FanPost

Totally ridiculous and biased analysis of our two first rounders

It's pronounced "Dal Coal." Got it? - Bruce Bennett

Two things I do whenever we draft/sign a player.

1) Check out youtube highlights

2) Look for funny .gifs.

There are plenty of the first but not many of the latter for Dal Colle and Ho-Sang the two newest Islanders prospects. Dal Colle's scouted as a can't miss prospect probably slated to play in juniors next year and Ho-Sang a talented but risky pick who probably needs 1-3 years of marination to mature his game.

I'm going to give a quick and totally biased view of these players with some help of those who actually know what they are doing.

First up is Michael Dal Colle:

Skills as ranked by Pronman's top 10 (ranking 1-10 within this draft class):

Skating: 10th
Hockey IQ: 7th
Playmaking: 6th
Shot: 5th

General Analysis (Pronman - ESPN)
"Puck possessor" is the common word thrown around when scouts discuss Dal Colle. His puck skills and instincts make him a force when he's on the ice, but what makes him a top-end prospect is the size he brings to the table. In terms of pure offense, he's right in the same category as Reinhart and Bennett. He'll have some good moments in the defensive zone but could stand to work on his positioning. He could also stand to be less bashful in corner play.
"Team Fit" Analysis (Provenzano - ESPN)
Dal Colle was the first winger selected in the 2014 draft and he fell to a team that desperately needs some higher-end-scoring pop to go alongside franchise player John Tavares. This will at least take some of the sting out the Isle's disastrous bet on acquiring Thomas Vanek, unless, of course, they can't get back on track in 2014-15 and have their horse in the Connor McDavid/Jack Eichel sweepstakes ridden by Buffalo.

Totally fun and exciting highlight reel which may or may not reflect actual play:

Things I take from said video:

Nice shot, nice pass. Sounds obvious but those are good tools to have together makes you tough to defend. Seems to have good sense as to where to be. A lot of these plays look like NHL plays where Dal Colle is working set plays and positioning contrary to Ho-Sang's video below where he is certainly flashier. Being able to succeed in a team concept AND have the skills to create out of nowhere is what gets you into Dal Colle's draft position deservedly so. Plays like a true winger (duh Bleu) which doesn't sound like much but is a super super organizational need. Seems to have that patience and poise that can pay dividends for a possession game.

Next up Josh Ho-Sang:

Skills as ranked by Pronman's top 10 (ranking 1-10 within this draft class):

Skating: 2nd
Puck Skills: 7th

General Analysis (Pronman - ESPN):
He's one of the best skaters in the draft; his first few steps and overall stride are high-end, and his top speed is elite. Ho-Sang is also a high-end -- if not better -- puck handler. This combination allows him to be a dynamic player who can create scoring chances out of nothing. However, Ho-Sang can struggle with his decision-making at times with the puck, frequently turning it over or losing the opportunity by trying to do too much.
"Team Fit" Analysis (Provenzano - ESPN):
Give credit where credit is due: The Islanders had a good opening day at the draft. With Dal Colle already in the fold, they paid the additional ante of two second-round picks and gambled on the biggest question mark in Round 1. If I'm the Islanders, giving up the 35th and 57th picks to get the talented Ho-Sang is a bet I would make all day long, particularly with a safer first-rounder already in the fold.

Totally fun and exciting highlight reel which may or may not reflect actual play:

Things I take from said video:

Good play in traffic. Seems to be effective at taking the puck from low scoring areas (behind the net, along the boards, etc) and moving it to where it needs to go. Actually seems to have good Hockey IQ here as he frequently puts himself in places to receive passes. Ridiculous hands. Hard to tell from video but some of those shots look barely NHL average from outside. While he seems effective in traffic he sure does take the puck there a lot. Will translate to takeaways fairly often in the NHL. Certainly seems to have plus passing. A lot has been said about his speed and his first step but hoooooooly shit can he stop on a dime. Going from 50 to 0 in the NHL is every bit as good as going from 0 to 50; good lateral movement as well.

Please keep in mind highlight videos are just that. You're not going to get a great feel for deficiencies in a players game by watching them and that's why I included the analysis from ESPN. I wanted to also point out that there is more to Ho-Sang dropping than just the personality stuff. There are holes in his game. He surely dropped some because of the "toronto-sun" stuff, but he wouldn't have gone top-10 even without them likely. That being said you can see the talent in that video. He can dangle. He can make smart plays. He can make something out of nothing. That's what you want in a high risk player. We throw around the term "high reward" all the time but this is the real deal. Its what is going to make him probably talked about around here a bit more than Dal Colle who is more of a sure thing (as sure as any prospect can be I suppose). Dal Colle is toolsy, smart, and a bit more complete. This was a fun draft for Islanders even though it lacked any trades for roster players.

Please leave your thoughts below and any analysis you may find away from ESPN. I cheated with my insider account because I'm lazy :).

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