Player Discussion: Kieffer Bellows *Waived - Claimed by Philadelphia Flyers*

[danteipp]

I am not necessarily worried about Bellows skating, because he clearly wants to not only get to the NHL, but succeed. Any time you hear from him, he is working to improve his game and has the drive that MDC seems to lack. He might not be an elite skater, but it sounds like he continues to work to at least be acceptable and, combine that with an elite shot, hustle and physicality and that should translate well in the AHL and then the NHL levels.

 

[BTrotts19]

I am not necessarily worried about Bellows skating, because he clearly wants to not only get to the NHL, but succeed. Any time you hear from him, he is working to improve his game and has the drive that MDC seems to lack. He might not be an elite skater, but it sounds like he continues to work to at least be acceptable and, combine that with an elite shot, hustle and physicality and that should translate well in the AHL and then the NHL levels.

I agree with this....not everyone on the team needs to have the skating ability of a Barzal or Leddy in order to succeed. Kid possesses an elite shot and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed, which franking speaking I didn't see much of on this team last year. Barzy can do his patented around the zone skate and dish it off to Kieffer for a one-timer.

 

[PWJunior]

I agree with this....not everyone on the team needs to have the skating ability of a Barzal or Leddy in order to succeed. Kid possesses an elite shot and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed, which franking speaking I didn't see much of on this team last year. Barzy can do his patented around the zone skate and dish it off to Kieffer for a one-timer.

Could Barzal make MDC effective? I was so sure that Dal Colle was going to be a stud. He had an impressive release and he put up numbers in the OHL after being drafted and won the Memorial Cup. My fear is Bellows is another MDC because his skating and style won't translate to the pro game.

What should have been a red flag for me is that MDC never got chosen for the WJC. To see Bellows play well and score goals in them gives me a lot more confidence. I think his skating is better than Dal Colle's as well. He's got a 30 goal shot, maybe more if paired with a playmaker like Barzal.

 

[crasherino]

I am not necessarily worried about Bellows skating, because he clearly wants to not only get to the NHL, but succeed. Any time you hear from him, he is working to improve his game and has the drive that MDC seems to lack. He might not be an elite skater, but it sounds like he continues to work to at least be acceptable and, combine that with an elite shot, hustle and physicality and that should translate well in the AHL and then the NHL levels.

Are we sure that what MDC is lacking is drive? TBH, I don't know why he hasn't succeeded. Sometimes talent evaluators are simply off and despite the guy's intelligence, drive, etc. what they saw when the drafted him doesn't quite translate to NHL success. There doesn't have to be a character flaw or lack of drive. I'm sure every time we've heard from MDC he says he was working to improve his game. I doubt he's ever been quoted as saying "I'm content where I am now - I'm sure it will click eventually but I definitely don't need to work at it."

Even for first round picks, the odds are stacked against you for becoming an effective NHLer simply because its a hard f***ing game to play and there are a lot of guys who want it just as bad as you do.

I'm not saying Bellows will or won't succeed. But most guys in his position (with the few exceptions of the Manziel-esque players we occasionally see in sports) want to succeed.

 

[saintunspecified]

I agree with this....not everyone on the team needs to have the skating ability of a Barzal or Leddy in order to succeed. Kid possesses an elite shot and a willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed, which franking speaking I didn't see much of on this team last year. Barzy can do his patented around the zone skate and dish it off to Kieffer for a one-timer.

You all make it sound as if skating doesn't matter at all. Bellows isn't just slow, he's got awful agility. I'm not saying he can't be an NHLer, but I don't see a 30 goal scorer, which is what this was about. I see a 15-20 goal guy with physical play who rounds out the 3rd line, 2nd unit power play, but won't PK.

Beauvillier is going to score way more NHL goals than Bellows IMO.

 

[danteipp]

You all make it sound as if skating doesn't matter at all. Bellows isn't just slow, he's got awful agility. I'm not saying he can't be an NHLer, but I don't see a 30 goal scorer, which is what this was about. I see a 15-20 goal guy with physical play who rounds out the 3rd line, 2nd unit power play, but won't PK.

Beauvillier is going to score way more NHL goals than Bellows IMO.

Beauvillier was projected as a dynamic, goal-scoring center, so that very well could be the case and he might score more goals than Bellows. Tito went 42-52-94 in 67 games and 40-39-79 in 47 games in the QMJHL. That isn't exactly a reach of a projection.

Hockey players come in lots of different shapes, sizes and skills. You need a mix of everything for a well rounded team and there is nothing wrong with having a Bellows or two to compliment the Barzal's and Beauvillier's.

Especially if you have a Bellows, who adds some physicality and seems like he could be the type of player to also stick up for the Barzal's and Beauvilier's. That way we don't need keep too many Clutterbuck's and Martin's around.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I will say this about Bellows. If his game was predicated on skating around players I would be worried, but I see his game as more of skating through people. Finding holes in a defence, more of a high traffic player. I don't want to make this comparison since Brett Hull was one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, where his skating was not known as being great either. Infact his skating was known as one of his weaknesses. It didn't hinder him. This is what Bellows will have to do. Find holes, be where the puck will likely appear. One thing is for sure, he has scored at all levels he has played. Natural goal scorers are hard to find.

 

[Thrasymachus]

You all make it sound as if skating doesn't matter at all. Bellows isn't just slow, he's got awful agility. I'm not saying he can't be an NHLer, but I don't see a 30 goal scorer, which is what this was about. I see a 15-20 goal guy with physical play who rounds out the 3rd line, 2nd unit power play, but won't PK.

Beauvillier is going to score way more NHL goals than Bellows IMO.

Interesting. Bellows was primarily a goal scorer I assumed. We really really need to reverse course this whole "draft slow players and teach them how to skate later" tactic.

But you are saying Bellows still has the tools to be an NHLer? Thats good because frankly I don't see a grinder in MDC

 

[72hockey guy]

I will say this about Bellows. If his game was predicated on skating around players I would be worried, but I see his game as more of skating through people. Finding holes in a defence, more of a high traffic player. I don't want to make this comparison since Brett Hull was one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, where his skating was not known as being great either. Infact his skating was known as one of his weaknesses. It didn't hinder him. This is what Bellows will have to do. Find holes, be where the puck will likely appear. One thing is for sure, he has scored at all levels he has played. Natural goal scorers are hard to find.

very true. His Dad Brian was a much worse skater and he bulled his way into nearly 500 goals and over 1000 points. It's not how fast you get there. It's knowing where to get and what you do with the puck when you do.

his dad himself said the night Keiffer was drafted, that in his day he was one of the worst skaters in the NHL. There's something to be said about DESIRE

Dano is right the game has changed but teams passed on a certain Mike Bossy too, as Al Arbour said: 'We can teach defense, you can't teach a kid how to score"

the kid has already shown he's not afraid to bet on himself by leaving Boston to go to Juniors. To me that says he's not some shrinking violet. I told this story before. I started to have my doubts about Dal Colle when I bought his biography and in it there was a picture of him resting in a hot tub drinking a glass of wine. Not exactly the image of a hard working hockey player.

to me Bellows is nothing like Dal Colle.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I still don't know how the genesis of Bellows being a bad skater started. I think he is fine. Being a goal scorer is not always being the fastest to the puck. I can think of a handful of players that are super fast with questionable hockey IQ that are not goal scorers. Being a good goal scorer is being in the right place at the right time. Having the instinct of where the puck will be when a chance presents itself. Watching this video, I don't believe Bellows skating will be a hindrance. If he fails to make an impact as a NHL player it will be for other reasons.

 

[beach]

You all make it sound as if skating doesn't matter at all. Bellows isn't just slow, he's got awful agility.

System posted multiple times.

 

[beach]

You all make it sound as if skating doesn't matter at all. Bellows isn't just slow, he's got awful agility.

I guess all of the scouting reports are wrong....

Kieffer Bellows at eliteprospects.com

"Possesses high end puck handling ability as well as a crisp, accurate release on his shot. Proficient forechecker and loves to win puck battles, which stands out as a consistent part of his game. Strong skater who can bull through the opposition or go around them."

Kieffer Bellows Scouting Report: 2016 NHL Draft #20

"He also shows excellent stick handling ability, and the good agility to beat defenders one-on-one, either off the rush or in the cycle game." "Kieffer Bellows is a good skater, with the speed to get in quickly on the forecheck. He has a quick first step and good acceleration, allowing him to win races to loose pucks. Bellows changes speeds effectively, and can use this to fool defenders on the rush."

The Draft Analyst | Draft Profile: Kieffer Bellows

"He’s a good skater with tremendous balance and moves well laterally."

Kieffer Bellows | scoutingpost | Page 2

"He’s a good skater but has the scorer’s instincts, hands and heavy shot to finish off chances."

 

[beach]

You all make it sound as if skating doesn't matter at all. Bellows isn't just slow, he's got awful agility.

System posted multiple times.

​

 

[SI90]

You all make it sound as if skating doesn't matter at all. Bellows isn't just slow, he's got awful agility.

Have you watched him play? I’ve watched him with the USDP, at BU, some WHL, and the WJC.

I promise you doesn’t have awful agility. To say that about him is negligent. He’s not a speedster or a guy with tremendous edge work but he’s not a bad skater at all. He’s a better skater than Lee and Lee has no trouble scoring goals. Bellows is similar in skating to Okposo. Maybe a touch slower but the skating effectiveness is similar.

 

[ekill08x]

I guess all of the scouting reports are wrong....

Kieffer Bellows at eliteprospects.com

"Possesses high end puck handling ability as well as a crisp, accurate release on his shot. Proficient forechecker and loves to win puck battles, which stands out as a consistent part of his game. Strong skater who can bull through the opposition or go around them."

Kieffer Bellows Scouting Report: 2016 NHL Draft #20

"He also shows excellent stick handling ability, and the good agility to beat defenders one-on-one, either off the rush or in the cycle game." "Kieffer Bellows is a good skater, with the speed to get in quickly on the forecheck. He has a quick first step and good acceleration, allowing him to win races to loose pucks. Bellows changes speeds effectively, and can use this to fool defenders on the rush."

The Draft Analyst | Draft Profile: Kieffer Bellows

"He’s a good skater with tremendous balance and moves well laterally."

Kieffer Bellows | scoutingpost | Page 2

"He’s a good skater but has the scorer’s instincts, hands and heavy shot to finish off chances."

Absolutely OWNED.

 

[PWJunior]

Absolutely OWNED.

I wouldn't say that. You know dan-o skews to the negative, he always has and I appreciate that because the optimists can get a little out of hand.

Bellows' skating is not a strength, it will never be. It's all a question of are his other skills strong enough to play his game at the NHL level. I think he has an excellent release and he just seems to know how to finish, his deke and 5-hole move is pretty slick. It's going to help anyone to play with Barzal, I think Bellows is smart enough to find the right areas of the ice to get his shot off.

His strong WJC performances gives me a lot more faith that he's not MDC 2.0.

 

[Thrasymachus]

the league keeps getting faster, so it is inevitable that what were once considered average skaters are now being called bad ones

 

[72hockey guy]

i just imagine Mike Bossy if he came into the NHL today, many here werent really aware of how he was perceived in juniors mostly because they are too young, but I remember, the guy was looked at as a fringe NHL prospect despite 4 straight 70 goal seasons in the QMJHL, the Rangers even passed on him twice. He was see as a poor skater and a player who cheated by never worrying about the defensive end of the Ice

the one thing the kid knew how to do was find the back of the net, When he was drafted John Sterling who had a nightly sports radio show at the time on WMCA had Stan Fischler on on as a guest and he was far more complimentary of Ron Duguay who was the Ranger draft choice. Fischler actually said that Bossy was too frail to survive in the NHL and that he'd need a few seasons to bulk up to withstand the rigors of the NHL

That was the common wisdom at the time. and he turn out to be a pretty fair NHL player. Goal scorers are a different breed. some of them are not about measurables. just like some oil men can "smell" oil in the air" when they discover oil fields, some Hockey players just have a gift of intuitively knowing where to be at the right time. Bossy had it, Laine has it, and Bellows has shown it wherever he's been.

scoring 50 goals at any level isnt a fluke and Bellows is one of the few who has done that

 

[ndgolden]

Absolutely OWNED.

If we trusted every word of the scouting reports out there, we would not have a stat that nearly 70% of all first round picks have less than a 200 game career.

 

[72hockey guy]

If we trusted every word of the scouting reports out there, we would not have a stat that nearly 70% of all first round picks have less than a 200 game career.

very true, no scouting report has ever measured the Heart of the Man, and none ever will. if they did there would never be any failed draft picks

 

[saintunspecified]

I wouldn't say that. You know dan-o skews to the negative, he always has and I appreciate that because the optimists can get a little out of hand.

Bellows' skating is not a strength, it will never be. It's all a question of are his other skills strong enough to play his game at the NHL level. I think he has an excellent release and he just seems to know how to finish, his deke and 5-hole move is pretty slick. It's going to help anyone to play with Barzal, I think Bellows is smart enough to find the right areas of the ice to get his shot off.

His strong WJC performances gives me a lot more faith that he's not MDC 2.0.

I'm down a particular sort of player. I was down on MDC from the beginning (wanted Ehlers), I was down on Nino (still hasn't scored 30), and down on Bellows. They all have sluggish feet. I was down on Lee too, but he's absolutely elite at one thing. Let's see Bellows be elite at anything at any level other than converting passes from Clayton Keller before we slate him in as a 30 goal scoring Anders Lee replacement. I see him as a 15 goal grinder, and think the idea that it's okay not to sign Lee because of Bellows is odd.

Last, that 2016 draft was shallow. A few gems in there after Chychrun, but not many.

 

[72hockey guy]

I'm down a particular sort of player. I was down on MDC from the beginning (wanted Ehlers), I was down on Nino (still hasn't scored 30), and down on Bellows. They all have sluggish feet. I was down on Lee too, but he's absolutely elite at one thing. Let's see Bellows be elite at anything at any level other than converting passes from Clayton Keller before we slate him in as a 30 goal scoring Anders Lee replacement. I see him as a 15 goal grinder, and think the idea that it's okay not to sign Lee because of Bellows is odd.

Last, that 2016 draft was shallow. A few gems in there after Chychrun, but not many.

no one has said he is an Anders Lee replacement, they play entirely different styles. and is in no way a suitable replacement for what Lee brings to the offense

Bellows more closely resembles Oliver Wahlstrom than he does Anders Lee. by all accounts Wahlstrom is the more talented of himself or Bellows but Bellows is far grittier. I think your issue is that your comparisons are whats causing your confusion.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I'm all for being surprised. If Bellows comes in and wins a job. Strike one up as a win, because next season I am really expecting Wahlstrom and Dobson on the Isles team. It's a young man's game now, with how many young players making impacts in the NHL these days. There is no such thing as overcooking a prospect in the AHL these days. If they are ready, let them play if they earn a job out of camp. If they need time, send them down and let them earn their way up.

 

[Jester9881]

I still don't know how the genesis of Bellows being a bad skater started. I think he is fine. Being a goal scorer is not always being the fastest to the puck. I can think of a handful of players that are super fast with questionable hockey IQ that are not goal scorers. Being a good goal scorer is being in the right place at the right time. Having the instinct of where the puck will be when a chance presents itself. Watching this video, I don't believe Bellows skating will be a hindrance. If he fails to make an impact as a NHL player it will be for other reasons.

I've noticed that around these parts, anyone that isn't an above avg skater gets pegged as a bad skater. Bellows isn't Pavel Bure, but he isn't Trent Hunter either. His skating is as good or better than Anders Lee and it hasn't prevented him from putting the puck in the net at all. You always want prospects to be strong skaters, but it isn't the end of the world if skating isn't their strong suit. What Bellows does well is put himself into good scoring positions on the ice where he can best use his strongest tool (shot). I don't worry about him going the way of MDC, because he's shown a drive on the ice I've never seen in MDC. Diving for loose pucks, sacrificing his body to get better positioning, paying the price in front of the net. He's going to be an NHL'er, the only question is what level scoring we see out of him (20? 30? 40+ goals?)

If he can become a 40+ goal scorer in this league (and Lee has shown it's possible), it will hide any warts his overall game might have.

 

[Jester9881]

Have you watched him play? I’ve watched him with the USDP, at BU, some WHL, and the WJC.

I promise you doesn’t have awful agility. To say that about him is negligent. He’s not a speedster or a guy with tremendous edge work but he’s not a bad skater at all. He’s a better skater than Lee and Lee has no trouble scoring goals. Bellows is similar in skating to Okposo. Maybe a touch slower but the skating effectiveness is similar.

He plays a lot like Okposo, actually..... with a much heavier shot and quicker release. Without all the post hitting too LOL