Devante Smith-Pelly

[HanSolo]

I know he's 4th in OHL playoff scoring, and is a candidate for OHL playoff MVP. but I don't get to actually watch him play, and was wondering if people that do could share their opinion. Comparisons, how far off he is from the NHL, is he AHL eligible?
Yeah.

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[S.S. Giggy]

I know he's 4th in OHL playoff scoring, and is a candidate for OHL playoff MVP. but I don't get to actually watch him play, and was wondering if people that do could share their opinion. Comparisons, how far off he is from the NHL, is he AHL eligible?
Yeah.

I've heard in other forums that he's like a spark plug ready to ignite in any moment. This year, I've heard that he played like a man on a mission because he was snubbed out of the World Juniors last winter by his coach(who coached the Canadian WJC team). Here's the kicker, some say that he's kind of in that Cam Fowler situation that he looks NHL ready but he has nothing else to prove in the OHL level and he's not yet eligible for the AHL.

 

[Nalens Oga]

I've seen him play more on TV than I have live so I can't say much about his defensive game. But I will say that he has some power forward potential (and no I'm not comparing him to Iginla or whatever). He's not gonna be an overly physical guy, I don't think he takes dumb penalties either, but he can basically use his size to protect the puck and get it to the net. His line is also usually pretty good at cycling the puck and keeping the pressure.

In terms of skating, he's not the fastest guy on the team and maybe this needs work if he wants to be a top 6 player but his skating isn't bad either. Obviously he has that goal-scoring instinct. The problem is that the Mississauga Majors are a conservative team. Often they'll win a game 2-0 instead of going all out and winning it 8-2 even if they can although this philosophy changed towards the end of the season. They're a team that uses 3 or 4 lines on a consistent basis rather than relying on one or two. Smith-Pelley gets good ice-time but it would probably be more on another team so that's why his offensive numbers along with other Majors forwards aren't as high as they can be. I think...he'll be a 3rd line winger on Anaheim who can contribute offensively. Maybe he does have 2nd line potential but other guys like Beleskey are probably ahead of him in the depth chart which is why I say 3rd line. And he's good enough to play a decent number of games next year.

 

[S.S. Giggy]

I've seen him play more on TV than I have live so I can't say much about his defensive game. But I will say that he has some power forward potential (and no I'm not comparing him to Iginla or whatever). He's not gonna be an overly physical guy, I don't think he takes dumb penalties either, but he can basically use his size to protect the puck and get it to the net. His line is also usually pretty good at cycling the puck and keeping the pressure.

In terms of skating, he's not the fastest guy on the team and maybe this needs work if he wants to be a top 6 player but his skating isn't bad either. Obviously he has that goal-scoring instinct. The problem is that the Mississauga Majors are a conservative team. Often they'll win a game 2-0 instead of going all out and winning it 8-2 even if they can although this philosophy changed towards the end of the season. They're a team that uses 3 or 4 lines on a consistent basis rather than relying on one or two. Smith-Pelley gets good ice-time but it would probably be more on another team so that's why his offensive numbers along with other Majors forwards aren't as high as they can be. I think...he'll be a 3rd line winger on Anaheim who can contribute offensively. Maybe he does have 2nd line potential but other guys like Beleskey are probably ahead of him in the depth chart which is why I say 3rd line. And he's good enough to play a decent number of games next year.

Well, Beleskey's a borderline 3rd liner at best but he's mostly used on the 4th line. Even then, that'snot saying much about Beleskey.

 

[Unholy]

Well, Beleskey's a borderline 3rd liner at best but he's mostly used on the 4th line. Even then, that'snot saying much about Beleskey.

I say that's selling Beleskey a bit short after a bad year and an injury.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

DSP is a hard worker who understands hockey well. He has a pretty heavy shot which he uses quite a bit and he plays a physical game, although he is not super tall. He plays within the Mississauga system, so he is learning the defensive side of the game. I would imagine he is a player coaches like to use, because he can create offense through hard work but will err on the side of smart hockey. He needs to keep improving his skating and conditioning. Not overly flashy, but definitely a guy who wins you over with his consistent effort.

He will barring a really strong camp play OHL next season again. Hopefully if he comes out of the gate strong he gets an invite to the WJC tourney. He will be eligible to play AHL in 2012-13. Whether he needs AHL time or not really is hard to say - it will depend on how he develops, but probably.

 

[S.S. Giggy]

I say that's selling Beleskey a bit short after a bad year and an injury.

Well, not really. I mean, he only got 7 of the 11 goals he had in 2009-2010 with Getzlaf and Perry so, I'd hardly call that 3rd line material. Then again, he just hasn't done well under Carlyle's system and in a checking role.

 

[William Hylander]

He's very physical for his size. He likes to start ****. I imagine that he`ll be calmer when he innitialy gets to the pro game. Offensively, he looks like the best player on the Majors to me when I watch.

However, as the go to guy he often makes mistakes out there on the ice. At least to me he doesn't have the offensive vision or hockey IQ to be a top 6. His size as well limits him to more of a top 9 role. He can be a good agitator for the Ducks.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

I've heard in other forums that he's like a spark plug ready to ignite in any moment. This year, I've heard that he played like a man on a mission because he was snubbed out of the World Juniors last winter by his coach(who coached the Canadian WJC team). Here's the kicker, some say that he's kind of in that Cam Fowler situation that he looks NHL ready but he has nothing else to prove in the OHL level and he's not yet eligible for the AHL.

Laughed out loud. Thanks for that.