The final Canadian team to be reviewed.
1. Adam Ruzicka - Sudbury Wolves
I thought Ruzicka had a pretty good season, splitting time between Sarnia and Sudbury. In particular his play with Sudbury was the best that I have seen him in the OHL, as he looked to have an extra step in his stride as he helped the Wolves make a strong playoff push. In Sudbury, his play away from the puck looked way more inspired and his consistency in all three zones was significantly better. This was always something that he had struggled with, so playing with a little more intensity was great to see from him. He really seemed to feed off of Shane Bulitka's energy, a consistent linemate who has one of the bigger motors in the OHL. Moving forward, it's about continuing to progress at the AHL level next year. Continuing to find a way; continuing to find the drive to be a factor even when the puck is not on his stick. He needs to use that size below the hash marks to work the cycle and he needs to drive the net and open up space for his linemates. He's not going to be able to rely solely on his size to get the job done, so continuing to improve his skating and ability to handle the puck and make quicker decisions will also be critical. I would love to see Ruzicka in the 15/15 range in his first pro season, earning a regular shift and hopefully some special teams play. Moving forward, he is probably a few years away from being a potential middle six forward for the Flames.
No comments:
Post a Comment