Options At #10, RW Zack Kassian

As long as I have the time to do so, I'd like to look closely at a few different prospects that we could decide to draft at #10. The first is a player that I am intrigued with due to his mix of size, strength, skill, and aggressive nature, Zack Kassian. Let's take a closer look at this prospect.....

RW Zack Kassian
6'3" 205lbs. 1/24/91
Peterborough (OHL) 61gp. 24-39-63 -14 136pim.

Power Play 28 points
13 PPG
8 PP1A
7 PP2A

Even Strength 33 points
9 ESG
1 ESENG
17 ES1A
6 ES2A

Short Handed 2 points
1 SHG
1 SH1A

Penalties Summary

9 Lazy/Speed Related Penalties
2 Interference
1 hooking
3 tripping
2 holding
1 holding the stick

10 Boys Will Be Boys Penalties
3 unsportsmanlikes
2 game misconducts
3 10 minute misconducts
1 diving
1 Illegal stick

5 "Normal" Hockey Penalties
3 high sticking
2 goaltender interference

26 Physical Penalties
5 roughing
12 fighting
1 instigator
2 boarding
1 charging
2 crosschecking
1 elbowing
2 checking to the head

So you can see what makes him an attractive prospect and to a lesser extent what makes him a bit of a wild card. Make no mistake about it, his physical game is a big part of what has him rated so high, however he does have hands as his 1+ PPG average clearly shows. It's a rare feat to be a teams 2nd leading point getter, 2nd leading pts/game guy, 3rd leading goal scorer, and 2nd highest PP goal guy, and lead his team in pim's and pim/game.

Zack Kassian is more than just a goon, he is a solid combination of toughness, skill, and a take no prisoners mentality. His skating at this point is the main concern, however his skating is hardly horrible for a bigger guy, and he is still young enough to work on that part of his game so that he becomes a non liability in that area. He displays soft hands around the net, and at the very least he translates to a solid 3rd line player that hits like a truck and kicks some tail when need be. At best he's probably a 2nd line power forward that compliments our skilled smurfs up front.

Here are some video's of Kassian in action (He wears the #9 Jersey).....

Tribute
Poor Video Quality From His '07-08 Season
Not Bad For A No Skill Slug
Draft Profile
Good Anticipation And Hands
Vs. DeSousa
Vs. Tangradi Sticking Up For Teammate
Vs. Fletcher
Vs. Devane Helluva Fight
Vs. Clifford This Is One Tough Kid!
Vs. Clifford The Sequel
Vs. Tanski Answering The Bell After A Huge Open Ice Hit
Vs. Mifflen
Vs. DeHart