Not disagreeing that the lad has some holes, but I think you're harsh on his skating. After Jost and other players being known as amazing skaters in juniors just to be beyond average in the NHL, I am going to be more on the cautious side when evaluating prospects. However, what I've seen from Stranges is a lot like Newhook where he's a good skater, but I do think there is some aesthetics in there as well. I am more in the side that both of them (Antonio and Alex) are both solid skaters and won't bust out because of skating ability, it would be more due to overvalued hype in the talent department.
Another aspect I wanted to touch on was his defensive game, no arguments from me that at the current point in time he has a lot of work to do away from the puck. The thing though is that if we draft him, it would be for his offensive abilities and there are many players that resembled similar issues at his age such as Voracek. Just so I don't look like a hypocrite, another one that had the same weaknesses is Ryan Suzuki and I am not a fan of him. Nonetheless, I suggest that Stranges is a superior player especially in the offensive skills department - step above IQ, step above physicality, step above stick-handling, and step above 1v1 ability on Suzuki IMO. I make the argument that Stranges would be a risk worth taking for me, especially if Avs finish between 22nd to 31st. The biggest problem for me from Stranges is his consistency as he easily has top 15 talent, where some desires aren't exactly there all the time. Some big hot streaks and some big cold streaks, but another player who I'd argue had comparable issues was Akil Thomas and now he's looking like a great selection.
