ChesterNimitz
governed by the principle of calculated risk
- Jul 4, 2002
- 5,153
- 10,578
Well put, but even if its a shinny game the comparative skills of the players can be assessed.
From the first ‘shinny’ session, these are my initial quick impressions.
Overall, as some have noted,the team’s median speed is much greater than in recent years. We may lose more than we win, but we will play faster and more creatively. That overall team speed will make us competitive against most teams.
Harris is a player who will be an important piece for us going forward. He should make the team out of camp, play big minutes for us this season and it wouldn’t surprise me if he is ultimately viewed as one of the top rookies in the league.
Slafkovsky makes the team out of camp. His combination of size, speed, skill and vision will make him a star in this league by the time he turns 21. He can learn little playing against lesser competition.
Caufield’s skating and quickness continue to grow and will enable this kid to become a perennial 40 goal scorer. Bergevin made a lot of errors during this tenure, but the drafting of the undersized Caufield was pure genius. Teams that passed on drafting this scoring machine will be kicking themselves for the next decade.
Mesar showed glimpses of his upside and potenial. Not Caufield -level, but close. Great pick.
I continue to be pleasantly surprised by Davidson’s speed and vision. He will play in the NHL, maybe not for us, but somewhere.
Barron showed his elite skating and offensive flair who, in a couple of years, will make us largely forget about losing Lehkonen.
Fairbrother and Ylonen displayed enough to show that they have NHL potential. Both may be lost in a numbers game, but like Davidson, they will play in the NHL, whether for us or elsewhere. Such is the growing depth of this team.
