Top Players To Watch in 2016–17
With the 2016–17 NHL season already underway, lets take a look at some of the sports best players to watch.
Jaromir Jagr — Florida Panthers — Let’s start with this epic veteran of the game, who is still rock solid. This guy was drafted in the first round in 1990, but he’s still an amazing team player, setting up teammates, using his 230+lbs to block and creating drives to the net. He recently scored his 750th career goal, placing him behind only Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky and he is still going strong. Keeping an eye on him just to see how close he’ll get to Gretzky’s record of 894 is enough to make him one of the most exciting players on ice.
Dylan Strome — Arizona Coyotes — A bit of a legacy player in that his older brother Ryan plays for the New York Islanders and his younger brother Matthew is coming up behind him. Seeing two brothers face off on the ice will always be exciting especially when they are such gifted players. Dylan has a unique wrist shot that makes him a high scorer and he does his homework, learning his opponent’s weak points. He’s got the patience and the cunning to be a great team player as well as a star.
Jesse Puljujarvi — Edmonton Oilers — Being able to get in your opponent’s head has a lot of advantages. Puljujarvi is fast, fast, fast putting himself wherever the puck is. He puts on the pressure and his opponents feel him coming, which can lead to them rushing their plays. When they lose the puck too early, Puljujarvi’s teammates are on hand to take the puck away and shoot it back down the ice. Puljujarvi is a top talent that will waste no time making a name for himself.
Auston Matthews — Toronto Maple Leafs — Challenging himself constantly has turned Matthews into a high-powered scorer, who barrels down the ice and through the defensive line. An early injury could have derailed him, but he used that obstacle as fuel and has become a very exciting player to watch as he’s climbed up from the USHL to the NHL. Being drafted 1st this year places a lot of expectations on Matthews’ shoulders.
Patrik Laine — Winnipeg Jets — Laine gave Matthews a run for his money to see who would be the number one pick in this year’s draft and watching them meet on the ice was thrilling. This guy is a great powerhouse who can easily shake off a nice body check. He’s also great in loose puck battles, which are always fun to watch. When he was a kid, he actually played Goalie. That’s a great position, but fans of the action hockey has to offer can be grateful that he changed to Right Wing.
