Thursday, June 17, 2010

Mark Pysyk / RD / Edmonton WHL

Mark Pysyk / Edmonton Oil Kings WHL

D-R / 6-1.25, 174 / 11-Jan-92

Skating: 65 / Skill: 60 / Sense: 45 / Compete: 35 / Toughness: 35

Strengths: Tremendous first pass ability. Good (but a bit overrated) skater. Good hands

Weaknesses: Soft. Lacks natural instincts. Plays with no passion or intensity.

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I can see why some like this guy - his skating and puck moving are first round ingredients. But I just can't get over the soft play and inability to put the package of skills to productive use.

Quick feet, good agility, and good pivots. Stride looks a little short at times, however. Very good overall skater, but nowhere near the elite level some describe him as.

His first pass ability is fantastic, as he has a seriously good knack for making a nice breakout pass. But everything else he does with the puck leaves me scratching my head. Does not seem to make real good decisions inside the offensive zone. I see good hands and puck handling skill, but it just never seems to amount to much of anything offensively.

Defensively I don't much care for his game. His skating allows him to position well, but he just doesn't seem to have a lot of interest in the game from his own end. Does not win many physical battles and almost never initiates contact. Just seems to be going through the motions out there - and that's always a major concern for me.

Summary: I just can't get on board with this guy. He's going to go way higher than I'd ever consider taking him. To me, he's either Steve McCarthy or a soft version of Eric Doyle. Almost a "no interest" guy for me, but I suppose I'd grab him if he somehow slid to the 3rd or 4th. But that's not going to happen.

Draft Day: I guess there seems to be consensus on this guy going in the first, but I might be the only one who won't raise an eyebrow if he slides past pick 30.

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