Shantz My Pants
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Stepping into the NHL as a 19 year old and having a somewhat big role on the team is quite difficult. Being expected to fill the shoes of one of the best puck moving defensemen in the league the very next season is another daunting task. Yet, Nick Leddy hasn’t backed down from those challenges put in front of him. While he’s made his mistakes like most young skaters do, he hasn’t let those discourage him and has proven that he’s coming along quite well as a puck moving NHL defensemen.
To back track a bit, there are many folks that don’t quite understand the road Leddy took to the NHL. Leddy was drafted by the Minnesota Wild straight out of the Minnesota High School Hockey league in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft. While the Minnesota High School league is one of the best leagues in the US for high school aged players, it is still not quite like playing Major Junior hockey in Canada. Leddy though, who was had offers to play for the National Development team, had such a great senior year he was named “Mr. Hockey”, the most prestigious award you can get in Minnesota hockey (considering they’ve never won the cup). After his senior season Leddy headed to the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers. After one season in the NCAA Leddy stepped right into the NHL and into the Hawks line up. Read that again if you have to for full effect. He went from playing against the best HS kids in Minnesota, to the best college aged skaters in the US to straight in the NHL all within 3 years. That feat in itself is pretty damn impressive.
The main thing to take away from the paragraph above is Leddy is still only 21 years old. He’s played 2 full seasons (his first season was split in the AHL and NHL) of pro hockey. How he has progressed and where he is currently at is phenomenal. Leddy is patient with the puck, something most young players struggle with. His vision and hockey sense are very high and he has one of the smoothest strides on the Hawks. He reads plays well and, while he still has a lot of work to do, his positioning and in zone play has improved with each game. The best part of his game is obviously his ability to move the puck and start the fast break out of the defensive zone. Don’t forget that he also scored 37 points last season, more than Seabrook and just as much as Bolland. While his shot from the point is nothing to brag about, he does get it off quick and on net. Defensively he’s even starting to put his body into attacking forwards while taking away their time and space during rushes. While I’m not a fan of him on the PK, it’s only a matter of time before Q hands him the keys to be the main player on the point during the power play.
For the 2012-2013 season, I see Leddy taking another major step and getting a larger role on the power play. I also see him becoming much better in his in defensive decision making. He has the skating ability to play in the league, now it’s just getting the mental game on the same page. I would assume he’s going to play on the 2nd pairing whether it is with Oduya or Hammer (if he’s still on the Hawks). The floor is very high for Leddy and I’m quite excited to watch him keep progressing towards the finished product.
PREDICTION: 82 GAMES / 5 GOALS / 40 ASSISTS / 45 POINTS / MINUS-3
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To back track a bit, there are many folks that don’t quite understand the road Leddy took to the NHL. Leddy was drafted by the Minnesota Wild straight out of the Minnesota High School Hockey league in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft. While the Minnesota High School league is one of the best leagues in the US for high school aged players, it is still not quite like playing Major Junior hockey in Canada. Leddy though, who was had offers to play for the National Development team, had such a great senior year he was named “Mr. Hockey”, the most prestigious award you can get in Minnesota hockey (considering they’ve never won the cup). After his senior season Leddy headed to the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers. After one season in the NCAA Leddy stepped right into the NHL and into the Hawks line up. Read that again if you have to for full effect. He went from playing against the best HS kids in Minnesota, to the best college aged skaters in the US to straight in the NHL all within 3 years. That feat in itself is pretty damn impressive.
The main thing to take away from the paragraph above is Leddy is still only 21 years old. He’s played 2 full seasons (his first season was split in the AHL and NHL) of pro hockey. How he has progressed and where he is currently at is phenomenal. Leddy is patient with the puck, something most young players struggle with. His vision and hockey sense are very high and he has one of the smoothest strides on the Hawks. He reads plays well and, while he still has a lot of work to do, his positioning and in zone play has improved with each game. The best part of his game is obviously his ability to move the puck and start the fast break out of the defensive zone. Don’t forget that he also scored 37 points last season, more than Seabrook and just as much as Bolland. While his shot from the point is nothing to brag about, he does get it off quick and on net. Defensively he’s even starting to put his body into attacking forwards while taking away their time and space during rushes. While I’m not a fan of him on the PK, it’s only a matter of time before Q hands him the keys to be the main player on the point during the power play.
For the 2012-2013 season, I see Leddy taking another major step and getting a larger role on the power play. I also see him becoming much better in his in defensive decision making. He has the skating ability to play in the league, now it’s just getting the mental game on the same page. I would assume he’s going to play on the 2nd pairing whether it is with Oduya or Hammer (if he’s still on the Hawks). The floor is very high for Leddy and I’m quite excited to watch him keep progressing towards the finished product.
PREDICTION: 82 GAMES / 5 GOALS / 40 ASSISTS / 45 POINTS / MINUS-3
Click here to view the article