Skates well for a big guy with a long fluid stride. Does not have blazing speed but gets to where he needs to be in good time. Playmaking ability is outstanding as he has great vision and offensive creativity. Has an underrated shot that is getting better which should see him become more of a dual offensive threat. Willing to take a hit and throw them as well. Battles along the wall and uses his long reach to protect the puck or dig it out. You can see his smarts and hockey sense with the way he approaches each situation on the ice and quickly dissects what to do. The sky is the limit for the big centre if his development trajectory continues as it did this season. Needs to add considerable strength especially to his legs which look like toothpicks when he lengthens out his stride. Needs to continue to round out his game as all his abilities are still rather raw at this point. Is also a bit of an unknown commodity as you hope this past season is just the beginning of his development and not his peak. Still catching up to his growth rate as he has looked uncoordinated at times on the ice. (May 2010)