovedIsles]

Some here were calling Pelech a gem during his CHL years.

Successful franchises need non first rounders to materialize into good talent; w Pelech we have that.

Think he has top 4 two way upside. What stands out the most for me is his decision making and simplicity to his game. On occasion he’ll dangle around offenders; he always makes the sound, safe play. I find myself confident when the puck is on his stick.

If there was a short term hammer replacement it’s him.

 

[seafoam]

Some here were calling Pelech a gem during his CHL years.

Successful franchises need non first rounders to materialize into good talent; w Pelech we have that.

Think he has top 4 two way upside. What stands out the most for me is his decision making and simplicity to his game. On occasion he’ll dangle around offenders; he always makes the sound, safe play. I find myself confident when the puck is on his stick.

If there was a short term hammer replacement it’s him.

Funny, I think Mayfield is closer to a Hamonic replacement, while I feel that Pelech is the reason de Haan wasn't extended long term.

I think the defense could look really interesting next year...