A smooth-skating, slick puck-handling forward with elite offensive instincts. Whether it’s at centre or on the wing, there’s little doubt that he’ll be an impact player at the NHL level. Most experts have him pegged as the second best player in this draft class and there are some that think the gap between him and Alexis Lafreniere may not be as big as you think.
Or…
A one-of-kind 6’5 centre with high-end potential. Prospects like this just don’t come along very often. Great hands, an explosive stride and a sky-high ceiling. While there are parts of his game that still need work before he’s NHL-ready, it’s crazy to think just how good he might be in a couple years.
Tim Stützle or Quinton Byfield.
Baring some sort of draft day surprise, one of those two guys will be an Ottawa Senator. They can’t go wrong. And because they sit 3rd overall, they may not have a choice.
Yet the debate rages on.
There are days when I think Quinton Byfield would be a better fit. Sure there might be a little more risk and yea, we might have to be patient with him but if he gets anywhere near his ceiling, the Senators will have a game-changer on their hands. And because there’s no doubt about what position he plays, Ottawa would be confident that he can fill the hole at first line centre.
And then 20 seconds into a Tim Stützle highlight reel, I find myself starting to waiver a little bit. The skills are already there. He’s a sure thing. He could be a game-changer for the Senators as early as next season.
They really, really can’t go wrong.
This morning, Tim Stützle made an early-morning appearance on TSN1200. A few things that jumped out from the interview.
In terms of his strengths, Stützle mentions skating, puck handling and hockey IQ. All things that are pretty obvious when watching his highlight reel but I like that he sees it the same way. He also mentions that he has a tendency to be more of a play-maker.
When asked about whether he is more comfortable at wing or centre, he was pretty quick to say either option works for him although he did add that it may take a couple years before he’s comfortable playing centre at the NHL level. So, he can play centre and he has in the past but it really did sound like he’s a little more comfortable on the wing.
Maybe most importantly, this is a guy that is putting in the work during this downtime to get bigger and stronger. He seems to understand the need to focus on that part of his game and it really does sound like he’s using all this down time to put in the work.
You can listen to the full interview here (starts around the 6 minute mark).
Just seems like a smart, confident and personable kid that understands his strengths and that knows he has to put in the work to make it at the NHL level.
Today, today I think I prefer Timmy Stützle.
Ask me again tomorrow.
