Enter_The_Dragon Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 So if a player plays hockey in high school, they can't play defence? Or if they play at Milton specifically? I don't understand the logic here. pretty much i dont see how you can deny that ncaa will teach him lots of things this season should be an adjustment season for mcnally from being a free-range to a free-run hopefully he can put up some points but the main thing for mcnally is to learn to play responsible in his own zone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 So if a player plays hockey in high school, they can't play defence? Or if they play at Milton specifically? I don't understand the logic here. i think he italicized "high school" because i missed a space(oops ) but I think his logic on McNally needing to learn defense is because he wasn't playing in some other league, and not based on any fact at all. Milton plays in the ISL Keller Division of the Division I New England Prep School Hockey League. This league is commonly considered by college recruiters as the top prep school hockey league in the country. We don't know how good McNally is at defense because no one's really seen him (outside of school spectators and scouts). And I love how he just confirmed that his baseless assumption is just that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesy_shoes Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 pretty much i dont see how you can deny that ncaa will teach him lots of things this season should be an adjustment season for mcnally from being a free-range to a free-run hopefully he can put up some points but the main thing for mcnally is to learn to play responsible in his own zone We don't really know if he's the type of player that does whatever he can for his team to win, or just an offensive defenseman. If he's a real competitor, he'll play defense when he needs to. I imagine in high school hockey there are many more opportunities for defensemen to score because of sloppier (relatively speaking here) coverage. That doesn't mean he can't play defense when there is less space out there. Chances are he's pretty quick on his feet and good with his stick; the rest is just playing conservatively and making the right reads to break up plays. He's clearly a smart kid, so I doubt he gets overwhelmed by the higher pace. I doubt he'll be very physical as a freshman, so that might be his biggest drawback this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canvoucer Vanuck Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 The reason why I asked about his style and whether it would fit in with Harvard's is because of this piece: Milton captain and senior defenseman Pat McNally had quite a game in both a good and not-so-good sense. On the plus side, he tallied a hat trick in the 5-2 victory. He's one of the most aggressive, attacking defenders we've seen in some time. But, he's also undisciplined and gets himself in trouble by being frequently out of position. There's no denying his skating ability and predatory style, though. When he sees openings, he doesn't hesitate and good things happen at the other end of the ice. McNally evened the score at 1-1 on such a rush, blazing up the ice from his own end, weaving through the defense and firing home a bullet five-hole shot that beat LA goalie Jordan Nathan. McNally could have had four or five goals the way things were going. His third tally on the night was another beauty, as he hurdled the stick of a defender to get to the net after avoiding a collision of two LA players to gain initial separation.He then put the shot topshelf over backup Nathaniel Heilbron's (who replaced the shaky Nathan) glove. McNally might be one of those guys who is better served as a forward at the next level because he's such a go-go-go player all the time, but his defense, at least in this game, was suspect. He makes mistakes that his speed and shot can make up for at the lower prep level of competition, but he won't get away with that at the next level. He's got the size to be a defenseman in the pros, but his defensive awareness and gambling style could get him into hot water. http://bruins2011dra...in-nepsiha.html Bruins 2011 Draft Watch is a pretty good blog about different prospects, and I was surprised to find that there was info on McNally at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Kreuzberg Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 The reason why I asked about his style and whether it would fit in with Harvard's is because of this piece: http://bruins2011dra...in-nepsiha.html Bruins 2011 Draft Watch is a pretty good blog about different prospects, and I was surprised to find that there was info on McNally at all. When i heard Kirk was going to cover this tournament, I asked him to cover McNally when he went because we are so deprived of info for him. So he wrote that synopsis. I trust his opinion very much. It is the very best blog for 2011, but he was recruited by Red Line Report as a scout... so there won't be a blog for 2012. Which sucks for us, but attests to his reputable opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canvoucer Vanuck Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 When i heard Kirk was going to cover this tournament, I asked him to cover McNally when he went because we are so deprived of info for him. So he wrote that synopsis. I trust his opinion very much. It is the very best blog for 2011, but he was recruited by Red Line Report as a scout... so there won't be a blog for 2012. Which sucks for us, but attests to his reputable opinion. Aw, that's a shame. Upon more reading I'm finding I like that blog more and more. At least RLR have gotten themselves a promising scout and writer. If Kyle Woodlief thinks you're good enough to take up a position with them, then you really do have promise! I just wonder how McNally will turn out if his defense is really that suspect. But then again we don't know that much about Harvard's program, so hopefully the coaches there are proficient enough to teach him well in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 it's also a single game report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Kreuzberg Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 it's also a single game report. For a guy who routinely watches HS and Prep hockey in New England and writes for NE Hockey Journal for this Prep league, i'd say he's more accurate than anyone here. Even though its a single game report, i have no doubts he has seen him more than once. Kirk scouted Milton a few times on his blog and wrote about Rob OGara a few times, who plays for the same team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollieo Del Fuego Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hard to teach a guy to score hat tricks, defense should be an easier study. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent.S Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Hard to teach a guy to score hat tricks, defense should be an easier study. Defense I think is harder to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avelanch Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Defense I think is harder to learn. i always found the opposite, but i was a defenseman first, so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent.S Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 i always found the opposite, but i was a defenseman first, so who knows. Lol I was a forawrd. I guess that's why ahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilya Mikheyev Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 You can't really teach a guy to have nice hands, but you can teach him to position himself well. I think in that sense defense is easier to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent.S Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 You can't really teach a guy to have nice hands, but you can teach him to position himself well. I think in that sense defense is easier to learn. That's true, but a lot of young guys don't listen to positioning and just develop there hands with experience. Idk your probably right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter_The_Dragon Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 You can't really teach a guy to have nice hands, but you can teach him to position himself well. I think in that sense defense is easier to learn. Ryan Kesler? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilya Mikheyev Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Ryan Kesler? Yeah, because Kesler had no hands.. 5 goals and 11 points in 10 games in his last NAHL season. 31 points in 41 games in his first college season. 30 goals/58 points in 78 games in his first full AHL season. Just because he took a bit to develop at the NHL level doesn't mean he didn't have hands.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter_The_Dragon Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Yeah, because Kesler had no hands.. 5 goals and 11 points in 10 games in his last NAHL season. 31 points in 41 games in his first college season. 30 goals/58 points in 78 games in his first full AHL season. Just because he took a bit to develop at the NHL level doesn't mean he didn't have hands.. his coach in ncaa said that he had terrible hands most of his goals were garbage goals from hardwork goals and points =/= hands if goals = hands, then Tomas Holmstroms got a good set of hands too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilya Mikheyev Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 his coach in ncaa said that he had terrible hands most of his goals were garbage goals from hardwork goals and points =/= hands if goals = hands, then Tomas Holmstroms got a good set of hands too When did his coach say this? He was always said to have good hands, not 'sublime hands' or anything like that, but good hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verloren Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 That's true, but a lot of young guys don't listen to positioning and just develop there hands with experience. Idk your probably right It's difficult for a younger guy because they don't have the same level of spatial awareness as a older player. Defense and positioning actually sticks with you, because it's just acquiring the spatial awareness, and recognizing where you are on the field/ice just from small visual cues. A lot of goalies/defensemen in soccer will rely on the pitch markings to know where their positioning is. The same applies for defense in basketball - use the markings on the floor. When you remove those visual cues, defense gets a lot harder since you don't know where your own goal/basket is. It gets annoying, and I've gotten injuries from playing on pitches without any markings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Try Again Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Defense I think is harder to learn. nono Defense is teachable scoring is not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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