Chunk, I agree Lev has never really shown an above average IQ to me and that’s going back to watching him in the USHL and NCAA and that continues in pro. He ain’t a goof 3 times a game brain fart guy but he’s average IQ to me, although I’d say he has solid IQ in the 1/2 court Ozone game. …. And I was alerted to watch this kid from Belarus in the preseason of his first USHL season. Guys who collected a paycheck from the USHL were high on him. I didn’t quite get it the first couple times seeing him that yr but it didn’t take long to think his excellent size/skill traits that are difference making. ….. To me it would always be how far his between the ears game developed cuz this kid ain’t only really big, can really skate, has real skill in his hands and as hard as it is sometimes to see athleticism in hockey players, especially compared to other sports, you can see it with Artie.
It might have even been while he was at Michigan St that I thought at worst Artie would be a Ristoleinen. His floor. Big, rangy, athletic Dman with offensive chops but it’s between the ears that limits him. IMO Risto is a very useful player but reading a lotta Meltzer and even when he was with BUFF the fancy stat folks did not like him……. Again, Risto is a pretty useful player but it’s fair to hope the 2nd overall will be better than that.
I love Arty. I think his game and skills are awesome. I also think he is almost purely a read and react type player. I don’t think he really tries to “see” a play to be made or set anything up. I think (on offense) he just starts doing something, sees what the defense does against him and reacts to counter it.
Similarly on defense, I don’t think he’s trying to read what play the opponents are trying to set up, I think he just says to himself, I’m going to try and completely neutralize the puck carrier, and that should help my team get the puck back.
My guess is that Blashill & Co. will try to get him to be more predictable for his teammates, but that’s probably going to be the max. If I had to guess, he’ll be closer to Burns than Risto, but time will certainly tell.
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Chunk, IMO every sport and position is reads. Some more so than others and other than a goalie a Dman has the most reads per game. It’s a really tough position to play especially for young players and especially if they’re not properly developed….. Rinzel’s reads in the USHL were get the puck, skate the puck up and too many times skated into a cul-du-sac into a corner with no options. His reads were to challenge 90% of the outs and get caught flat footed at the attack blueline and an odd man againsts would follow….. Those were bad reads which you can see he learned from. … His reads improved showing the IQ to do so.
Bedard’s reads were I can pass my bench into the Ozone with and without the puck 1:20 into my shift and impact the game. He sure did with odd man against over and over and over and over. Doesn’t do that much anymore. Would try and beat a Dman 1 on 1 wide and lost possession over and over and over. He learned he doesn’t have the step or moxie, yet, to beat NHL Dmen 1 on 1 so we see him check up and at least lose possession later.
Artie’s reads at the attack blueline leads to multiple odd man’s against per game. Artie’s reads in the Dzone 1/2 court as we can all see need work and are average at best, were that way in the USHL but IMO better in the NCAA…… But, get that horse rolling on the rush and if has good reads on that sequence that kid is a problem.
I loved Kaiser a couple shifts into seeing him in the USHL after finishing all 4 yrs in MN HS hockey cuz of his reads, and not only that his reads are good but really quick (processing) and he acts on them even quicker. ….. To me IQ and reads are the same thing for the most part and I use them interchangeably as I think about it to post….. Love love love Guttman’s reads. Gun to my head he had the highest IQ in the system. Can’t watch that kid play, all the way back to USHL Dubuque, and not say atta boy 17 times a game. Uncanny how often and how many of his reads reads are near perfect….. He’s just so physically limited it’s hard for him to be effective.
No matter whatever happens to Nazar I missed big time on him and I watched his 2 yrs at The Program, live. O sure kid could skate all day long, put up pts with just above average hands (finishing hands) but what the reads/IQ he showed in the Bigs last yr blew me away. He didn’t show that in the NCAA, not close. …. I wondered is he the poster child for those who proclaim some guys are better in the NHL than in college or ever jrs? Kinda player who is so sound he needs others like him to hit his ceiling, that the chaotic nature of anything below the NHL can be dominated by pure skill but much tougher to dominate for guys with real cerebral skill. I think Nazar profiles this way and I never saw it coming… Maybe Bedard does too but I haven’t seen that.
Watch the Buium kid outa MN. IQ/reads bursting out every pore and this dude can skate.
Hawks are young, man. All of KD’s draft picks are so young I don’t feel comfortable talking in absolutes about any of them but it’s fair to evaluate and prognosticate. …..