Boston Bruins report card: No. 19 Tyler Seguin
Share
Everyday, Thehubofhockey.net will be handing out report cards for the 2010-11 NHL Stanley Cup Champions, Boston Bruins.
In order of jersey number, each individual will be showcased and given out a final grade for their regular season and playoff efforts.
Today’s edition we have No. 19, rookie Tyler Seguin.
Name: Tyler Seguin
Position: Right-wing/Center
Shoots: Right
Age: 19
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 182
Contract: $900,000 per season; $3.55 million includes bonuses through 2012-13 NHL season
Line combinations:
EV: Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler, 10.74% and 57.8% with Chris Kelly and Ryder
PP: Mark Recchi and Ryder 19.79% and 38.1% in the playoffs
2010-11 NHL season stats:
Regular season: 74 GP: 11-11–22, minus-4, 18 PIM, 131 SOG
Playoffs: 13 GP: 3-4–7, plus-5, 2 PIM, 22 SOG
Anthony’s take: Tyler Seguin’s highly anticipated rookie season was an up and down one for the 19-year-old. Seguin clearly struggled making the transition to the NHL level. The biggest concern was his play in the defensive end. With the game getting faster, and the players bigger, it’s easy to understand why Seguin struggled.
Despite just 22 points (11 goals) in 74 regular season games, Seguin showed the Bruins some positives, and just what type of player he could be. Seguin’s tremendous speed and quick hands show that Seguin can handle himself in the NHL, as long as he gets stronger and tougher.
After being the healthy scratch for the Bruins first two playoff series, Seguin filled in for the injured Patrice Bergeron during the Eastern Conference Finals. Seguin notched 6 points (3 goals) in his first two career playoff games, then went on to add just one more point throughout the rest of the playoffs.
Final grade: C+
Marino’s grade: The two things that stand-out to me about Seguin from beginning to end of his rookie season: 1. Has been his maturity throughout the year. He came into a hockey town with enormous expectations, failed to live up to those unfair comparisons and projections early on, but kept his head-up — taking his healthy scratches, constructive in-game criticisms, and frequent benchings like a true pro. He said all the right things when the microphones were in his face, and certainly learned the ropes from some of NHL’s best. He credited Shawn Thonrton in particular, during the Tampa Bay series, as the one player whose words of wisdom really hit home about his daily scratches in the previous series.
2. His improvement: He looked similar to a deer in headlights in the early stages of his rookie campaign. Once the big man on campus, Seguin had to adjust to the big size and physical changes from Juniors to the NHL level, as well as the speed and skill levels of each opposing player. His progression from a kid who didn’t know the meanings of backchecking and ‘taking the body’ to a more than serviceable forward on a Stanley Cup winning team we glaringly obvious.
Here’s to even more progression in ’11-12.
Final grade: C+