Most of the top NHL prospects weren't drafted because they had the word "two-way" appear frequently on their scouting report. The likes of Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon aren't elite-level youngsters because they backcheck and win 60 percent of their faceoffs.
No, they're elite-level youngsters because they are capable of taking over the game in the offensive zone on any given shift. They can score goals in bunches and have a tendency to make defensemen look silly.
Having a team full of make-ya'-miss young guns doesn't equal success in the NHL though—just ask the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning about that.
Successful squads have a good mix of electrifying offensive talents and two-way guys. While these groups aren't mutually exclusive, and players can eventually be developed into Pavel Datsyuks and Loui Erikssons, it takes years of practice and hard work for a young player to turn into a Selke candidate.
There must be an innate understanding of how the game works in all three zones before a player can develop into a top two-way player in the NHL, and there are several prospects that come to mind when thinking ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Franklin Steele
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September 3rd, 2013 by Franklin Steele Leave a reply »
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