Vagrant
The Czech Condor
the problem with mckeown, and a slew of other prospects, is a lack of specialization. mckeown came into the ahl as an offensive defenseman that had to adjust his game and learn to play better defense. what happened along the way is that his offense dried up and the improvements he made defensively weren't of the earth shattering variety to put him in a class with guys like slavin or pesce. think about another guy we got from the kings in tim gleason. same kind of story as being primarily viewed as an offensive guy. first round pick and a point per game in junior hockey. he had to totally remodel his game in order to make an impact in the league. he built it from the ground up through hard work, willingness to play the body, and willingness to embrace a full time role on the penalty kill. he was never great, but he carved out a place for himself because he did things nobody else was willing to do. he worked harder than the talent around him.
i've said it a lot this offseason because i think the hurricanes have been trying to restructure their blueline to include more well-defined roles. priskie has a leg up on mckeown because he projects as an immediate pp option and those minutes that he occupies provide the opportunity to play other players in situations where they're more suited to produce. if you're in the minors and you want to make a career, the best thing you can do is start killing penalties like it's your last shift ever. block shots. play through pain. get noticed for some reason specific to your individual case. if you specialize in nothing, what is there to gain by elevating you?
i've said it a lot this offseason because i think the hurricanes have been trying to restructure their blueline to include more well-defined roles. priskie has a leg up on mckeown because he projects as an immediate pp option and those minutes that he occupies provide the opportunity to play other players in situations where they're more suited to produce. if you're in the minors and you want to make a career, the best thing you can do is start killing penalties like it's your last shift ever. block shots. play through pain. get noticed for some reason specific to your individual case. if you specialize in nothing, what is there to gain by elevating you?