For sure, he's not dynamic at all. I suspect he's just strong beyond his years making his wristshot lethal- others will catch up with time though. He's also great at finding open space, but that's in the Q- it's not a trait I'd count on in the NHL.
I like Poulin and Cajkovic. Not really a fan of Pelletier, and Likhachyov is an interesting player who I guess I'd be OK with in a late round. I really like Serdyuk as well as Abramov, Simoneau, Knyazev, Guenette, and Bolduc.
I really like him. He's an absolute bull, super tough, physical and hard to knock off the puck. Fluid skater with good puckhandling and a firm first pass, he just doesn't have much offensive aggression which could limit his upside to that of a #4D. He's got similarities to Mattias Samuelsson from last year, but with better offensive capabilities.
First, the bad: he's a slug. Honestly a really bad skater speed-wise. Aside from that, though, he's a really good player. His puck protection, however and work down low is exceptional, he has great hands around the goalmouth and positions himself very well. Has a high amount of creativity as well and the strength to hold off defenders.
I don't even think he's that slow. He's a heavy player though, it's totally fixable. He's a good talent.
Pelletier is too smart and skilled to not to amount to a NHL player, sadly he's going to go too high for my taste. He'd be a perfect early 2nd round candidate in a deeper draft.
Oh, yeah. We agree on Pelletier then. People are treating him like some gamebreaking talent, but all things considered I can't see him amounting to more than a middle six forward. Not the type of player I'd like to chase after.
Oh I think there could be a first liner in him. But yeah, 2nd liner is much more likely, still not a bad pick.
I don't see it. Great motor, real smart player but he never makes creative plays with the puck, has average puckhandling ability and frankly isn't as good of a skater as he's often made out to be.
Those are the types of players you go out of your way to draft. Could totally just be a lengthy dry spell.
Can't agree here. I've seen him be a creative playmaker, in fact, I'm sure just watching his highlights you could see plenty of creative playmaking, it's pretty much what he does. I don't think he's a bad puckhandler either and he battles hard in close of the net.
Watching any player's highlights will paint them in a good light. Battler i think is a word that sums up Pelletier pretty well. He pursues the puck vehemently, never stops moving his feet and is first on the forecheck every time without fail. When you play that often and are one of your team's main offensive threats you're bound to have some impressive plays, but in the case of Pelletier, his setups are rarely impressive in terms of their creativity. It's generally the smart, safe play- keep the puck moving around the perimeter, maintain possession approach that he plays- which isn't a bad thing, but it's not the sign of a first line talent.
I disagree, I think you're underrating his playmaking quite a bit, I've seen him make some really creative play. I remember watching him play against Veleno last year and he made a crazy pass through two defenders on a two on one completely changing the pace of the play and it resulted in an easy empty net for the shooter. Those type of passes are great and it's a NHL level play.
His motor is definitely elite, I'm not questioning that but it's a complimentary trait. Alexey Toropchenko is a workhorse for example, doesn't make the guy a first line talent. The playmaking prowess you speak of I've never seen from Pelletier, but I'll keep an eye out for it.
He's not too far off from a guy like Kotkaniemi in playmaking.
