Lawson Crouse is what everyone says he is.
Or at least, that’s the impression I garnered after watching him play on Friday, February 20 vs the Mississauga Steelheads.
The first thing I noticed about Crouse is just how much of a presence he is visually when he is on the ice. The bulky 6’3″, 212 pounder doesn’t tower over his teammates: he’s just an inch taller and less than ten pounds heavier than both of his linemates for this game, the undrafted Juho Lammikko and Conor McGlynn. But even without seeing his number, he is instantly recognizable when he jumps over the boards. It could be how his body carries the size, similar to a Milan Lucic, who always seems even bigger and more intimidating than his already massive 6’3″, 235 pound would have you believe.
His play off-puck is something to behold. Crouse is very positionally sound, as quick to react as his frame will allow, and he’s a dogged puck hound. One play that stood out was on the penalty kill, where Crouse chipped the puck past Mississauga’s arguably best defender, Brandon Devlin, then beat both Devlin and Stefan Leblanc back into the Steelheads zone to retrieve the puck. He managed to fight off both defenders single handedly for over 20 seconds before the puck jumped free. It was a great exhibition of the kind of quickness and strength that people salivate over.
Crouse’s offensive game is a work in progress. He doesn’t have the natural puck skills that you’d expect to see from a high-end player, and had some difficulty executing beyond basic offensive plays. Crouse fits the billing of a passenger to offensively gifted linemates, driving the net and eating up rebounds rather than generating offense alone. Crouse has trouble when he attempts to get creative, and can be caught off-guard by quick passes from linemates. Twice in the game against Mississauga he was given grade-A scoring chances that he absolutely whiffed on, including a wide-open empty net after a slick pass from quick, shifty Kings draft pick Spencer Watson.
The one area of offensive game that Crouse seemed right at home with is on the powerplay. Even here, he’s not the guy to generate the offense, but he knows his role on the powerplay and plays it well. He causes disruption down low, with opposing PKers keying on him, allowing teammates to remain open and unchallenged.
At the end of the day, I’m inclined to agree with both sides of the Crouse argument: his defensive acumen is something very difficult to teach, and that alone labels him as a more “NHL-ready” prospect than many of his draft eligible counterparts. His skills with the puck leave a LOT to be desired, however, and putting him high on the board with only the hopes and dreams of an offensive improvement may prove to be costly. Crouse has enough defensive talent, size, and the ability to harness his physicality that he will be a surefire first rounder. After seeing him play, I would put him on the low-end of that spectrum.
Looking at it from a Blue Jackets standpoint, he’s a player that most Columbus fans would be smitten with, someone who would be heralded as playing the hard-working, blue collar style that makes up BLUE JACKETS HOCKEY. I could see him being heavily leaned on by Todd Richards, playing second line minutes with superior linemates, top penalty killing duty, and as a powerplay guy cashing in on Net Front Presents.
Would I take him with the first round pick of Columbus? Absolutely not. I’m of the ilk that you choose offensive skill with your picks, especially the high ones. Crouse’s all-around game is a project, and using a first round pick to develop a project is a massive gamble, especially in this draft. With such high-end offensive talent available in the top ten picks, using it on a “safe” player is the last thing I would consider.
– Jeremy
Follow me on twitter, @307x
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