Cozens takes aim at WJC repeat, Sabres roster spot and a moose

[Ducky]

13 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

Cozens had the goal and an apple. 
 

Barely heard Quinn’s name at all, and Lafreniere was a ghost. 

Rangers haven't released Laf.

Drysdale, Perfetti and Mercer all had strong games as well.

[Ducky]

https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/button-s-world-junior-player-profile-cozens-is-a-catalyst-soul-of-the-team~2081504

 

[bunomatic]

4 hours ago, Ducky said:

https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/button-s-world-junior-player-profile-cozens-is-a-catalyst-soul-of-the-team~2081504

 

Wowza. Couldn’t get that to work at all. Thanks anyways Ducky. Title tells me all I need to know. Love this kid.

[LGR4GM]

Cozens... woo boy. He's a force. 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Cozens... woo boy. He's a force. 

Told ya. Told ya all. 

mark my words again, within 2-3 years he will be our best player behind Jack and Dahlin (or maybe one more if Hall is still here).

[Ducky]

https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/working-on-his-release-cozens-aims-to-emulate-eichel~2079347

 

Dach showed why he plays in the NHL in last night's game.

Pefetti the best forward on the ice after Dach.

[LGR4GM]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Told ya. Told ya all. 

mark my words again, within 2-3 years he will be our best player behind Jack and Dahlin (or maybe one more if Hall is still here).

... most of us thought he was going to be really good. Granted he still needs to prove it in the NHL. 

[Zamboni]

11 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

... most of us thought he was going to be really good. Granted he still needs to prove it in the NHL. 

Exactly. Setting yourself up like a fortune teller when it comes to the topic of Cozens is a strawman at best.

[LGR4GM]

Skim the 2019 draft thread, basically everyone liked the Cozens pick. 

[tom webster]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Skim the 2019 draft thread, basically everyone liked the Cozens pick. 

I remember that most liked him but I vaguely remember some Zegras talk as well.

[dudacek]

5 hours ago, Ducky said:

https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/video/working-on-his-release-cozens-aims-to-emulate-eichel~2079347

 

Dach showed why he plays in the NHL in last night's game.

Pefetti the best forward on the ice after Dach.

I strongly disagree with that. I thought he flashed notable talent with the puck early and he caught my eye.

But his skills didn't go anywhere; they led to possession changes, not scoring chances. And as the game went on he faded.

This is from a guy who is very high on Perfetti.

[LGR4GM]

On 11/22/2020 at 11:13 AM, JohnC said:

Could you and some of the other knowledgeable prospect posters give a comparison between Kirby Dach and Cozens? Are their ceilings in the same range? 

 

On 11/22/2020 at 11:20 AM, dudacek said:

In very basic terms, Cozens plays more of a speed/power game, Dach is a more creative playmaker.

Dach has a higher offensive ceiling.

I don't think Dach has a higher offensive ceiling. Dach is more of a playmaker and Cozens has a better shot but I think Cozens ceiling is higher. Really though we are arguing over the 70pt versus the 75 point guy at this point most likely. Cozens has a directness to his game that will translate well and I think his stick handling has improved. 

Here is a good write-up on Cozens from April, https://thechargingbuffalo.net/2020/04/02/dylan-cozens-2019-20-prospect-report/

Edited November 23, 2020 by LGR4GM

[LGR4GM]

Cozens: https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2019/04/04/dylan-cozens-scouting-report/

Dach: https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2019/04/05/kirby-dach-scouting-report/

[JohnC]

35 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

 

I don't think Dach has a higher offensive ceiling. Dach is more of a playmaker and Cozens has a better shot but I think Cozens ceiling is higher. Really though we are arguing over the 70pt versus the 75 point guy at this point most likely. Cozens has a directness to his game that will translate well and I think his stick handling has improved. 

Here is a good write-up on Cozens from April, https://thechargingbuffalo.net/2020/04/02/dylan-cozens-2019-20-prospect-report/

As I stated in a prior post Cozens's hard driving north/south style of play is a style of play that Krueger favors and is attempting to instill. The contrast in play noted in your link between Cozens and Mitts is evident and stark. Although Cozens is much more advanced as a player/prospect that is not to say that Mitts with a longer time frame can't make it as a player. (However, that is not a given.) And those who are advocating for dealing Cozens for a seasoned veteran who can help us more quickly are misguided. 

[Thorner]

On 11/22/2020 at 10:13 AM, JohnC said:

Could you and some of the other knowledgeable prospect posters give a comparison between Kirby Dach and Cozens? Are their ceilings in the same range? 

It's hard to say but I don't see Cozens being exceeded in terms of utmost-ceiling when comparing the two, considering the strength of his two-way play and how important that is in today's league. 

10 minutes ago, JohnC said:

As I stated in a prior post Cozens's hard driving north/south style of play is a style of play that Krueger favors and is attempting to instill. The contrast in play noted in your link between Cozens and Mitts is evident and stark. Although Cozens is much more advanced as a player/prospect that is not to say that Mitts with a longer time frame can't make it as a player. (However, that is not a given.) And those who are advocating for dealing Cozens for a seasoned veteran who can help us more quickly are misguided. 

While true, judging by the average life-span of coaches, by the time Cozens is in his prime Krueger is probably a distant memory (at least in terms of being behind the bench). That may not be the case and I'm not really disagreeing with anything in your post - perhaps it'll give Cozens a leg up in his early years. 

[Curt]

29 minutes ago, JohnC said:

As I stated in a prior post Cozens's hard driving north/south style of play is a style of play that Krueger favors and is attempting to instill. The contrast in play noted in your link between Cozens and Mitts is evident and stark. Although Cozens is much more advanced as a player/prospect that is not to say that Mitts with a longer time frame can't make it as a player. (However, that is not a given.) And those who are advocating for dealing Cozens for a seasoned veteran who can help us more quickly are misguided. 

Mitts???  Who said anything about Mitts?

I think that Cozens and Dach have reasonably similar upsides.  They play very different styles though.  

While both very big, Cozens is faster.  Cozens has that fast, direct north-south game that others have mentioned.  Dach plays a more patient, puck control style, waiting for openings to create a scoring chance.

Dach is probably a better playmaker, Cozens probably a more dedicated 2-way player.

I think they both could be all star level players.

Edited November 23, 2020 by Curt

[spndnchz]

Thx Chloe!

[JohnC]

30 minutes ago, Curt said:

[b]Mitts???  Who said anything about Mitts?[/b]

I think that Cozens and Dach have reasonably similar upsides.  They play very different styles though.  

While both very big, Cozens is faster.  Cozens has that fast, direct north-south game that others have mentioned.  Dach plays a more patient, puck control style, waiting for openings to create a scoring chance.

Dach is probably a better playmaker, Cozens probably a more dedicated 2-way player.

I think they both could be all star level players.

In one of the links provided by LGR4GM there was a comparison between the two and their different routes as prospects.

I appreciate your analysis on Cozens. It's consistent with the other breakdowns on him. He's a prospect with a lot of expectation for us.  

[JohnC]

35 minutes ago, Curt said:

[b]Mitts???  Who said anything about Mitts?[/b]

I think that Cozens and Dach have reasonably similar upsides.  They play very different styles though.  

While both very big, Cozens is faster.  Cozens has that fast, direct north-south game that others have mentioned.  Dach plays a more patient, puck control style, waiting for openings to create a scoring chance.

Dach is probably a better playmaker, Cozens probably a more dedicated 2-way player.

I think they both could be all star level players.

In one of the links provided by LGR4GM there was a comparison between Cozens and Mitts and their different routes as prospects. 

I appreciate your analysis of Cozens. It is consistent with the other high evaluations of him and his style of play. It's understandable why there is such a high expectation for him. 

[Getpucksdeep]

23 hours ago, bunomatic said:

Wowza. Couldn’t get that to work at all. Thanks anyways Ducky. Title tells me all I need to know. Love this kid.

 

[Thorner]

I think Cozens' playmaking is a bit underrated 

[dudacek]

29 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I think Cozens' playmaking is a bit underrated 

I hope so. Because if it is, it elevates him from potential top six to potential first-liner.

[LGR4GM]

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

I think Cozens' playmaking is a bit underrated 

It is underrated. 

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

I hope so. Because if it is, it elevates him from potential top six to potential first-liner.

I think he definitely has a first line ceiling. If we didn't already have Jack Eichel we'd be hoping Cozens was our future 1C. Not that we'd necessarily believe it to be anything of a certainty, but it's well within the realm of reasonable possibility. 

At wing I'd say it's better than 50/50. It's C that's a bit more difficult. 

To my eye, he's a functionally strong passer. He doesn't dispsy-doodle around and feed bomb passes through multiple sticks often with the perfect sauce, but he's fast and strong and gets himself into positions where, capitalizing on his impressive awareness, he's able to make the straight forward pass that results in quality chances. 

It's a bit like that "stand out skill" debate re: Reinhart. Does the skill need to register impressively, visually? Not necessarily. Cozens' passing doesn't jump out at you but it's Reinhart-strong. I don't mean necessarily as exceptional as Sam's, but potent the same way Sam is, in general: somewhat deceptively. 

Edited November 24, 2020 by Thorny

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

I think he definitely has a first line ceiling. If we didn't already have Jack Eichel we'd be hoping Cozens was our future 1C. Not that we'd necessarily believe it to be anything of a certainty, but it's well within the realm of reasonable possibility. 

At wing I'd say it's better than 50/50. It's C that's a bit more difficult. 

To my eye, he's a functionally strong passer. He doesn't dispsy-doodle around and feed bomb passes through multiple sticks often with the perfect sauce, but he's fast and strong and gets himself into positions where, capitalizing on his impressive awareness, he's able to make the straight forward pass that results in quality chances. 

It's a bit like that "stand out skill" debate re: Reinhart. Does the skill need to register impressively, visually? Not necessarily. Cozens' passing doesn't jump out at you but it's Reinhart-strong. I don't mean necessarily as exceptional as Sam's, but potent the same way Sam is, in general: somewhat deceptively. 

In yesterday's game he made three elite passes: a no-look behind-the-back on the rush, a hesitation to open the lane for a cross-ice dart to set up a PP one-timer, and a 70-foot home-run from the defensive zone up the middle to spring a breakaway.

I didn't think those types of passes were in his repertoire, then three in a dozen shifts against the best of his peer group, showing vision, timing and touch. It was eye-opening.