Corey Pronman had him No. 70: “Berzkalns is a clear NHL-caliber athlete. He’s a big, strong center with good foot speed and the ability to overpower junior defenders. He has direct skill and can beat opponents one-on-one. He’s not overly creative with the puck, and the way he attacks is basic. His two-way play and effort level are good enough, though, that he could become a useful bottom-six forward/depth player.” Source
Scott Wheeler had him No. 89: “He’s a center who stays around the puck, took a lot of draws for the Lumberjacks this year and featured prominently on their penalty kill. His offensive game is pretty straightforward, but he can take pucks to the net and will find guys off the cycle/from below the dots.” Source
The concern I have with this pick surrounds offensive potential. I would suggest he has the tools to play a shutdown game as a pivot and that has high value. Can he score enough to impact the game at its highest level? I’m always onside with drafting skill and teaching the rest, but it can be done the other way around (Habs used to do it all the time. An intriguing, if not obviously strong, selection.
Fitting choice for a photo LT, presumably highlighting the comparable drafting strategy that led to the Ewanyk pick. Unfortunately very few, so called defensive 3rd line junior players with little offense, ever get the chance to show those skills at the highest level.
Hoping the scouts see something the numbers don’t show and he’s primed to have breakout season at Boston College next year.
I’ll be cheering for him but chances are ol’Rudolf will be playing for the Reindeer in the Arctic league 4yrs from now.
Bruce Curlock loves the pick and so does Steven Ellis who tweeted:
The overuse of size benefit i hope holds up as exceptionally well used trait.
6’4″ is outlier for forwards for very understandable reasons -> most of the successful.version surely have some subset skills above average.
Only so much ice out there. The further away from your body the puck needs to be and the larger the distance the puck needs to transit between two points even in personal posession is surey a factor in a game of less than inches tolerance in many ways.
Overmphasis on “big body” on offense? I’ll take the under on chances if odds given are 1 to 1.
There was a pretty solid crop of higher pre ranked centres still on board there be interestinh 5 years out to see where they all stack up.
Just posterity:
Di Lorio
The athletic reports have him ranked as average everything exceot “hockey sense”….below average.
If whatever that hockey IQ metric qualitatively tries to encompass is even somewhat valid like that isn’t promising at all.
Skating and hockey IQ seem like mandatory higher assets required on bottom 6 ceiling type potential.
A guy that big has had a clear advantage in his favour comimg up.
That’s coke machine in waiting that surely can’t hold up when average size/skill/experience of competetion are all strong enough to ring bell at top of strength test carnival machine.
Welcome Rudolfs!
He doesn’t sound like the kind of player I was hoping they would target (projects as a role player/bottom 6 guy). Have we gone back to the coke machine program?
Ha yeah i just had same fear
Interesting pick. He’s Latvian and as high as 35 but as low as 99 on different lists but big forward that can skate and play has value https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/941638/rudolfs-berzkalns
Was dominant in the faceoff circle during the playoffs (58%) after having a 52% average at mid-season.
He has a concussion history, so this is a concern.
The Oilers had the 52nd pick, trade it, then Philly takes Brek Liske 53 and the Oilers draft a projected bottom 6 forward.. *fart noises*
Philly send Brek Liske to Edmonton in a Nurse trade.. *cope noises*
Agreed, I don’t understand Bowman’s thinking here.
and what does Brek Liske project to be?