Who's NEW's #1 Center?
by Dick Shivers
|
Whikadoodle
Registered S23, S45 Challenge Cup Champion
Earlier this week, it was announced that Carter O'Callahan would be heading out West to Seattle for a slathering of picks as the Wolfpack begin their rebuild after a dominant cup-winning season. This is an entirely new face for NEW, as long-tenured wolves Tenny and CoC leave the team, as well as vets like McZ, Kovy, Schenn and Weber say their goodbyes early on in the offseason, and rumor has it that Cant might be gone as well.
While this is an exciting time to look towards the future for New England, the question remains: who will be New England's newest #1 Center? From my perspective, there are three possibilities: Dean Colt Colt, a S20 draftee, is a hard-hitting center who's made a name for himself with his physical play. Last season, he showed us that he could win battles at the dot as well as along the boards, which really helps his probability of snatching the #1 position. However, Colt has yet to show much of an offensive upside; only breaking 10 points twice in his career which has spanned 4 seasons. Colt has stepped up when it's mattered though; with 11 points in 33 career playoff games. Colt is the more like Co'C than the other possibility on this list, which could also bode well for him going into training camp next season. NHL Captain Comparison: David Backes Niklas Wikstrom Wikstrom, the 5th OVA pick in S20, is largely considered the biggest letdown of the early draft. The first forward taken, Wikstrom has failed to meet expectations while fellow S20 draftees Blake Sherrill, Pedro Sarantez and Adrian Thomaz have shined as of late. The Swedish winger-turned-center has a tremendous shot, a knack for winning faceoffs and he's strong on the puck, but he doesn't bring the typical physical game that's come to be New England's trademark, registering only 35 hits to Dean Colt's 85 this season. The playmaker has also only broken 30 points once in his career, with two other seasons being incredibly close at 29 and 27. However, the S23 playoffs were a good experience for Wikstrom, as he went third in team scoring with 11 points in 19 games. NHL Captain Comparison: John Tavares Marek Vyskoc Vyskoc had an abysmal season 23. Shooting 2.78% and only putting up 5 points with roughly 15 minutes a night, Vyskoc has a long way to go before he earns the #1 spot, but we don't want to make that an impossibility. Wikstrom and Colt have not proven themselves to be true #1s just yet, and Vyskoc could easily find his chance to prove himself early on. He will need to improve his game however if he wants to stay there. NHL Captain Comparison: Claude Giroux |
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
|
Messages In This Thread |
[No subject] - by Whikadoodle - 06-05-2015, 07:36 PM
[No subject] - by artermis - 06-05-2015, 07:55 PM
[No subject] - by Leonidas - 06-05-2015, 08:42 PM
[No subject] - by gorlab - 06-05-2015, 08:52 PM
[No subject] - by gorlab - 06-05-2015, 08:52 PM
[No subject] - by Mac - 06-05-2015, 09:00 PM
[No subject] - by Wasty - 06-05-2015, 09:04 PM
[No subject] - by Mac - 06-05-2015, 09:07 PM
[No subject] - by Whikadoodle - 06-05-2015, 09:10 PM
[No subject] - by Whikadoodle - 06-05-2015, 09:10 PM
[No subject] - by Whikadoodle - 06-05-2015, 09:10 PM
[No subject] - by Whikadoodle - 06-05-2015, 09:12 PM
[No subject] - by Mac - 06-05-2015, 09:13 PM
[No subject] - by Whikadoodle - 06-05-2015, 09:14 PM
[No subject] - by artermis - 06-06-2015, 11:16 AM
[No subject] - by xDParK - 06-06-2015, 11:27 AM
[No subject] - by Birks - 06-06-2015, 11:30 AM
[No subject] - by artermis - 06-06-2015, 12:14 PM
[No subject] - by Birks - 06-06-2015, 12:15 PM
[No subject] - by artermis - 06-06-2015, 12:18 PM
[No subject] - by Dion - 06-06-2015, 02:23 PM
|
Users browsing this thread: |
3 Guest(s) |