Last Friday, TSN’s Craig Button was on TSN 1260 radio in Edmonton, and hosts Jason Gregor and Jason Strudwick asked him a plethora of questions on topics ranging from Carter Savoie’s white-hot start to his NCAA career, what he expects Dylan Holloway to bring to Team Canada at the 2021 World Juniors, as well as who should we be keeping an eye out for at the annual Xmas tournament.
I know that everyone digests their media the best in different manners, so I’d like to give you his quotes via this platform.
What Role Does Button See Dylan Holloway In?
It’ll be important, it doesn’t matter where he plays. He’s going to have an important part of the team and be an important contributor.
Dylan has a lot of skill and he has a lot of power and I see players with power that want to be a skill guy and other players that have a lot of skill and they want to try and be a power player. I think he blends both of things together seamlessly. He can use his skill, he’s a powerful skater, he’s really quick and agile; and then once he uses that skill, because he’s thick and he’s strong and he’s assertive, it’s really hard to knock him away and knock awry from where he wants to go. He’s good on the boards, he’s good in the open ice, he’s good on the forecheck, he’ll get his chances and he can shoot the puck.
The thing I love most about Dylan is that he’s not interested in just going out there and having time go off the clock. He wants to go out there and make a difference.
Could we be seeing the emergence of a more talented version of Shawn Horcoff in the making here? Horcs had one really good season statistically, but for me at least, I saw him as a workhorse that did what was necessary to get the job done. He was also a tremendous leader for those Oilers teams that he captained.
Who to Keep an Eye On At the 2021 World Juniors?
Sweden’s blueline is really good lead by Broberg, Bjornfot, Viktor Soderstrom. They were key players when the Swedish team won the u18. They can skate, they’ve got size, and they’re going to really be able to push it.
Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz, the 4th and 7th overall picks in the NHL draft. They’re big time and they had their debut as 16yr olds at the Hlinka-Gretzky in Edmonton playing as underage players at that tournament. They are both gifted offensively and this will be their 2nd World Junior and they’re going to be really good.
You come across now to the US team. Matt Beniers is going to be a top pick in the draft and he may very well be a front-line player, he may be more of a front-line player and ahead of Alex Turcotte with respect to his impact. And it’s not that Alex isn’t good, Alex is really good, but that tells you how good Beniers is. He very easily could be a top-5, top-3 pick and Turcotte went 5th.
Cole Caufield has been outstanding in college hockey. Matt Boldy‘s been outstanding over at Boston College. That’s a line that they’ve had playing together they’re going to be really really formidable.
The Russians, we know about the goaltender. Do I have to talk about the Hlinka-Gretzky again? That’s where Yaroslav Askarov as an underage had his debut and he’s been terrific in the KHL. He returns.
Podkolzin is going to be a factor.
But this Russian team, the blueline is outstanding. Daniil Chayka is going to be a first-round draft pick. (Shakha) Mukhamadullin is a first-round draft pick to New Jersey. (Yan) Kuznetsov to the Calgary Flames. Mukhamadullin and Chayka are playing regular roles in the KHL. They can skate, they can move, and you’re looking at really good players.
Yan Kuznetsov, Edmonton Oilers fans aren’t going to want to hear this but, he’s another big strong Robyn Reghr-type of defenseman. He might not be as good as Robyn so I’ll call him a lower case Robyn Regehr, but he’s that type of defenseman.
The Russians are going to have scoring, they’re going to have a great blue line and they’ve got an awesome goaltender.
I’d add the following players should be ones to keep an eye on as well, Anton Lundell (FIN), Tim Stutzle (GER), Juraj Slafkovsky (SVK), Marco Rossi (AUS), Simon Knak (SUI), Jan Mysak and Stanislav Svozil (CZE), Jesper Wallstedt (SWE), Marat Khusnutdinov and Semyon Chistyakov (RUS), Spencer Knight and Brendan Brisson (USA), and finally Jack Quinn and Quinton Byfield (CAN).
The tournament should be really good this year! My feeling is that it’s going to be a three-horse race between the Canadians, Americans, and Russians for Gold. But, that being said, with 2020 being as messed up as it’s been, I would not be surprised one bit if a team like the Swedes or Czechs caught fire and upset everyone.
Realistically though, it really is Canada’s gold medal to lose. I just hope all those days in quarantine haven’t had too much of an impact on the players.
Is it too much to ask for a Russia/Canada final?
Button’s Initial Thoughts on Carter Savoie’s Hot Start
I thought he was one of the best goal-scorers in the draft. What I was surprised about was that he was around in the 4th round.
Goal-scoring is such a valuable commodity. To me, I’m going to look at a player like Carter Savoie at every turn. I think he got unfairly maligned and people stopped looking at what he does really well and that’s what he’s doing at Denver.
Will Savoie Leave College in Two Years or Three?
I think he’s a terrific goal-scorer, but I would say, let’s see where he’s at after two years. Let’s see where his development is at and then go from there.
You’re looking now at a player that’s a niche and will have every opportunity if he continues playing at the level that he is and I think he’s capable of playing at. I mean, he very well could be at the World Junior tournament in Edmonton which will be another step for his development.
After two years, where’s he at physically? Where’s he at in his game? Has he dominated? I’m a big believer, don’t leave school until you’ve really mastered that level of play. If he’s there in two years, then you can have that discussion.
What Does He Have to Work On?
There’s two things that I think Carter (has to work on). Number one, when you’re such a prolific scorer coming up through all of the age groups and everything, you know that there is a lot of forgiveness with respect to ‘you know if I don’t score this shift or I’m gonna get the puck again. I’m not too worried about it’. Just that consistent focus and intensity and being a dangerous player shift-to-shift-to-shift.
The other thing, he’s learning that at the college level the players are bigger, they’re stronger, it’s a little bit harder to get where he needs to get to. So just understanding, don’t get yourself unnecessarily tied up, make sure that you understand where you’re going on the ice, and don’t get yourself contained unnecessarily. As a goal-scorer, you want to be open and you want to be free to get the puck and get onto rebounds.
Some have been comparing Savoie to former AJHL, NCAA, and WHL standout Mike Comrie.
Now, I remember Comrie from his performances at the Viking Cup in my hometown WAY back in the day. I think the 1998 tourney when he starred for the AJHL All-Stars with Fernando Pisani. He was so far ahead of everyone from a scoring POV that every time he hit the ice he was producing scoring chances left and right.
Fun Fact: Current Oilers head coach Dave Tippet played in the very first Viking Cup back in ’81 for the Prince Albert Raiders of the SJHL. His team finished 2nd.
So if Savoie is Comrie v2.0, then the Oilers have a fabulously gifted player on their hands. I would caution young Carter to avoid the route Comrie took and that is to become a scrapper in the NHL’s lightweight division when the scoring slows down.
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