Top Shelf Prospects: Arizona Coyotes Edition

[LastWordArmy]

Our look at the top 10 Arizona Coyotes Prospects and One Sleeper.

Arizona Coyotes Prospects: TSP - Last Word on Hockey

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[rt]

Our look at the top 10 Arizona Coyotes Prospects and One Sleeper.

Arizona Coyotes Prospects: TSP - Last Word on Hockey

"Skating
Hayton is a very good skater. His top-end speed and acceleration are both good. He has very good edgework and agility and maneuvers well through traffic both with and without the puck. Hayon’s stride is long and powerful. He has good lower-body strength and is tough to knock off the puck. Hayton can fight through checks and get to the net. He will get even better as he adds more muscle to his frame."

I disagree with most of this. I don't disagree that he's a good skater and a powerful junior player (he's got pro-strength). He's also good in traffic and tough to knock off the puck. I think he's pretty slow, though. Not a great skater. It was what stood out to me most at the WJC. He honestly reminds me of Shane Doan in a lot of ways. He's like the Shane Doan for the modern area. Not as violent, and a lot more well-rounded. But pretty Doan-esque to me in terms of how he looks on the ice (minus being a killing machine).

"Skating

Most big defenders have skating issues. However, Bahl’s skating is actually above average. His first step and acceleration could use some work, but once he gets going he has pretty good top-end speed. He has the agility and edgework to walk the line in the offensive zone, opening up passing and shooting lanes. Bahl is also good at moving laterally while skating backwards, keeping opponents in front of him. His size is an advantage as he is tough to knock off the puck. He has good balance, winning battles in the corners and in front of the net."

Pretty excited to read this. When I watched Bahl at the U18s I saw an enormous player with shockingly good straight line skating relative to his size, and shockingly bad agility and all-compass mobility relative to his straight line skating and speed. Like how can a guy that big skate so swiftly but also how can a guy who skates so swiftly have such bad agility and overall mobility?

 

[LastWordArmy]

"Skating
Hayton is a very good skater. His top-end speed and acceleration are both good. He has very good edgework and agility and maneuvers well through traffic both with and without the puck. Hayon’s stride is long and powerful. He has good lower-body strength and is tough to knock off the puck. Hayton can fight through checks and get to the net. He will get even better as he adds more muscle to his frame."

I disagree with most of this. I don't disagree that he's a good skater and a powerful junior player (he's got pro-strength). He's also good in traffic and tough to knock off the puck. I think he's pretty slow, though. Not a great skater. It was what stood out to me most at the WJC. He honestly reminds me of Shane Doan in a lot of ways. He's like the Shane Doan for the modern area. Not as violent, and a lot more well-rounded. But pretty Doan-esque to me in terms of how he looks on the ice (minus being a killing machine).

"Skating

Most big defenders have skating issues. However, Bahl’s skating is actually above average. His first step and acceleration could use some work, but once he gets going he has pretty good top-end speed. He has the agility and edgework to walk the line in the offensive zone, opening up passing and shooting lanes. Bahl is also good at moving laterally while skating backwards, keeping opponents in front of him. His size is an advantage as he is tough to knock off the puck. He has good balance, winning battles in the corners and in front of the net."

Pretty excited to read this. When I watched Bahl at the U18s I saw an enormous player with shockingly good straight line skating relative to his size, and shockingly bad agility and all-compass mobility relative to his straight line skating and speed. Like how can a guy that big skate so swiftly but also how can a guy who skates so swiftly have such bad agility and overall mobility?

In both cases, it's about adjectives..... We disagree on Hayton's speed, but not on the rest of his skating. I called his speed good, while I called other aspects of his game (maneuvering through traffic, power, etc... as very good). So I agree with you that the speed factor is not the biggest strength of his skating. I think where we are off is that you see it as a weakness and to me, it isn't a liability.

 

[BUX7PHX]

The interesting thing with Hayton is that if there is a slight issue with skating, he tracks the puck so very well that it hasn't affected him getting to the puck first in juniors.

Obviously, the NHL moves at a quicker pace, but should he continue to be around and find the puck with skating that is not great, yet not a liability, makes you wonder what will happen when he takes his stride even further away from being considered a liability.

 

[XX]

Pretty excited to read this. When I watched Bahl at the U18s I saw an enormous player with shockingly good straight line skating relative to his size, and shockingly bad agility and all-compass mobility relative to his straight line skating and speed. Like how can a guy that big skate so swiftly but also how can a guy who skates so swiftly have such bad agility and overall mobility?

Coordination for extremely tall players can take time after growing into their final size.