Chorney's Offensive Abilities and Speed Isn't Good Enough to Make Up For His "Defense"

The kid is a very good passer and can carry the puck up ice as well as jump into the play, those are the positives. That and he has pretty good speed to boot. That's where the wheels come off. His defensive positioning, reading plays as they develop, and not getting caught up ice with an odd man situation heading the other way are all still very real concerns.

He has to add the word "defense" to his arsenal if he expects to be a significant NHL player from the blue line. His speed allows him to take a few more risks, but it doesn't matter how fast you are if the puck is at center ice and you're below the face off circles before you start back checking.

The Oilers AHL prospects really need some solid guidance, there is clearly talent down there but there are also major flaws with the majority of our most talented players on the farm. Hopefully Rob Daum or another coach can do that next season so that some of these guys that get sent down can realize their potential and make the farm team look like something other than a grinders paradise.

Ugh, the Story of Taylor Chorney's Young Pro Career

24gp. 0-5-5 -13 27sog. 12pim.

Not exactly the numbers that I was expecting of the former American WJC Captain. At 21 years of age, 2 WJC tournaments and 3 NCAA seasons under his belt, why is this highly touted rearguard struggling so badly?

I mean a -13? Only Mathieu Roy (-10 in 15gp.) can also boast a - in the 10's on the Falcons. Chorney is not producing offense to offset his even strength play. This is a guy that can move the puck around like nobodies business on the PP and a guy that I had pegged as a potential AHL All star heading into the season.

Chorney started the season with some offensive confidence (as 2 assists in his first 2 pro games clearly shows). Since then he has 3 assists in his last 22 games. I do not understand why he is being asked to play a defensive game and curb his natural instincts to play a 2-way game from the blueline.

When looking at the Falcons defensive core prior to the season, I saw an offensive group. Let's see what they've done thus far...

Peckham 21gp. 4-7-11 +5
Bisaillon 20 3-5-8 +7
Wild 15 1-4-5 +6
Chorney 24 0-5-5 -13
Roy 15 1-3-4 -10
Bina 11 0-3-3 -2
Hrabal 11 0-1-1 +1

Out of this group, only Peckham has met or exceeded expectations and I suppose Bina to a lesser extent. What could've been a free wheeling team from the blueline has been far from it. Outside of set offense on the PP, the offensive production from the blueline has been minimal.

Maybe the coaches philosophy discourages the d-men to jump into or even lead the rush? Why else would a guy that is 3rd in defense scoring and a +6 be a HS 10 times?

Back on track here, Chorney's offensive confidence is gone and IMO as a result he is focusing too much on reacting instead of forcing others to react to his speed and puck movement out of the zone. There has to be a happy medium somewhere and it needs to be found, because a guy that should be a very good AHLer right now is struggling to stay afloat.

Chorney Slow to Translate His Offense to the AHL Level.

Taylor Chorney has played in every game for the Falcons this season, he's been put in every conceivable situation, and played both left and right defense. A slick puck moving defenseman with good wheels, puck rushing ability, and passing skills, it is an absolute shame that he only has 5 assists in 14 games this year.

I was so sure after watching the Oilers preseason that Chorney and Schremp would be magic on the PP, however their time together has been very limited. These 2 players could really feed off of each other if they worked on their 2 man game on the right side of the PP.

Chorney has the skating ability to open a passing lane to Schremp for one timers, and Schremp is great at passing the puck to the point for quick shots. It seemed like a match made in heaven and was easily one of the things that I was looking forward to the most this season with the Falcons.

The Falcons have some very good personnel for the PP and loading up on the top unit would really help their cause. A PP of......

Brule-Potulny-Schremp
Peckham/Bisaillon-Chorney

should be among the top PP's in the league. Perhaps one day the coach will try this combination.

Outside of the offensive struggles that Chorney has encountered, he has also been the teams worst player in terms of +/- (-7). The next lowest regular defenseman is Bryan Young at a -2. With the Falcons team hurting for offense, Chorney could really help from the blueline.

Taylor Chorney, Ahead of My Expectations

I must say that Taylor Chorney has impressed me and has taken much less time to adapt to the pro game than I expected. Outside of his size and strength, he is ready. If I were Ladislav Smid, I'd be looking over my shoulder. Between Peckham and Chorney, Smid has a guy that is far more physical and a far better puck mover. Luckily for Smid neither of these players have him beat in both categories or he'd certainly be starting the year in Springfield.

If Denis Grebeshkov decides to take off to the KHL after this season, at least now we have a guy that could fill his spot without skipping too much of a beat. Of course Chorney will need some AHL seasoning, but it's just a matter of time before he's an NHL player. Chorney should have a whale of a year in Springfield, and don't be one bit surprised if he becomes only the 2nd Oiler in the last 2 years to play in the AHL allstar game.

Chorney has already been better offensively than last years AHL points machine, Springfield blueliner TJ Kemp, and much better defensively to boot. One thing is for sure, the players in Springfield will be spoiled rotten with great puck movement from the blueline this season! The future on the blueline looks great, and between Chorney and Peckham, the future looks to be sooner rather than later.

BBO's Top 20 Prospects, #5 D Taylor Chorney

Taylor Chorney is a mix of speed, puck movement, and excellent anticipation. A leader, Chorney was the captain of the United States WJC squad 2 seasons ago. The Oilers 2nd round pick from '05 decided to turn pro this season, and he should be making a push to be one of the teams top defensive call-ups and maybe even the teams #6 defenseman out of camp.

Chorney has a quick wrist shot that he effectively uses on the PP, and he is at home lugging the puck up ice. His puck distribution on the rush and on the PP is superb. At the moment Chorney's biggest challenges are his lack of professional experience and his lack of size.

If he can show the ability to hold his own down low against NHL competition, he could have a very short stint in the minors if he even gets sent down. Despite the Oilers already having 3 puck moving defensemen, Detroit proved the worth of a good puck moving d-corps. And it sounds as if the Oilers have been looking at the Detroit team as the model for success, so it would certainly help their goal to add to their puck moving ability from the back end.

Chorney's defensive ability and strength will determine whether he is a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd pairing d-man in the NHL, but the rest of his skills could slot him into the top 2 pairings without missing a beat.