King, who has dealt with both players throughout the past season, is even writing on a book on the Windsor Spitfires. King gave me his take on both Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall, the top two prospects in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft next Friday in Los Angeles and one of whom the Bruins will draft with the second overall pick. Saturday, we look at Seguin, the center for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL, and Sunday we’ll profile Hall.
Seguin was actually ranked higher on the final Central Scouting Bureau rankings than Hall, and some will tell you his game is “smarter” and “more mature” than Hall. In terms of being NHL-ready, though, both will be able to jump into whatever lineup they're drafted into.
The question then becomes: Where would Seguin, a center, jump into the Bruins lineup?
As we have pointed out before, the center position is the Bruins' deepest, so chances are unless they trade away another center, Seguin would be asked to switch to wing. But even if that’s the case, the Bruins would be getting one heck of a player in this 18-year-old who had 48 goals and 58 assists for 106 points with the Whalers this past season and was named the OHL Player of the Year.
Seguin has blazing speed and a versatile game that allows him to play both the power play and penalty kill. He won’t shy away from physical play and is very difficult to knock off the puck.
Here’s King’s take on Seguin’s strengths, weaknesses and personality.
Strengths
His hockey sense is incredible. He knows the game as good as anybody in this draft class. He doesn’t have the same flashy, explosive speed as Hall does, but he’s a very honest player that will score and get points and he’s more of a 30-goal, 50-assist type guy. He has leadership qualities and is very well-liked by his teammates. He’s the total package.
Weaknesses
It's a little hard to find any weakness, but he needs to work on his faceoff technique. Another area he needs to work on, contrary to Hall, is that he may fear hard-hitting gameplay. In some instances he can be a bit shy to get physically involved in the play. It’s almost like he needs to take a big hit to realize that he can play a physical game and withstand a huge hit or some of the pressure he’s getting because he is in good shape and able to take those hits. He just needs he can be a guy who takes those hits and can bounce back.
Personality
Let me put it this way: If the media were picking the first overall pick based on the charisma and the answers that they get for their questions, there is no doubt it would be Tyler Seguin at No. 1. He basically has the media eating out of the palm of his hand every time he talks. He gives you answers that you’re not expecting and really is impressive on his toes. He’s polished and can answer questions before you ask them, a very charismatic individual.
