Giacomin Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 No. I understood. Assuming there's nothing to learn at the lower levels is a mistake. He needs to learn how to be a pro and could learn that in the A with less pressure, but because the Rangers suck he'll likely learn that in the spotlight which is never an easy thing. I guess it is a judgement call, but Pionk isn't an 18 to 22 y/o kid, who is just getting used to being away from his parents and still growing out of his clothes. Pionk spent a few years in the USHL, then a few years at U of Minn, before playing the year at Hartford. I'm not sure what you specifically mean by 'learning to be a pro' when it comes to Pionk. In my judgement he has the maturity, smarts, attitude, work ethic, skating and fundamental skills to be a pro now. What he needs to work on at this point is not something he is going to get enough of in the minors. Playing and making consistently good decisions at NHL speed. Working within an NHL team structure and system. Covering and defending very talented NHL forwards, gap control and when to take offensive chances. Working on these things in the NHL will expedite his development. Besides his shot and shot accuracy, which he can work on anywhere, the other areas require a step-up in competition in order to make more than just marginal improvements. Lastly, as of now he seems to be the only D prospect on the team that is ready to fill a spot and we have massive openings on D. The only vets are Skjei, Staal and Shatty. D'Angelo and Shatty are the only right handers, both coming off injuries. Pionk played 28 NHL games, showed visible improvement during that span and averaged .5 points per. Who else should be in the mix for a roster spot on D? I'm sure you don't want to rush the younger Hajek or even Lindgren, neither have even played a minute in the A. Adding a vet in the off season still leaves 2 openings on D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJWantsTheCup Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Sadly barring any off season acquisitions the d next season would be Skjei, Staal, Smith, Pionk, Shattenkirk and D'Angelo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giacomin Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Sadly barring any off season acquisitions the d next season would be Skjei, Staal, Smith, Pionk, Shattenkirk and D'Angelo. And Smith hasn't earned the right to assume a spot in camp. He has something to prove and has to grab it by the balls. He needs to be in the best shape of his life, demonstrate extensive effort and discipline and ingratiate himself with the new staff. Show me. Until he does that I'm not penciling him in. And I loved Smith's play in the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.