Ryan Poehling has the potential for more, how can he provide that for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a slew of roster needs and it is unclear how they will fill them all. As the haziness of the offseason continues, the Penguins have to hope for a step forward from some of their younger players to help fill those gaps. One player that has that potential is Ryan Poehling.
Poehling played through an injury filled first season in Pittsburgh, playing sporadically in 53 games. In those games, he posted average bottom six forward numbers with seven goals, seven assists, and 14 points.
At only 24-years-old, he is still establishing where he fits in an NHL lineup. This past season, the Penguins featured him highly on the penalty kill. He flourished in that role, flashing his offensive touch by scoring two short handed goals. He also benefitted greatly from being the number one penalty killer after Teddy Blueger was moved at the deadline. Poehling's defensive game has grown leaps and bounds, and it's clear the Pens value that ability highly.
Where he needs to grow his game is offensively. As a former first round pick, what scouts loved about Poehling's game, aside from his two-way potential, was his lethal shot.
1. Utilize Speed
The NHL released some statistics around the fastest skaters during the 2022-23 regular season. Top of the list was the Penguins' own Ryan Poehling, clocking a top speed of 24.32 MPH. Poehling's speed was evident throughout his first season in the black and gold, so it's no surprise to see the speedy forward leading this list.
The speed Poehling possesses is elite, and he needs to find a way to use it to his offensive advantage more effectively. Take a look at this goal from this past season, where he pulls away from the defender to bury a beautiful goal past the Washington netminder. To top it off, the defender he outpaces on the coal is Rasmus Sandin, a very skilled skater in his own right.
Where his speed is also a huge asset is on the penalty kill. Poehling has an incredible anticipation ability in the defensive zone, and he was able to create several shorthanded chances because of it. Take a look at this shorthanded goal he scored this past season to get a prime example of both of these traits in action.
The play begins in the defensive zone, with Poehling's pressure forcing the San Jose forward to quickly chip the puck in deep behind the Penguins' goaltender. Seeing that the Pens' defender, Brian Dumoulin, has time and space as the puck is heading towards him, Poehling takes off towards the neutral zone and makes himself open for a pass. Dumoulin feeds him the puck in stride, and is able to carry the puck in for a scoring opportunity, which he buries confidently.
2. Trust Your Shot, Let it Rip
Not only does the above clip show off how Poehling is a valuable shorthanded and defensive specialist for the Penguins, it also displays the shooting ability that Poehling needs to put to better use. When Poehling was drafted, his shooting ability was one of the top traits scouts liked about his offensive game. He showed that in his very first game in the league, when he recorded a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And while he's not likely to reach his first round draft pick potential, there is 15-20 goal potential there.
How can he unlock that scoring potential after nine and seven goal seasons in his two full seasons in the league? The answer may be simpler than you think: he needs to shoot more.
Poehling has a strong shot and is able to launch one-timers with velocity due to his large frame. In his last two seasons in the NHL and in his final season in the NCAA, he's hovered around a shooting percentage of 10%. Another interesting stat, according to Natural Stat Trick, is that Poehling's expected goals for this past season was 53.2%.
This means that when Poehling was on the ice, there were more expected scoring chances for the Penguins than against them. This shows that if Poehling can find a way to shoot more and command the puck more in the offensive zone, he can convert more of his expected scoring chances into actual goals.
The answers aren't very hard to see with Poehling. Is he a top six forward? Unfortunately, probably not, but that is okay. What Poehling can be is a very competent third liner, and at the very best could be a hidden gem and solution to their third line center issue. With some fine tuning to his offensive game and some better teammates flanking him during even strength ice time, he is bound to surpass the 10-goal mark in 2023-24 and take his game to the next level.
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