Photo Credit: Brian Liesse / Seattle Thunderbirds
Every season, there are always noted prospects you tend to root for. A few select kids that show incredible potential, but still have that missing link to their game; a hindrance to their potential ceilings as pro-hockey players as you will.
My intention here is to identify those missing links and to provide insight on what it will take for each prospect to expand on their skills to reach that next level.
I introduce you to my “On The Cusp” series to kick off my 2020/21 season coverage!
First prospect off the block: Thunderbirds’ Star, Conner Roulette.
Roulette had a pretty successful season on what was a starved team offensively. The then 16-year old winger had 39 points in 54 games which was good enough for fourth in the WHL amongst guys a year out from first year eligibility. Sitting behind only Guenther, Sillinger and Stankoven; good company to be in for sure. Roulette was heavily involved in his team’s even strength goals in 2019-20, a promising sign of things to come for the 2020/21 season. Accounting for a tick over 26 percent of total point involvement and aiding in 72 percent of even strength goals when on ice, the base for Roulette at least statistically is there. However, some of what does work against his peers simply is not translatable at a professional level.
There are some hurdles to clear for Conner, but I’m a big believer in him. He’s always succeeded throughout his age groups and found ways to adapt, something that carries solid weight for me when viewing a prospect.
With Roulette, you see the obvious offensive mindset and ability in small doses to be a dominant force on the ice.
The frustration however, is a noticeable lack of fluidity to his transition game which does contribute to a lack of productivity. This is due to one main factor that I feel will be key to unlock another level to his game; layering and his lack of decisiveness when on the puck.
What exactly is layering? Am I talking onions or cakes? Negative. But cake dooooes sound pretty good right about now. Red Velvet anyone?
Layering in my hockey terminology is the ability to find space behind opposing players and advance the puck through lines of defence and in order to find space and advance zones. Some may word it differently to me, but it’s still the same premise. Roulette has an inconsistency in his layering ability, something which is very hard to negate or ignore at the next level. He has fantastic flashes one game and not so many good moments the next. Roulette is a confidence player that isn’t heavily reliant on skill alone; skill advancement will see him go along way, trust me.
Contributing deficits include:
- Puck positioning/puck discipline
- Skating explosiveness
Which leads to:
- Lack of decisiveness
Each example that I will show has a variance of each deficiency as noted above. Also, I will explain how maturation and skill improvements will help offset these issues as Roulette develops.
Opportunities To Grow
Example #1: Attempted Entry
As you can see in the short clip provided, Roulette is thwarted by Conner McDonald who takes the puck off of his stick with ease and undercuts him to the puck afterward. Roulette is riding solo on this entry, but the positive plays to make are to find that extra layer by getting behind McDonald and finding a way to carve to the net or retain the puck in order to allow for a second wave of attack to eventuate.
All deficits play a role in this negative play. How can this be corrected?
Looking at the puck positioning, Roulette is really dangling the carrot for McDonald. Carrying the puck tighter to your body and implementing subtle puck deception with body or blade won’t allow the puck to be telegraphed and stripped away as easily.
As we can see in the picture above; if there were more bite to Roulette’s stride, there are lanes in which are available to attack against a back-skating, mostly flat-footed defender. A strong purposeful stride into either lane dictates the play and forces the defender to turn and engage. A dump-in or bank off the boards into space behind the defender and an exerted effort to retrieve is a viable option too.
Roulette has good edges and good lateral movements, but lacks that explosiveness in his first strides and general pace over the ice. Heavy toe work and happy feet take the place of linear crossovers, restricting him in the speed and acceleration department. A big part of what he doesn’t do well skating wise is I believe a lack of confidence bred from his skill-set. I’d still like to see the intent and purpose but it doesn’t happen nearly enough. Avoiding the issue instead of solving it on the fly is hard to overcome later on in your career when up against better competition. It is hard to conquer weaknesses if you play to them rather than forcing yourself to overcome them, which can be corrected at this age and stage of development.
All in all he, the net result in a very nothing play. Roulette doesn’t approach McDonald with any clear plan nor speed or angle. Roulette takes a few subtle strides with what appears to be an attempt to react as to what McDonald MAY DO and ends up in a stalemate with himself.
When McDonald makes contact with the puck Roulette is square on, skating in a linear path right into the Kelowna defenders’ wheelhouse.
Considering the space he had initially upon entry, I deem it as a missed opportunity to force the issue. You don’t need to score on this play, just got to be smarter.
Example #2: Quick Thinking
Bit of a bang-bang play, but again the lack of puck protection and pace hurts Roulette here, as well as some awareness.
The puck gets away from Roulette within the first couple of strides and he ends up in Everett defender Christiansen’s lap. Also, the puck is always on the backhand side and that removes any chance of a quick direction change towards the space along the boards.
As the play unfolds, you can see the space that opens up for Roulette around the dot after he’s lost possession. #12 Rybinski and #9 Jeri-Leon are making positive motions deeper into the zone and would be good disruptions/options around the net front as the play would go on.
If Roulette is able to gather the puck and get to the outside shoulder of the defender, I see a great opportunity for a dangerous pass filtered through to the slot with net front attackers.
Example #3: Forcing Too Much
Here is another example of how Roulette can build on his layering efficiency. A perfect option arises to slide a pass behind the defence into the path of #12 Rybinksi, who is goal-side of his direct opponent.
The shot is made difficult here due to the location of both Roulette and the defence and the pace of play. The play breaks down due to Roulette’s indecision and something that isn’t often spoken about enough, eye discipline.
As he cuts inside the sole focus is on the puck location as he prepares to shoot. The sliding defender is out of his peripheral vision and the play becomes a bust as the puck gets separated. At no stage is the saucer pass or a little dink pass off the table or ice you could say. Again, the eyes give away his intentions as he disregards surveying and locating Rybinski and the defenders.
Pictures below show the passing option and the availability in two stages. Green circle is Roulette, Red circle is the open passing space.
In both images you can clearly see the path #12 Rybinski is taking is both direct and advantageous. If Roulette were to draw his direct opponent closer towards him at the blue-line, the passing seam would be even more apparent and would allow for more time and space for Rybinksi to work with if he were to receive the puck. Worthy to note also, more pace to beat the defender north/south would open up a more traditional cross-ice pass to the net front.
The Positives
Here is Roulette with a successful entry, resulting in the ultimate prize. Not too dissimilar to the last, however he does have the advantage of carrying the puck a little longer which allows a gradual build up of added speed. He does wait for the defender to make his move again, but this time Roulette is able to be a split second quicker and cut inside and drive to the net and score. Roulette has great hands when around the net and has great touch on his passes, so I’m optimistic he can improve on his one-on-one aspects in that regard.
Another example of a stellar play by Roulette:
He is able skate the puck out, beat the defender with a nifty little move to the wall and advance the puck into the offensive zone. He freezes it long enough for support to arrive and makes a solid cross-ice pass to a trailing #19 Payton Mount who gets a shot on net.
Promising Ability
The acumen to process what is around him and make confident plays when in space or down low is very tantalising, for Roulette though, it’s about being able to make that space and get to those spots on a more regular basis.
He works tirelessly in the cycle and can dangle on a dime in tight spaces, making for a fun on-ice product at times. Roulette is competent at reading the play in his own and often displays fluency in initating the rush; the parts to improve are there.
Outlook
Multiple occurrences show that he’s capable of finding consistency layering in transition, it’s just a matter of gaining that extra step and adding some more deceptiveness to boost that confidence. Roulette plays to the pace that the defence and ultimately himself allows, finding ways to create more angles upon on his entries with varied speeds will see more room to get his great shot off and open up space for his linemates.
With so much time off due to Covid, Roulette is one of the candidates to benefit GREATLY. The more time watching film and working on technical aspects, the better the outcome for season 2020/21 should be for the young Seattle star.
Conner Roulette is my 39th ranked prospect for the 2021 NHL Draft (November Ranking)