Prucha or Steen

[Garbs]

At almost 2 years younger, Steen has almost twice the amount of responsibility. First line winger, first unit penalty kill, first unit power play, and averaging more ice-time per game than any Maple Leaf veteran or rookie forward with the exception of the captain. His on-ice composure and puck poise is astonishing. There's nothing about his game that suggests he's a 21 year old.

Right now Prucha clearly is the more dangerous offensive threat, but I don't think the gap is significant enough to override how much more of a complete player Steen appears to be. And I mean, Prucha has 1 more point in 1 less game, it's not as if he's leaps and bounds ahead of Steen in that department anyway.

And did I mention he's two years younger?

So, Steen. Now and later.

 

[Levitate]

again i haven't seen enough of steen to really say who i'd rather have, but prucha just impresses me every game it seems like.

he's fast, he's such a hard worker...good god you just have to see him forecheck and work the boards against players who for the most part are much bigger than him. it's amazing...and he can finish. oh man can he finish. another breakaway goal tonight where he just owned dipietro (though dipietro got owned a lot tonight). and like i said, he's relentless on the forecheck and cycle, works hard to get back...i just can't say enough about this kid right now

 

[Skroob*]

with last nights goal, Petr Puck increase his lead in the MPG standings:

http://hockeyrodent.com/rodent.htm18

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

I'd take Steen.

 

[Levitate]

might have to turn on the sabres/leafs game tonight to get a look at steen

 

[Raging Bull]

might have to turn on the sabres/leafs game tonight to get a look at steen

I don't think he will be playing, he has missed a couple games with a dislocated thumb.

 

[Levitate]

well dammit

shows how much i pay attention

cmon, how am i supposed to compare these guys when one is injured

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Prucha's defense is absolutely spectacular. One of the better two-way players at his age that I have seen. Don't really know that many players that are that offensive that backcheck like he does. If Steen has better defensive skills he must be an absolute shut-down forward.

 

[Charge_Seven]

Prucha's defense is absolutely spectacular. One of the better two-way players at his age that I have seen. Don't really know that many players that are that offensive that backcheck like he does. If Steen has better defensive skills he must be an absolute shut-down forward.

Is his defence really "asoblutely spectacular"? Or is it "absolutely spectacular" for an offensively minded player?

I'm not asking that because I believe it's one over the other, I just want to know (like I said earlier, I don't know enough about Prucha, just like many Ranger fans might not know enough about Steen). As far as I've seen, Steen is by far the best two way rookie (Phaneuf excluded based on his position) this season. Steen has shown incredible abilities at everything he does, and has been touted as "The Leafs next Captain" by a few (myself included).

As for Steen being a shut down forward, I'm not sure I'd say that, but he's shown all the abilities needed to legitimately hold the right to be called a future Selke candidate, and that is high praise.

 

[Levitate]

errr, just because he backchecks well doesn't mean prucha's defensive skills are spectacular...he doesn't have the best defensive awareness and positioning in the defensive zone. in fact he made some pretty bad plays on defense at the beginning of the year

he's been solid now though, and yes he does backcheck quite well. but i can easily see how other players are better at him on defense due to better defensive awareness, etc

 

[Hunter Gathers]

errr, just because he backchecks well doesn't mean prucha's defensive skills are spectacular...he doesn't have the best defensive awareness and positioning in the defensive zone. in fact he made some pretty bad plays on defense at the beginning of the year

he's been solid now though, and yes he does backcheck quite well. but i can easily see how other players are better at him on defense due to better defensive awareness, etc

Actually, for a rookie, I think his defense really is spectacular. Not Ortmeyer spectacular but very good for his age.,

 

[NYRGoalieGlut*]

Imo, It's not better question because Marek owns Prucha in every aspect of the game

Bull. Svatos has like 2 more goals in more games I believe and more minutes. He may be a better playmaker but he's not a better sniper.

 

[NYRGoalieGlut*]

Is there any way that when we make threads like this we can prohibit Rangers fans and Leafs from answering? Each will obviously hype their own guy. I will say to that person that said that Steen plays on the first line, other than the minutes argument, if Prucha played with Jagr consistently I bet anything that he has about the same amount of goals as Jagr. Why? Because, I don't know how many times Jagr has set up Nylander and Straka for golden opportunities and they didn't finish. Prucha may be the best finisher on the team (he's second in the league in shot %, of course that wouldn't be as high if he had more shot opportunities, but still). I'm sorry, I don't see the responsibility argument, Prucha is the type of player that wouldn't panic if he had the responsibility of the first line. All of the negatives of playing on the top line, if the player doesn't suck are outweighed by the positives of playing with the type of talent that makes other players around them better.

P.S. Another argument against the weaker competition. Prucha is the best offensive player on the second line and he's still scoring. If he actually played on the first line, he wouldn't be the #1 focus and with Jagr's playmaking as I said he'd have about as many goals as Jagr does now.

 

[RegalRangers]

I love how Prucha continues to get snubbed from this:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=10453

What does the kid have to do? Change his name to Crosby?

It's absolutely absurd that Meszaros is on that list and Prucha is not. Not to knock Meszaros...

 

[Mess]

I am not Swedish but I think Steen ..

Versatility is the key and Steen may be a future captain in the NHL ..

 

[BroadwayStorm]

Two entirely different players.

Prucha is a sniper. He is clearly an offensive player. And regarding his defense, it is not spectacular in the sense of a two way player, but much much better than your typical offensive dynamo type primadonna player like Jagr, Bure, etc. Were Prucha drafted higher and a little taller we'd be saying Sydney who? Although Prucha, while an offensive finisher, does not create as much for his teammates, but that's probably because his teammates look to him to score because outside of him and Jagr the Rangers have too many players who seem offensively inept when it comes to shooting the puck to score goals and instead dance around way too much.

However, Steen is the more complete player, will have the longer career, may be captain, etc. But he will never win games single handedly for his team like Prucha already has this year for the Rangers. However, in Steen's defense I am judging a younger player who may still blossom even further in the next year or so.

I have watched both considerably, as my girlfriend is a Leafs fan from Toronto who has basically forced me to watch Leafs games on several occassions and so is her dad. I have watched Prucha more than Steen obviously, but I've seen enough of both to make my opinion.