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Can Phoenix Develop Forwards Properly? The Case of Mikkel Boedker |
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When Mikkel Boedker was drafted 8th overall in 2008 his two-way playmaking ability had people pegging him as a future top-6 talent. He had the speed, smarts and drive to be a solid NHLer someday. After a great first season in North America for the Kitchener Rangers including a fantastic showing in the playoffs and Memorial Cup, Boedker looked poised to take the OHL by storm and be the leader of the Rangers. Instead he was promoted to the big club a recurring theme during the Gretzky era.
His first year could be considered a mild success, he may have been weaker than a kitten and manhandled on the ice by the bigger NHL competition but all in all it was a solid year. The big thing was he was getting 15 minutes of ice-time, with some PP and PK time, so essentially given 2nd line minutes. For a rookie to get these minutes it was a show of faith and even though 28 points isn’t a lot, for an 18 year old it wasn’t bad.
In his second year he started only 14 games before being sent down to the AHL. He didn’t even have a chance, with just 8 minutes of ice-time and no special teams play he was useless. This is the year Dave Tippett took over as Head Coach, there is a pattern here. In the AHL he got more time and looked a lot more comfortable.
He started his third year in the AHL and came out of the gate extremely strong and was effective the best forward in San Antonio. He was still pushed off the puck too easily but his creativity and defensive play had finally caught up to the pro level. He got called up to the big club to (surprise surprise) get played on the 4th line with practically no PP time. He even showed some solid offensive play getting 14 points in 34 games despite playing 10 minutes a game. His defensive game was fine and he looked stronger on the puck than he had ever had before yet Tippett never used him.
This season he was great in preseason showing his prowess on the PK and even some creativity on the PP. He was pegged for the 2nd line slot, yet he is being played 10 minutes a night....AGAIN. He is being played behind Kyle Freaking Chipchura. He’s being used sparingly on special teams as well which makes zero sense to me. This is a 21 year old 3 year veteran of the pro leagues, he is ready to make the next step and the only thing hindering him is Tippett.
I love Dave Tippett and his defensive style, I respect what he has done for the organization in making them a competitive team these past 2 years yet he is destroying these young players. His reliance on veterans and giving them all the ice-time and important jobs is quite frankly killing the young creativity of some of these guys. MacLean wanted out (Averaged 10 minutes when called up), Turris wants out (Averaged 11 minutes when called up) how long before Boedker demands a trade?
Boedker is ready for big minutes. In any other system he would have been sent to junior for one more year, played in the AHL as he did in his second then be ready for the NHL. His time table may have been set back a little but he is ready now.
Thanks for reading.
Follow me @AdamFrenchReal
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