The Tampa Bay Lightning star has proven that small centers have a place in the NHL - and today's teenagers are buying into the concept.
The Tampa Bay Lightning star has proven that small centers have a place in the NHL - and today's teenagers are buying into the concept.
I'm back from vacation after a road trip with the fam to Virginia Beach (shout-out to Dough Boys Pizza and Blue Fin Sushi), and one thing that's been on my mind lately is how important archetypes can be in the NHL.
For example, there was a time when defensemen were supposed to be big, but not too big - until Zdeno Chara (a third-round draft pick!) proved that yes, perhaps the ability to cover half the zone without moving is an advantage.
In the 1980s, your goaltender was probably the smallest guy on the team. But 30 years later, he was probably the biggest.
For years, we've seen smaller skaters get discounted at the draft, with the logic being that if a big guy doesn't turn into a scorer, at least he could be a bottom-sixer in the NHL. If a small guy falters, he's an AHLer.
It feels like the stereotype is slowly dying away, and one of the reasons is a perfect proof of concept: Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point. Himself a third-rounder, Point ranks third in his 2014 draft class with 553 career points - only Leon Draisaitl and David Pastrnak have more, but only Point has two Stanley Cup rings.
I've been thinking about Point thanks to one of the players who has benefitted from his trailblazing: Dallas Stars rookie Logan Stankoven, the 5-foot-8 dynamo who has looked very comfortable in his first NHL playoff run.
A year-and-a-half ago, I wrote a magazine feature on Stankoven after he helped Canada win the world juniors. I interviewed Dallas director of player personnel Rich Peverley for the piece and he cited Point as an archetype for Stankoven before extolling the potential of the Stars prospect.
"People may discount his ability to play center in the NHL because of his size, but my argument is, when do you ever see (Stankoven) get knocked down?" Peverley said. "He's incredibly strong on his feet, he's got a motor and he goes. You want big centers, but you also want strong guys who win battles."
Stankoven has been playing wing for the most part so far, but either way he's making an impact. Point also tends to come up when I talk to younger prospects who aren't blessed with a ton of size.
"One guy I've been watching a lot is Brayden Point," said Mikey Berchild, a top prospect for the 2026 draft who just finished a tremendous season at Shattuck-St. Mary's. "He's such a good skater, so smart and so skilled. He makes great plays and passes."
Perhaps in a few years, teenagers will begin to cite Stankoven as an NHLer they love to watch, too. But in the meantime, we're seeing the Brayden Point Generation grow up before our eyes.
Sol Good
I've been keeping a glancing eye on the World Championship over in Europe and one player who was impossible to ignore was 2024 draft prospect Stian Solberg. The big defenseman had a grand tournament for Norway, leading his team in ice time (22:44 per game) and all Norwegian blueliners in scoring with two goals and three points in seven games. Solberg, who also logged heavy minutes at the world juniors, was always likely going to be a second-rounder this summer in Vegas, but I wonder if he pushed himself up to the start of the second round with his performance here. Fellow draft prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, a likely first-rounder, had a great tournament too, with five points for Norway. That put him one behind co-leaders Mats Zuccarello and Patrick Thoresen.
Mac Truck
Since I've been talking about smaller forwards this week, let's give a quick shout-out to Mac Swanson, who was named playoff MVP in the USHL. Swanson's Fargo Force won the title and the 5-foot-7 University of North Dakota commit paced the team with 17 points in 12 post-season games. A 2024 draft prospect, Swanson also finished third in USHL scoring during the regular campaign with 77 points in 55 games. I just talked to his coach, who gave this assessment:
"His hockey sense is off the charts," said Brett Skinner. "He's a very driven kid and as the season went on, we knew he was good at generating points, but he continued to evolve and add new ways to generate offense. As we got down to the stretch and the playoffs, his game only seemed to elevate. As the games got harder, he stood out as someone who could manage that anxiety and tension with his talent and his intangibles. He's a special player, for sure."
The Best Bet
We've got a lot of Memorial Cup coverage thanks to Tony Ferrari and our major junior team sites, so I'll just relate a funny little story from last year here: I was in Las Vegas for the Stanley Cup final during the Memorial Cup final, with Seattle slated to take on Quebec. Surely the WHL's Thunderbirds and their stacked lineup would prevail, I thought. So I walked over to a sportsbook and tried to place a bet on the game. Unfortunately, they weren't taking action on the Memorial Cup, so I was out of luck (I'm not much of a gambler anyway). Hours later, the Remparts had destroyed Seattle 5-0. Sometimes, the best bet is the one you don't make...
The WHL hasn't won the Memorial Cup since 2014 (Edmonton), so Moose Jaw has a little extra pressure this season.