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On Michael McLeod
There's been a lot of talk about McLeod and his chances of making the New Jersey Devils out of camp this fall.
He is far from a lock -- his OHL numbers were not mind numbingly good -- but he really took off in the 2nd half of the season and parlayed that into a very successful playoff run.
Now, he's confident he can make the jump (
excerpt via NHL.com):
"I think I feel like I'm [NHL] ready," McLeod said. "I've put on weight, have gotten faster and my shot has gotten a lot better. I feel like I've figured out the OHL. I'm hoping I could get to the NHL as soon as I can."
He appeared much stronger and faster during his second stint at Devils development camp earlier this month. He's listed at 6-foot-2, 188 pounds but said he's put on 10 pounds, the result of six weeks of weight training during the offseason.
It's good that McLeod is already starting to bulk up but an extra few pounds will only do so much. His performance last season says more about his readiness than his weight will.
McLeod's numbers weren't out of this world good but there are examples of players putting up similar numbers at even-strength and making the jump the following year, including one that hits close to home.
Again, McLeod is not exactly a lock to make the team -- the Devils have a lot of depth at center, so it could come down to how effective he is on the right side -- but it's not unreasonable to think he could make the big club this fall.
On Nathan Bastain
Bastian has quite a bit of work to do before seriously competing for an NHL job and he knows it (again,
excerpt via NHL.com)
"I think I need to be quicker and be able to get 200 feet up and down the ice faster in order to play center in the NHL," Bastian said. "I'm working on it. I'm gaining strength in the gym and on the ice, and that's the most important thing."
I fully agree Bastian needs to improve his skating and add explosiveness to his stride. He's not an awful skater but he's not going to blow by anyone and I don't think he has the skill set to dangle around people, either.
The interesting thing about that quote, to me at least, is about him playing center at the next level.
He did play some center in Mississauga last year, particularly down the stretch, but my understanding was that they simply wanted to balance the lines and create matchup problems. Playing Bastian down the middle was one way to do it. It wasn't so much that they viewed Bastian as a center, or thought he was at his best there.
Even if Bastian thinks of himself that way, or wants to play center at the next level, I think the best road to the big club, if and when he gets there, is on the wing.
As he mentioned, his skating needs work if he's going to play down the middle and, with young centers like Nico Hischier, Zacha, and McLeod, on top of the established players, there doesn't figure to be a spot opening down the middle anytime soon. He's also not great in the faceoff circle (he's won 47.3% of the draws over his career, and he often has a size/strength advantage).
I think he's best suited on the wing.
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