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I’m old and cynical.

And as such, I have neither the energy nor the interest for providing breathy play-by-play analysis from Hawk camp. Besides, there are a lot of other bloggers and writers doing that today and everyday—which is helpful.

Instead, my blogs during camp, barring some unforeseen big event, are going to focus on in-depth examinations of recently acquired players or prospects, as their names come up in camp.

One such player, mentioned in yesterday’s reports, is center Laurent Dauphin, acquired from Arizona in the Niklas Hjalmarsson trade.

Here are scouting reports on Dauphin (a high second round pick of the Coyotes in 2013) from three sources:


“Dauphin is a jack-of-all-trades on the ice, combining hard work and a multifaceted game in an extremely versatile package. Though he may not have one particular skill that stands out above the rest, his best attribute may be simply the fact that he always keeps his feet moving. With good offensive vision and good hands in tight, Dauphin tallies a lot of his points by simply outworking the opposition. That same dedication and his smooth skating style also benefit him at the defensive side of the game. He'll be even better as he continues to fill out and polish his game.”

—Hockey’s Future

“A true speedster, his skating stride sets him apart from the rest. It helps him create plays and finish them off, as well. It can also be used to disrupt the opposition. Needs to do a better job of developing his game, and part of that will be slowing things down a notch when the situation warrants. Must also add significant bulk.”

—Hockey News Forecaster

“Dauphin owns above-average offensive skills but his two-way play really sticks out. He looks to be more of a third-line center and strong penalty-killer.”

—Dobber’s Prospects


As my longterm term readers will attest, Dauphin is my kind of player—in that I tend to love those guys who do the dirty work, play well without the puck, etc. I am no more a “hockey talent guru” than any other clown on the internet, but that’s just me. I think it’s easy—too easy frankly—to base your assessments on points, +/-, or even Corsi taken out of context to any degree. The eye test matters as much or more.

I have been a casual fan of Dauphin’s since reading my friend Bill “Wiz” Placzek’s draft capsule on him—and some had him possibly going to Chicago late in the first round.

Outside of great, natural north-south speed, there is not much sexy about Dauphin’s game. Where he stands out is in winning puck battles that by all rights he shouldn’t, relentless competitiveness, and some versatility.

When I heard he was the “throw in” on the Hjalmarsson-Connor Murphy trade, I, for one, was pretty happy. Especially because the Hawks were probably about to lose Marcus Kruger.
They are not carbon copies, but Dauphin and Kruger are similar players for the good things they do. Hard to say if Dauphin is as smart a player as Kruger is, but he is faster and more physical. Both kill penalties well as centermen, both play bigger than their size up and down the ice.

In 23 NHL games last year, Dauphin was 46% in the dot. Hardly the numbers you want to “replace” the guy who was the team’s primary faceoff option on the penalty kill and defensive zone 5-on-5. But, that is as good or better than anyone currently on the Hawk roster—except Toews.

Many have theorized that Tanner Kero would “replace” Kruger, but stylistically, Dauphin is a lot more like Kruger than Kero is, especially in terms of being difficult to play against.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at another camp participant and what his skills might mean to the 2017-18 Hawks.


JJ

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