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Building the Ultimate Hockey Forward. Part 2. Who is yours? |
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Last week I started this task...with the first four traits...Time to finish this off... let's continue to build the ultimate hockey forward…. Based on the following 8 characteristics…
1. Scoring
2. Playmaking
3. Playing at High Speed
4. Stick Handling Skills
5. Defensive Skills
6. Team Leadership
7. Determination and Toughness
8. The “It” Factor.
To review the first four were....
1. Scoring.
At the end of the day, goals are what count. And for me, this one is easy. Auston Matthews. All the way. Beyond his obvious ability to lead the NHL in scoring, I am looking at how he scores…and that is what intrigues me. I have said it before, but Matthews may be the best player in NHL history at receiving a pass. The Leafs players know this and don’t even pretend they don’t. They will throw a puck in his general direction even if it has to be too hot of a pass or too high of a pass or behind him….etc. Just put it towards him. Matthews will snag it and then turn it on net with a ridiculous skill set.. If you look at the pass completion percentage, Mitch Marner led the league last year with around 44 percent. I don’t think that is a coincidence.. His shot is also completely unique which makes him very hard to anticipate…MANY NHL goalies speak of this…So my ultimate NHL forward would have the scoring abilities of Auston Matthews.
2. Playmaking
Thes are the quarterbacks of the NHL and ironically the two best are now probable forever linked…Johnny Gaudreau is the best. His vision and the way he sees a play develop along with sharp, crisp passes make him the ultimate passer…The next best has to Huberdeau…the man who replaced him in Calgary…There are plenty of others, Patrick Kane, Jack Hughes, Leon Draisaitl to name just a few…even gouts like Rob Thomas in St Louis…and of course Mitch Marner…and Kaprisov, and Crosby.. but my ultimate NHL forward would have the playmaking abilities of Johnny Hockey.
3. Playing at High Speed.
Two Irish Canadians and a Russian skate into a bar. This is really a three horse race.. Nathan MacKinnon has shown more and more why he belongs in the “best player in the game” conversation and his peed and shiftiness is downright scary… Kirill Kaprizov is also as shifty as they come and when it comes to skating ability…edge control, while making players at high speed, I would put Kirill at #2…But Mr McDavid has it all and more and is probably the best there ever was at this category.. So my ultimate NHL forward would have the vision, shiftiness, and raw speed of Connor McDavid…
4. Best Stick Handler..
There are so many great stick handlers in the NHL right now. In fact, I would argue that this is the case because this skill is being taught better and emphasized more than ever before at the youth level…and it shows…just consider the “lacrosse goal” and how rare that ability once was even at the highest levels…Now, almost every top tier youth player can pull that playoff…and so much more. When i think of the past, I think of Datsyuk and Peter Forsberg when it comes to stick-handling..even Pavel Bure…. But the modern age of crazy skilled stick handling has belonged to five players in my opinion. Patrick Kane, Crosby and Malkin, McDavid and Backstrom..Kane is the player who is most widely voted as the top in this category…However, I’m going to go off the board and tell you that we have a new forward who surpasses him…probably due to the training improvements….I am putting up two guys, Jack Hughes and Kirill Kaprisov. These guys simply never give the puck up…and don’t always get the props… So my ultimate NHL forward would have the stick-handling ability of…Jack Hughes..
And now...the exciting conclusion...
#5. Defensive Skills.
There are several great defensive players in the NHL right now. Obviously, the gold standard has been Patrice Bergeron. Few players have been as steady for as long as Partrice. Not since Bob Gainey have we seen a steadier, better defensive forward than #37. However, since this is all about the best RIGHT now, I am going with Sasha Barkov. Barkov has been great for years, but I feel the best is actually still yet to come from Sasha.
#6. Team Leadership.
There are many great leaders in the game right now. I would put MacKinnon and Crosby right near the top of this category, for sure, but this past playoff we saw one of the greatest simple examples of a player leading his team with not just his skill, but his attitude.. I was blown away by the performance we saw from Connor McDavid these past playoffs. it is impossible to not see McDavid as one of the purest talents ever...but the leadership he showed this past summer...was truly unreal.
#7. Determination and Toughness
There is one player in my mind who wants to win more than anyone else night in and night out. I can't ever recall a more obsessed player who was willing to leave it all out there the Alexandre Ovechkin. Forget his talent for a second. If you put Ov's drive for perfection, raw strength and total lack of fear into ANY player in the NHL or even AHL and you would have a VERY successful NHL player. Get enough of these guys on your team and you'd have a team no one wants to play against.
#8. The "It" factor.
Kirill Kaprizov. Hands down. Kaprisov is about to launch into the level of Superstar player in the NHL. He is 100% worth the price of admission and he has a serious flair about him. He truly defines the idea of an "It" factor..
So my ultimate forward is...
1. Scoring: Matthews
2. Playmaking: Gaudreau
3. Playing at High Speed: McDavid
4. Stick Handling Skills: Jack Hughes
5. Defensive Skills: Sasha Barkov
6. Team Leadership: McDavid
7. Determination and Toughness: Ovechkin
8. The “It” Factor: Kaprizov
Give me your eight.....Feel free to copy and past the following as a template...
My ultimate hockey forward.
1. Scoring:
2. Playmaking:
3. Playing at High Speed:
4. Stick Handling Skills:
5. Defensive Skills:
6. Team Leadership:
7. Determination and Toughness:
8. The “It” Factor:
Tell me yours…and as usual, tell me where I am mistaken…(not that I usually have to ask…)
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