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2020 NHL Draft Thread: Devils: #7 Holtz!


CommonDreads

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41 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

I can’t see it, but happy to hear Big Mook is on the board again! 

I will try to watch the maximum of his games this season. He loses confidence when he has to make a pass in his zone. But he spends more than 10 minutes per game. If he pumps up his confidence, he can become a player of the first pair.

I watch Holtz and Mercer games, too. QMJHL games are very fun - fast and dynamic. Holtz plays a much more structured game with harder challenge. The first thing that comes to mind is that I think Hughes will be playing with Mercer, not Holtz.

Edited by Guadana
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5 hours ago, nessus said:

Any idea why he isn't playing in the SHL? Maybe contract reasons.

I think his team Brynas hasn’t a room for him. And Timra was his team in Allsvenskan. Allsvenskan is sweden analog of AHL, it’s an adult professional league. Not SHL but he is one of the youngest there.

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Scott Wheeler put out his top 50 prospects list for The Athletic. We have 2 of them. Holtz (6) and Smith (41). Interesting that he has Holtz ranked ahead of both Stutzle and Drysdale. 

6. Alexander Holtz, RW/LW, 18 (New Jersey Devils — 7th overall, 2020)
Previous ranking: N/A

If you were to survey scouts for their own rankings like this, Holtz probably sits outside the top 10 on a majority of lists. I think that does him a bit of disservice, though. He belongs among the other names at the top of the 2020 draft class as well as the top non-NHL prospects from previous drafts. He has improved his first-step acceleration in recent months. He’s beginning to look more comfortable with the puck on his stick at SHL pace. And the other tools have always graded out extremely high. That’s true in the versatility of his wrist shot, which he can get off from his front and back foot, from a curl and drag or through his stride in a natural snapshot motion. It’s true of his strength and physical maturity. And it’s true, frankly, in his ability to make plays when the shot isn’t there, which has always been a little overlooked. He’s going to score a lot of goals in the NHL but he’s not a one-trick pony.

 

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39 minutes ago, Guadana said:

Holtz and Pasic scores. Djurgarden 1 -1 Linkoping.
Holtz looks like a Kovy in his good days. Drive plays,  turn around passes, play to end end in moments. 

Maybe you'd know this and i always wondered.

I know that obviously ultimately coaches want to win. And i know that kids playing in men's league are playing a bit less in term of getting ice time and opportunities.

I assume it's a mix of coaches wanting experience guys out there and older guys that are probably "better" than the kid at the moment since the kid isn't fully developed.

But do you think there's coaches who simply doesn't want to fully "invest" as much in those kids knowing they'll be gone sooner than later and not part of the core. Or coach just use whatever they have at the moment and don't care as much for the long term? 

 

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41 minutes ago, Guadana said:

Holtz and Pasic scores. Djurgarden 1 -1 Linkoping.
Holtz looks like a Kovy in his good days. Drive plays,  turn around passes, play to end end in moments. 

William Єklund (2.3% accurate) is a hell of a player. Is he eligible for 20-21? If so if we suck he would be nice on a line with Holtz. 

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32 minutes ago, SterioDesign said:

Maybe you'd know this and i always wondered.

I know that obviously ultimately coaches want to win. And i know that kids playing in men's league are playing a bit less in term of getting ice time and opportunities.

I assume it's a mix of coaches wanting experience guys out there and older guys that are probably "better" than the kid at the moment since the kid isn't fully developed.

But do you think there's coaches who simply doesn't want to fully "invest" as much in those kids knowing they'll be gone sooner than later and not part of the core. Or coach just use whatever they have at the moment and don't care as much for the long term? 

 

There are people who think that hockey is just about goals and assists. But to win, you must not only score, but also not let your opponent score. I'm sure you understand that.

Kids often do not read the zones well, they lose their position, do not push out the opponent's player, do not work well enough in the forecheck. You can release your young guy in the attack zone and give him a chance to score. Then he will have a chance to score, after that he will probably play defense, maybe not make a critical mistake. If he makes a mistake, you will punish him. But initially, he will have a chance to score. If you immediately release him in the defense zone or in critical moments of the game, and he is likely to make a mistake due to lack of sufficient concentration and experience, you will harm your team. This is why coaches in adult leagues are more likely to release their young players in "safer" situations. Therefore, they do not go out much and at the same time slowly gain experience in the positional game - they gain it in situations when there is no time to make a change and you need to defend after your attack.

In General, coaches do not allow young players to play at all, because here and now they make mistakes and lose their position, and they only need to win. If a young player brings only profit, it will not matter to the coach that he will leave  after year.

It's more a question of how much the coach is afraid to let the young make mistakes and learn.

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50 minutes ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

William Єklund (2.3% accurate) is a hell of a player. Is he eligible for 20-21? If so if we suck he would be nice on a line with Holtz. 

Yeah he will. He is first round prospect for now. But i think we will and we should target defensemen.

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