Smolenak?

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Fozz

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Aug 1, 2002
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I'm intrigued by what I've read on this player... Good size, good skating and good offensive upside.

I'd like to know more from people that have seen him play. What were your impressions?

Sorry but I don't want opinions based one reports and articles... I've read them all already. Only people that actually have seen him please.
 

stmikes76

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Nov 25, 2004
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Lazy and unable to produce in the playoffs when it counted most. Eagerly waits by the blueline for outlet passes and was a non factor against the Rangers in the three games I saw. Good offensive instincts but afraid to get hit and I mean afraid!
 

Fozz

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stmikes76 said:
Lazy and unable to produce in the playoffs when it counted most. Eagerly waits by the blueline for outlet passes and was a non factor against the Rangers in the three games I saw. Good offensive instincts but afraid to get hit and I mean afraid!

Really? Wow, kind of surprising considering he has good size.
 

Anthony Mauro

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Oct 3, 2004
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Fozz said:
Really? Wow, kind of surprising considering he has good size.

For everything you've gotten on your own and don't need anybody to comment, you seem to have missed very important reports. Height means nothing. I'd take 5'11'' Brendan Morrow over 6'6'' Nik Antropov and expect a better traffic game.

Smolenak needs to bulk up and better his agility. Also, some guys just shy away from the physical aspect of the game. Just being tall isn't going to make him like the rough stuff.

Kind of like Patrick Davis, he's a tall and solid build type of guy who can skate like the breeze, but he avoids traffic areas and turns me off greatly. A big guy like that could be so much more dominant but almost refuses to get it done.
 

Blind Gardien

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Apr 2, 2004
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I wasn't really sold on Smolenak in the two regular season games I saw. Well, the whole Kingston team could turn on a major funk mode at any given time, so they are a tough crew to get a read on. From watching those same games, I would have said Anthony Stewart was lazy, slow, shied away from traffic, and had no scoring touch too. But I've seen Stewart look completely different at other times and for Team Canada, so I don't know how to look at a Kingston player for sure.

Smolenak also looked better (well, inasmuch as a highlight reel move can make you look better) in the Top Prospects game. I would say he looks a bit slow and invisible at times. He has some moves and a scoring touch, though, if he could ever get a fire lit under him. I don't think he'll ever be an overly physical guy, but again it's tough to say on Kingston. He sort of made me think of a Karol Bartanus or Jonas Hoglund, decent-sized sluggish softie. But another part of me (the part who watched the Top Prospects game and has read reports from other observers) makes me think that there's more to that in Smolenak. :dunno: I'd have to have seen more and done the interview with him before I'd know whether to take the chance or not.
 

Hiishawk

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I'm having trouble with some of the above "descriptions". He skates like the wind? Hmmm. If anything he's a bit lumbering! He shies away from hits? Hmmm again. He actually has to learn how to avoid them since he seems to run right into people or set his body up as a target to protect the puck too obviously. And I haven't seen him cherry pick (I've seen 5 games with him)- his defence was reasonable for a 1st year CHL 17yr old.
 

Boomhower

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steblick said:
I'm having trouble with some of the above "descriptions". He skates like the wind? Hmmm. If anything he's a bit lumbering! He shies away from hits? Hmmm again. He actually has to learn how to avoid them since he seems to run right into people or set his body up as a target to protect the puck too obviously. And I haven't seen him cherry pick (I've seen 5 games with him)- his defence was reasonable for a 1st year CHL 17yr old.

I was thinking the same thing. In the games I saw him, Smolanek was a lightning rod for huge hits! Guy plays with his head down and when he gets the puck he doesn't look for teammates, he tries to take it to the net everytime. If this guy doesn't learn to keep his head up, he won't make it out of junior, forget pros.
 

fan75

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stmikes76 said:
Lazy and unable to produce in the playoffs when it counted most. Eagerly waits by the blueline for outlet passes and was a non factor against the Rangers in the three games I saw. Good offensive instincts but afraid to get hit and I mean afraid!
You must be thinking of someone else.

1 - Kingston missed the playoffs.

2 - Kingston played the Rangers twice all season.

3 - Read the last two posts, he's not afraid to get hit.
 
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