|
Oliver Bonk Looking Strong in Memorial Cup |
|
|
|
|
|
In general, I don’t have a lot of time to watch the Memorial Cup, but this year worked out pretty well, and honestly, I’m really loving it. Of course, seeing the next bona fide generational player in Gavin McKenna is worth the price of admission. Also catching some Flyers prospects like Olivier Bonk make the tournament feel more intriguing than usual.
Bonk is kind of an Ekblad-type defenseman. He has shown a good amount of offense, but he’s also just one of those solid in his own zone guys. He doesn’t make a mistake on the blue line. He loves to hit, and honestly, the Flyers don’t have anybody like him playing with the big club right now. I could see him definitely taking Zamula’s place next season.
The book on Bonk per elite scouting…
A prototypical shutdown defenceman, Bonk safeguards his team by backtracking ahead of offensive turnovers, blocks access to the defensive zone, forces opponents to dump the puck around him, and then seals the puck from them on the back wall. He pushes attackers wide in the defensive zone and scans the ice behind him to stop backdoor passes.
Personally, watching him in the World Juniors, I was impressed by how he was used. He was actually put in the bumper spot on power plays, which makes sense because no one is going to be able to move the kid. And he’s very strong and handles passes and turns the puck on net.
Bonk plays for the London Knights. They play on the NHL network or TSN tonight.
Let’s Discuss this….
Where do you think his slots end up on the Flyers next season?
Would you be OK with him starting in the Phantoms, recognizing that defensemen take a little longer to develop?
Would you be OK including him in a trade, possibly for a center at draft time?
Join the Discussion:
»
