Thread by @Jordan_NHLDraft

Marco Kasper #LGRW Thread 🧵

Kasper's had an excellent start to his D+1 SHL season playing for Rögle BK. He's consistently listed as the 2C/3C, however his impact far exceeds that of a middle 6 C. He's put up 3-7-10 in 14GP, but he's been even more impressive. Let's take a look.

Preface: I have not cut up any clips of Kasper this season, bc almost every clip I'd like to show has already been posted by some incredible follows like @IcehockeyG and @lassialanen . Please check follow them and watch the clips they've posted.

For my analysis, see below:

Kasper's line frequently starts the opening shift of each period, a sign that coach Cam Abbott wants Kasper out there to set the tone for the period. Additionally, the team seems to prefer to have Kasper on the ice and driving play at even strength, and the numbers back that up.

Kasper is averaging 16:26 TOI, with a team leading (for forwards) 14:43 TOI at even strength. During this time, Kasper has put up 3G and 5A, meaning all but two of his points have come at even strength. He's rocking a +11 +/- rating which is a team high for forwards.

In a more detailed view, his CF% is an impressive 59.8% which is leads all forwards who have played 10 games or more. The next two highest CF% belong to Kasper's linemates.

League wide, Kasper's xGF% at even strength is 58.87% which is good for 24th/174 qualifying SHL forwards, a remarkable number for a player of his age.

Based on the stats above, it's clear why Abbott plays Kasper so much at even strength, he's been dominant. This is a massive indicator of overall impact considering how much of the game is played at even strength and how strong Kasper has been.

In all situations, Kasper's 10 points are tied for 3rd on the team. What's more impressive is that all but one are primary points (G or A1) and all but two are at even strength, as alluded to earlier. He's only averaged 1:30 PPTOI/g this season, which is 6th along F on his team

So, Kasper is clearly not getting PP1 TOI, as it stands now. But, his PP ice time has increased in recent games, so it'll be interesting to see how that affects his production.

Kasper has hardly played on the PK (0:12 PKTOI/g), but this appears to be a product of Kasper's even strength ice time taking priority. 16:26 total TOI/g is already very high for an 18 year old in the SHL, so Abbott is likely pacing Kasper's usage at a manageable level so far.

As the season draws along, I would expect Kasper's even strength TOI to level out and see either his PP or PK TOI increase. But for now, he's being trusted to do a lot already and he's more than rising to the challenge.

How is Kasper doing all this so early in his career? It starts with his maturity and his brain. As shown by the stats above, Abbott trusts Kasper, and coaches trust players who can effectively execute a game plan and minimize mistakes.

Kasper's awareness in all 3 zones allows him to thrive in the minutes he's given. But, his effectiveness this season is from more than just his awareness and intelligence. He knows what to do, and executes due to some very enviable measurables.

Per Elite Prospects, Kasper is 6'1" 192, which is already NHL size at his position. He's also very strong for his age, a sign of maturity and effort in strength and conditioning, and has the desire/willingness to use his big, strong frame consistently.

Kasper uses his frame along the boards, behind the net, off the puck in pursuit, and to get himself into the high danger areas. Oh, and he's not afraid to take hits, it's the trade off of getting into the slot and around the net to score goals.

A lot of players have great size, but they don't always have the desire or temperament to use it to their advantage as much as a player like Kasper.

We know he's smart with great size and a physical demeanor, but Kasper is also a great skater. Kasper has a strong, powerful stride with great top end speed while displaying good edge work. He is a beast in transition simply because how effective he is skating the puck up the ice

and into the O zone. He routinely slices through the neutral zone in a hurry for a clean entry into the zone. It's his skating and vision which allow Kasper to turn defense into offense, and his size and physicality which allows him to get into positions to generate offence.

Last year, there were concerns about some of Kasper's tools and playmaking, and many of these concerns were valid. The question was never "does Kasper have enough to play C in the NHL" it was "can he be a player who generates enough O to be a top 6 player".

This season, he's improved on his weaknesses (and even his strengths). We're seeing a more creative player who is displaying his hands with dekes, pass receptions, and even attempting a few Michigans.

He seems to be locating teammates a bit better while playing on the cycle and hitting them with accurate passes. Overall, I wouldn't say we've seen massive improvements in passing, playmaking, shooting, etc. but there has been incremental improvement, which is valuable.

Given his smarts, competitiveness, and height/weight/speed ratio (to steal an American football term), Kasper really only needs to improve the other areas of his game a little bit for me to have confidence he can be an above average 2C in the NHL.

If he can lift those traits even further then watch out, bc then he could push to become a high end 2C (or more) in the NHL. The future is bright for Kasper and he's already starting to prove people wrong. Can't wait to watch him develop over the next few years.

Finally, I'd like to thank my teammate @DobberProspects , @alexa_potack for working on this with me. Please follow Alexa, she's our Swedish regional scout and has a better pulse on the Swedish leagues than I do.