Great stuff. I have some concerns for this team moving forward but Mateychuk certainly isn't one of them. Small sample size of course, but he looked very good even when Werenski was out. It's frankly baffling to me that Bowness didn't trust him more and that he's not gotten more looks on the PP.
I remember you mentioning his skating as his greatest obstacle last off-season too. Was there any improvement in that regard from last season to this one, as far as you could tell? I am a poor judge of skating myself.
I can't say I could pick up any improvements on skating. Still seems like his greatest obstacle (limiter?), especially with the way NHL coaches are.
I think "ice coverage" is becoming the domain of the defenseman these days and while he definitely has the mind and sense for it, he can't really cover a ton of ice in the event of a missed forecheck or something. It seems like he might be able to adapt around it considering he's very smart but that's pretty much what to watch going forward!
Excellent work as always Eric, been enjoying this series a ton! Mateychuk was one of my favourite guys to scout in the first half of the 2020s so getting deep breakdowns on his progress like this is phenomenal
Great stuff. I have some concerns for this team moving forward but Mateychuk certainly isn't one of them. Small sample size of course, but he looked very good even when Werenski was out. It's frankly baffling to me that Bowness didn't trust him more and that he's not gotten more looks on the PP.
I remember you mentioning his skating as his greatest obstacle last off-season too. Was there any improvement in that regard from last season to this one, as far as you could tell? I am a poor judge of skating myself.
I can't say I could pick up any improvements on skating. Still seems like his greatest obstacle (limiter?), especially with the way NHL coaches are.
I think "ice coverage" is becoming the domain of the defenseman these days and while he definitely has the mind and sense for it, he can't really cover a ton of ice in the event of a missed forecheck or something. It seems like he might be able to adapt around it considering he's very smart but that's pretty much what to watch going forward!
Great stuff, sir. Love the deep dives!
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Excellent work as always Eric, been enjoying this series a ton! Mateychuk was one of my favourite guys to scout in the first half of the 2020s so getting deep breakdowns on his progress like this is phenomenal
Cheers! This guy is an absolutely incredible watch, what a player.