Aaron Ekblad

[Gramps]

Aaron Ekblad seems to be having a great start to his season (11 points in 14 games) but I still don't know much about him. I am kind of surprised at the lack of attention he gets considering he was given exceptional status last year. Can someone with enlighten me?

[hockeynerd]

Hes got good size and if you didn't know his age you would think hes older then he is. He plays like he has been in the ohl for 3 years already. Hes a great skater and plays well defensively and offensively. In my opinion he reads the ice really well and is great at reading plays. He should be getting more coverage but i guess being in Barrie has something to do with it. I look forward to seeing him in the NHL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p90zlbYeiLY

[hockeynerd]

By the way i never made that video, just found on youtube and thought you would want to see it.

[robmyatt]

I can't give a lot of info on his upside, but he looks like he's been a full grown man all his life and should probably by pass that "growing into my body" stage that many large framed hockey players struggle with.

I seen him play a few weeks ago in Oshawa and he is incredibly sturdy on his feet. Large players 2-3 years older than him were running at him and they just bounce off of him. He also took 2 penalties in the game and seemed to have a bit of a temper. Could translate into a decent PIM production down the line. I also noticed he got into shooting lanes often and used his size to block shots.

[dyzfunctioned]

Haven't seen much of this guy but I'm sure he'll be a good one.

One comparison I've heard is a stronger version of Pietrangelo... ie: Equivalent hockey sense, good skating, etc. but much more physical.

[robmyatt]

Had an assist tonight and now has a 12 game pt streak going. Longest active streak in OHL.