At this point I am starting to hope its something like that and not him just not being good enough ... he should be completely crushing junior level competition at this stage
F Eduard Sale - Kitchener, OHL (2023, 20th, SEA)
- Thread starter Pavel Buchnevich
- Start date
Kitchener fan here and watched 4 of 5 Ranger games which Sale has played. 2 pts in 5 games. His first 2 games he played with Rehkopf and Mesar he didn’t look good at all. He has played the last 3 games with Sop / Misaljevic and looking better. At no point in the 4 games do I see a 1st round NHL prospect. Maybe a 3rd rounder. His last 2.5 games were much better than his first 2.5 games with Kitchener. All Kitchener fans can hope for is to see the improvement keep happening and by playoffs he is a threat for the team.
It ain’t because of linemates in Kitchener. If he is in the top 2 lines he has talent to play with. He needs to pick up his game forsure. Some positive signs the last 3 games. Fingers crossed for keeping that up and continuing to improve.
Czechboy
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That's just it.. when he was in Kometa playing 8 minutes a night against men I kept saying 'wait till he gets in a position to succeed'.
Goes to OHL... meh numbers. I say 'Barrie is weak and missing their best player, wait till the Jrs and watch him feedling Kulich!'
Goes to World Juniors and played very well but didn't look like a first round ice tilter. Gets traded... oh wow, Kitchener is stacked... this will be great!
Goes to Kitchener.. meh.
The only thing I can think of is injury and battling through it. At some point, he really needs to start putting up points and a lot more of them. I think he'll be in OHL again next season at this pace.
Kobe Armstrong
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Filip Mesar had a very similar path last year and he is playing well in Kitchener now, I'm still not sold on him as a prospect but Sale has more going for him with his size and shot
Probably for me the most disappointing player of the 1st round thus far but I agree, you really need to give him one more year before writing him off or downgrading him too severely. He may very well be a guy who just peaked early (which of course is going to lead to even more skepticism of domestic Czech & Czech juniors numbers)…but we’ve seen him excel against top peers mostly older than him in international tournaments up until this year (and he certainly wasn’t “poor” in the the WJCs this month).
If there are any lingering injury concerns or just not a great chemistry/fit thus far on either OHL club…I just think you gotta wait a year before getting too, too worked up. Even though admittedly the returns are not great.
I didn't like this player at all watching the U18s last year and was confused by the hype, so I'm not entirely surprised he's been mediocre in the OHL.
Czechboy
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Fistfullofbeer
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robertmac43
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If I had to describe Sale after watching him for the past couple months in Kitchener, I would say he is very....pedestrian. Good player but nothing has stood out as special.
If he was a strong, well-conditioned, and determined athlete, I think we'd see him as a special talent. But he's none of those things. Sale doesn't appear to have the drive to make it.
I always had doubts about his enthusiasm for the game, his commitment to the game, his desire to be a real leader. His league numbers aren't good, and reports from people who see him play are similarly negative. Maybe it's just another wasted czech talent..
His work ethic / desire is painful to watch as a Rangers fan. The 3 or 4 games it looks like he cares he is decent. That’s only 10% of the games. If I’m coach I put him on the 4th line.
Peasy
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robertmac43
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I have given him some grace as the move from Europe to NA can be daunting for some. Maybe he has had trouble adjusting to life and its effecting his play.
True. His trajectory isn’t good, but I’m not ready to write off 18 yo kid with his talent. Next year will be huge for him though.
Czechboy
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1. It's been disappointing.. very disappointing
2. He does have 13 points in last 10 games
3. He is over a .ppg in playoffs
Not justifying anything... I'm disappointed. I thought 100 points in OHL and then a year struggling in AHL. The. A good AHL year and callup.
Now I'm thinking say hi to Kaut and Zboril in Extraliga
2. He does have 13 points in last 10 games
3. He is over a .ppg in playoffs
Not justifying anything... I'm disappointed. I thought 100 points in OHL and then a year struggling in AHL. The. A good AHL year and callup.
Now I'm thinking say hi to Kaut and Zboril in Extraliga
robertmac43
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Agreed! And as @Czechboy mentioned in his post, there are some positive signs as of late. Still nothing special but hopefully a step in the right direction.
robertmac43
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2 goals for him tonight in game 6 of the playoffs. Currently in OT.
A better playoffs than regular seaon from Sale. Watched all of round 1 and thought it was his best hockey as a Ranger. Some games / shifts I really wish though his commit level was higher. He needs to win more battles and use his speed more often with and without the puck.
robertmac43
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Closing the year on Sale. He played great against really well against London despite the Rangers getting swept. Overall he finished on a high and I think next season he will be more of the force we were expecting when he got to the OHL.
Czechboy
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Hope you're right... the trending is poor but the playoffs were encouraging. Hopefully a good off season and he takes this as seriously as possible. I still think he can be an NHL player. Just not sure when at this point. I was really hoping AHL next season but I'm skeptical.
Fistfullofbeer
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Given his performance in juniors this season, I doubt Francis wants him to start in the AHL. We will already have the likes of Firkus, Goyette, Nyman on that roster and I don't think Sale is quite as ready as them for the AHL. Not unless he does a 180 in the off-season.
