What Kirk says:
8 GP 1 G 7 A 8 PIM
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I was able to go to the BU/St. Lawrence game last night and focused on watching Matt to see what the Bruins had.
The scouting report seems fairly accurate. Just from watching one game you could tell that Grzelcyk thinks and reacts one step ahead of most of the players he's currently playing with. He has an ability to slow the game down and make plays based on what's about to happen, as opposed to what is currently happening. Doesn't rush with the puck, doesn't seem to make mental mistakes.
His size is obviously a concern, but contrary to the above report - he seemed to play with a bit of grit and anger, routinely mixing it up with the St. Lawrence forwards when the game started getting chippy towards the end.
He definitely reminded me of Ference in his abilities, with a bit more playmaking touch that perhaps Andy has.
His stats so far this year:Strengths: Excellent skater. Has superb first few steps and explodes from a standstill or glide in just a few, effortless strides. Has top gear and the lateral, four-way agility that is ideal for position. Changes direction quickly and able to prevent opponents from attacking his net with speed. Very good passer and puck-mover with a deft touch on the puck. Advances the biscuit confidently and has the stick skills to elude checkers and lug it out of the defensive zone on his own. Has superb offensive and defensive hockey sense; sees the ice beautifully and inherently understands when to attack and when to stay home. Very good in puck retrieval; will take a hit to make the play. Plays with tremendous passion and desire. Grew up in the shadow of the Boston Garden and FleetCenter/TD Garden dreaming of being a Boston Bruin, so he will exert the utmost effort to be a player even with the physical limitations. A respected and popular teammate.
Weaknesses: Size. When going to Ann Arbor from Belmont Hill two years ago, Grzelcyk weighed about 150 pounds, so he's added about 20 pounds of muscle since then. He will need to keep working with famous strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle to continue to get as strong as he can, but but will never be someone who can physically match up with the top power forwards in pro hockey.
Projection: Third-pairing two-way character defender and special teamer. "Grizzy" plays a similar style to Andrew Ference, though is not as rugged a player because he did not come out of the WHL the way the veteran Ference did. BU will get an immediate impact from Grzelcyk and he appears destined to wear the 'C' for Jack Parker at some point. This player is living his dream, and brings everything to the table for Boston except size. That said, the argument coming out of the draft that Grzelcyk was drafted several rounds too early, so the pressure is on him to justify the B's faith in him.
8 GP 1 G 7 A 8 PIM
------
I was able to go to the BU/St. Lawrence game last night and focused on watching Matt to see what the Bruins had.
The scouting report seems fairly accurate. Just from watching one game you could tell that Grzelcyk thinks and reacts one step ahead of most of the players he's currently playing with. He has an ability to slow the game down and make plays based on what's about to happen, as opposed to what is currently happening. Doesn't rush with the puck, doesn't seem to make mental mistakes.
His size is obviously a concern, but contrary to the above report - he seemed to play with a bit of grit and anger, routinely mixing it up with the St. Lawrence forwards when the game started getting chippy towards the end.
He definitely reminded me of Ference in his abilities, with a bit more playmaking touch that perhaps Andy has.