I had absolutely no idea Gardiner only started playing defence at 17. To give you some perspective in todays hockey our kids going in the ohl have played approximately 1,000 competitive games in their positons before they hit the ice for their first ohl game. And with that background they play another 80+ games for 3 more years before the best hit the nhl. Morgan Rielly started played defence at age 7. Dion Phaneuf at age 5.
Jake has played 40+ games for 3 years in ncaa and then 5 pro seasons. So he has maybe maximum 600 games played on defence. Morgan is welll over DOUBLE the number of games under his belt even though he is 21 and Jake is 25.
When he looks lost keep in mind he was trained and got his experiece as a forward and was converted to defence for university hockey. When you understand his background things start to make more sense. I think he could be a guy who really does not hit his stride on defence for another 3 or 4 years. He has to make all these defensive decision errors before he starts to put the puzzle together. And he will need almost all of Babs time to teach him the position.
Wow the more I understand of his background it really shocks me what Burke did. The nhl is not the best place for position training.
When you and I look at his decisions on defence they do not add up to what we were taught in AAA, then in junior and some of us the minors. Well guess what he did not have this background to build from he just switched positions in college.
Can't really blame him for his decision on 2 on 1 last night as i think everyone was shocked at what JVR did. Although personally i would have gone after the shooter as i was trained to take the guy who had the closest path to the kill zone. But it is debatable as it happened at the dot. The game before the reverse 2 on 1 happened at top of circle and on that one for sure he had to take the man standing in blue ice. Wheeler was far off to the side and those wide angle shots are saved by most nhl goalies. But then again i think he does not have the game experience to back up his decision making which makes things that much harder for the guy. I for one will give him some more rope now.
Jake has played 40+ games for 3 years in ncaa and then 5 pro seasons. So he has maybe maximum 600 games played on defence. Morgan is welll over DOUBLE the number of games under his belt even though he is 21 and Jake is 25.
When he looks lost keep in mind he was trained and got his experiece as a forward and was converted to defence for university hockey. When you understand his background things start to make more sense. I think he could be a guy who really does not hit his stride on defence for another 3 or 4 years. He has to make all these defensive decision errors before he starts to put the puzzle together. And he will need almost all of Babs time to teach him the position.
Wow the more I understand of his background it really shocks me what Burke did. The nhl is not the best place for position training.
When you and I look at his decisions on defence they do not add up to what we were taught in AAA, then in junior and some of us the minors. Well guess what he did not have this background to build from he just switched positions in college.
Can't really blame him for his decision on 2 on 1 last night as i think everyone was shocked at what JVR did. Although personally i would have gone after the shooter as i was trained to take the guy who had the closest path to the kill zone. But it is debatable as it happened at the dot. The game before the reverse 2 on 1 happened at top of circle and on that one for sure he had to take the man standing in blue ice. Wheeler was far off to the side and those wide angle shots are saved by most nhl goalies. But then again i think he does not have the game experience to back up his decision making which makes things that much harder for the guy. I for one will give him some more rope now.
Oh Jake.
