Is there a prime Tomas Holmstrom in the league now

[Rebels57]

Wayne Simmonds last year and so far this year. He's been a monster in front of the net either scoring goals or screening for goals from Giroux or Voracek.

 

[Catsfan7]

Jimmy Hayes has the chance to play that style with a better shot, he gets himself right on top the the goalie on the power play, as well as when we are set up 5-on-5. Doubt anyone will be exactly like him but there are some big guys who may come close.

 

[Dumpster Flyers]

Byfuglien, but he doesn't want to be.

 

[JacobimMugatu]

JVR is 1/10 Holmstrom

JVR can skate

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Homer was obviously most known for his net front ability, and rightfully so as even Don Cherry called him one of the 5 best he's ever seen at it, but his ability to win puck battles in the corners and protect the puck long enough to find the open man really allowed him to be successful for so long. He was a great puck retrieval player and that's pretty remarkable when you consider how poor of a skater he was. Homer was a offensive zone specialist. Unique player for sure. Hornquist has always been a player who has gotten compared to him.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Patric Hornqvist is similar, yeah he is in front and bangs in rebounds and shoots in close, but he's also very good at deflecting shots. He's a rabid little wolverine in front of the net as well, people forgot about him recently because he's fallen prey to the Penguins curse of injuries.

 

[Flair Hay]

Ladd plays a pretty similar game too.

 

[johan f]

Whoever playing similar needs to win 4 (FOUR) Stanley Cups to even be worth mentioned in same breath as Homer.

 

[Flair Hay]

Whoever playing similar needs to win 4 (FOUR) Stanley Cups to even be worth mentioned in same breath as Homer.

Okay now lol

More like be a very, very good net presence. We get it, Detroit used to be awesome.

 

[johan f]

To stay in such competitive club for so many years shows he couldn't be that bad...

 

[kook10]

Homer was obviously most known for his net front ability, and rightfully squickeven Don Cherry called him one of the 5 best he's ever seen at it, but his ability to win puck battles in the corners and protect the puck long enough to find the open man really allowed him to be successful for so long. He was a great puck retrieval player and that's pretty remarkable when you consider how poor of a skater he was. Homer was a offensive zone specialist. Unique player for sure. Hornquist has always been a player who has gotten compared to him.

Homer was definitely slow in open ice, but I think his first step and choppy strides were actually quite quick. Combined with top notch reflexes, he could get from from the crease to the corner with the best of em. That is a good part of why he remained competitive for so long.

 

[PsychoticHab]

For some reason Gallagher...

If you're talking about their ability to have goals disallowed maybe.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Simmonds

 

[Bures Elbow]

Detroit has Mantha coming up.

 

[source]

Johan Franzen. At least he used to score all of his goals by deflections or in front of the net.

 

[bottomofthefoodchain]

Not now, but Axel Holmström is coming soon

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Homer was definitely slow in open ice, but I think his first step and choppy strides were actually quite quick. Combined with top notch reflexes, he could get from from the crease to the corner with the best of em. That is a good part of why he remained competitive for so long.

Yeah that's a great point. Big difference between quickness/acceleration and speed.

Johan Franzen. At least he used to score all of his goals by deflections or in front of the net.

If Franzen won half the puck battles that Homer did...

 

[johan f]

If Franzen ever could muster 10% of Homer's workethic.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Franzen has always done the bulk of his scoring with his wrist shot out high. I know it is fun to tear him apart at every opportunity but he isn't this guy. He isn't terrible at it, but it is an unfair expectation of everyone that he should just be doing it.

Agree with Hornqvist being brought up, probably the closest but still pretty far behind in terms of how good Holmstrom was.

 

[Makar Goes Fast]

anyone saying JVR has either never seen holmstrom play, or has never seen JVR play... Holmstrom was rough and tough and would make goalies lives a living hell as well as his own... guy was tough as nails

 

[Terry Yake]

ryan smyth was the only other guy who played the same style as holmstrom to success in recent memory

now that both are retired, no one really plays that style as well as those two did

 

[JCLiponfanboy*]

Hornqvist

 

[source]

Franzen has always done the bulk of his scoring with his wrist shot out high. I know it is fun to tear him apart at every opportunity but he isn't this guy. He isn't terrible at it, but it is an unfair expectation of everyone that he should just be doing it.

Agree with Hornqvist being brought up, probably the closest but still pretty far behind in terms of how good Holmstrom was.

Not when he broke out in 2008. The vast majority of his goals came from right in front of the net, either by deflecting the puck or by out-muscling a guy down-low and jamming it in. He basically took over Holmstrom's role going into the playoffs that year.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Vanek is (IMO) by far the best puck deflector in the NHL now. He's got that down to a science. It's probably the #1 reason he's always been so successful on the PP throughout his career. The rest of his game? Not so much in common, but within a couple feet of the goalie, he looks somewhat similar.

 

[Raistlin]

Hornqvist actually reminds me more of Ciccareilli.... no one plays like him now, as mentioned... his deflection skills are unmatched.... better than marleau.