This might seem as a redundant discussion for some but there are legitimate reasons for Juraj Slafkovský to attend World Juniors this year. Or are there? Let's have a look.
I’m wondering if anyone has bothered to ask the kid what he wants to do. I don’t pay much attention to international hockey, so I’m not sure when this tournament is scheduled to be played; but it might be in his best interests ( from a physical standpoint) to go play in the WJ. I’ll explain why with a story.
I’m a retired fireman. Most of us stayed in pretty good shape, and a few of us got together regularly to play basketball. Long story short, we played against a private high school team a few times because their coach wanted them to get used to the physical nature of the game in the playoffs. The feedback the coach got from the team was that they could hold their own against us in every area except strength. Our strength simply wore them down.
Going to the WJ might be a good thing for Jurado, because he would still be working on his skill set, but he would get a short respite from the wear and tear of physically larger and stronger men. The same holds true with Wyatt Johnston. As talented as he is, he’s still growing. I hope that PDB and Mr. Nill have some kind of “pitch count” for him that limits his minutes, or mandates a game off every 7 to 10 days. His body may very well need that extra time to recover from the wear and tear , as well as the exertion, of going against physically stronger men.
I’m wondering if anyone has bothered to ask the kid what he wants to do. I don’t pay much attention to international hockey, so I’m not sure when this tournament is scheduled to be played; but it might be in his best interests ( from a physical standpoint) to go play in the WJ. I’ll explain why with a story.
I’m a retired fireman. Most of us stayed in pretty good shape, and a few of us got together regularly to play basketball. Long story short, we played against a private high school team a few times because their coach wanted them to get used to the physical nature of the game in the playoffs. The feedback the coach got from the team was that they could hold their own against us in every area except strength. Our strength simply wore them down.
Going to the WJ might be a good thing for Jurado, because he would still be working on his skill set, but he would get a short respite from the wear and tear of physically larger and stronger men. The same holds true with Wyatt Johnston. As talented as he is, he’s still growing. I hope that PDB and Mr. Nill have some kind of “pitch count” for him that limits his minutes, or mandates a game off every 7 to 10 days. His body may very well need that extra time to recover from the wear and tear , as well as the exertion, of going against physically stronger men.