This post is going to be really short. It's mostly here to archive my appearance on Locked on Sharks more than anything else. I wanted to highlight two plays from a game though to kind of go with what I talked about in the video above. Dragicevic's mind for reversing play and getting the puck to an open man is so far advanced for a defenseman right now.
Play 1:
Dragicevic is at the top of the screen in white in the right defense position. Watch how he gets this puck, and has two passing options immediately available. There's a player skating back into the zone, halfway between the lines, and another player just visible at the top of the screen. Dragicevic however recognizes the flow of play, with two Prince George players in the area who would immediately be able to challenge the puck carrier if he passed to them. So, he holds. He waits, and he draws in the attacker enough to launch a cross ice pass perfectly on the tape of an uncovered man. Excellent understanding of the flow of players, and reversing the play to break out. Here's another.
Play 2:
Dragicevic is #2 in white here. He recognizes the play is breaking down, so he intercepts the stretch pass after leaving the offensive zone. Now his body is facing the benches, as is essentially 7 other players on the ice. Everyone has overloaded that side. So instead of trying to deke around two players, or backing up into the zone, or trying to land a pass through traffic, he immediately reverses. He spins, anticipating the weakside option. Then in perfect form, he hits him on the tape in a split second. Excellent play recognition, reversal of play, turning nothing into something, and capped off with simply superb passing skill. This play is so Dragicevic I think I'll end the article here.
Thanks for watching/reading!
-HWH
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