Jason Lewis: King Prospect Kurtis MacDermid: Under the Radar and in Your Face

I find it hard to tell when watching the AHL games if a player is truly ready for a crack at the big show. I don't think numbers are a good barometer for the most part unless those numbers are through the roof and just crazy high/good. from the eye test I find it extremely difficult to judge because the AHL game styles and plays are so vastly different from that of the NHL in my opinion. The physical play seems to be very similar or easy to compare, but every thing else I see when watching the 2 leagues seems to be like comparing an F1 race and it's cars to Formula 1,000.

educate me Jason...

I find it hard to tell when watching the AHL games if a player is truly ready for a crack at the big show. I don't think numbers are a good barometer for the most part unless those numbers are through the roof and just crazy high/good. from the eye test I find it extremely difficult to judge because the AHL game styles and plays are so vastly different from that of the NHL in my opinion. The physical play seems to be very similar or easy to compare, but every thing else I see when watching the 2 leagues seems to be like comparing an F1 race and it's cars to Formula 1,000.

educate me Jason...
- MikeOxbyg

Well, first off, if it were easy then everyone would have 100% accuracy and never make mistakes.

Ultimately, to me, it's about seeing translatable skills that are independent of the speed of the game or will not be hindered by style/structure. A good example is Gravel's puck moving. He moves the puck with immediacy. That's going to translate no matter what level he plays at. If it's quick it is quick. He may have LESS time to do it at the NHL level but he should still be able to do it.

With things like stick skills, skating, sometimes read and react sort of stuff, it always helps to have the largest sample size possible. Is his skating good? Maybe. Is it a stride that could get better? Well that's when you need to see more games. Zykov's 1v1 skills and stick skills are very good. Does he make the right decision every time? No. A larger sample size will be needed to see how that progresses. Is he making the same mistakes in game 1 as he was in game 50 or 65. It's not easy to see, and you have to be patient sometimes. More games is always better.

Nice read. Glad to hear he's cleaning up his game a little.

Nice read. Glad to hear he's cleaning up his game a little.


- Gretz2Kurri

What on earth is that from

Well, first off, if it were easy then everyone would have 100% accuracy and never make mistakes.

Ultimately, to me, it's about seeing translatable skills that are independent of the speed of the game or will not be hindered by style/structure. A good example is Gravel's puck moving. He moves the puck with immediacy. That's going to translate no matter what level he plays at. If it's quick it is quick. He may have LESS time to do it at the NHL level but he should still be able to do it.

With things like stick skills, skating, sometimes read and react sort of stuff, it always helps to have the largest sample size possible. Is his skating good? Maybe. Is it a stride that could get better? Well that's when you need to see more games. Zykov's 1v1 skills and stick skills are very good. Does he make the right decision every time? No. A larger sample size will be needed to see how that progresses. Is he making the same mistakes in game 1 as he was in game 50 or 65. It's not easy to see, and you have to be patient sometimes. More games is always better.
- Jason_Lewis

Thanks Jason, follow up question... has there been any timeline or info on Gaborik yet?

Well, first off, if it were easy then everyone would have 100% accuracy and never make mistakes.

Ultimately, to me, it's about seeing translatable skills that are independent of the speed of the game or will not be hindered by style/structure. A good example is Gravel's puck moving. He moves the puck with immediacy. That's going to translate no matter what level he plays at. If it's quick it is quick. He may have LESS time to do it at the NHL level but he should still be able to do it.

With things like stick skills, skating, sometimes read and react sort of stuff, it always helps to have the largest sample size possible. Is his skating good? Maybe. Is it a stride that could get better? Well that's when you need to see more games. Zykov's 1v1 skills and stick skills are very good. Does he make the right decision every time? No. A larger sample size will be needed to see how that progresses. Is he making the same mistakes in game 1 as he was in game 50 or 65. It's not easy to see, and you have to be patient sometimes. More games is always better.
- Jason_Lewis

Good question and good answer.
I have been a season ticket holder of both NHL and AHL .
Definately speed of the game but mostly, Details...good passes, catching passes and making smart hockey plays.

Saw McDermid for the first time last night and agree that he's fairly impressive considering he's just out of junior.....miles better than Zac Leslie and Alex Lintineumi at this point. Still a long way to go - at least another full season and perhaps longer in the AHL until we really know what we have - but he's definitely got a lot more upside than most undrafted players.

Would be interested on your thoughts on Justin Auger, another "Big Bird" type prospect on Ontario who has been better than expected as a first year pro. I think most would see him somewhere between Dwight King and Jordan Nolan, but he really stands out....was also irritating the Stockton players last night, which was good to see.

Mersch!

Roland McKeown is a Canadian junior ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing with the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League and is a prospect for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. Wikipedia
Born: January 20, 1996 (age 20), Listowel, Ontario, Canada
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 195 lbs
Positions: Defenseman

Roland McKeown is a Canadian junior ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing with the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League and is a prospect for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. Wikipedia
Born: January 20, 1996 (age 20), Listowel, Ontario, Canada
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 195 lbs
Positions: Defenseman
- rubberduckies

this guy will be a top 4 dman soon !

this guy will be a top 4 dman soon !
- rubberduckies

So you're saying you don't have a time machine?