The early signs are not encouraging, but those wonвЂ™t matter when weighed against his entire college career. The good news is that, like Pitlick, Smith still has at least four years in college to work on his game. The arrival of Cole Sillinger from the WHL, a top prospect for the 2021 draft, certainly booster the offensive capabilities of the Stampede, but also lessened opportunities for Smith in the lineup. Be it for his performance or injury, he also skipped a few games.

He produced close to three points per game in his circuit last year, but struggled to line up two games with points this year for the Stampede. Those are his first steps in the league, but one would have envisioned a more productive season for the star high-school playmaker. Smith has struggled since his arrival in the USHL. Rhett Pitlick wears #14 with the Tri-City Storm. Here are PitlickвЂ™s three points this past weekend, one goal and two assists. And Pitlick has an advantage over his peers his skating will stay a significant asset even in the top league. PilitckвЂ™s low-scoring profile doesnвЂ™t inspire confidence in his NHL future, but the team doesnвЂ™t have to sign him for a few years yet. Learning to change speeds and time himself into pockets of space could make a big difference for his puck-acquisition game, helping him build offensive sequences. College teams manage the puck better than USHL ones, so he wonвЂ™t get as many opportunities to escape for breakaways or two-on-ones due to opposing mistakes, but he will probably get more return passes due to the proficiency of teammates. Pitlick takes advantage of broken plays a lot at his level to find his occasions to score, but creates few extended passing plays. It is hard to score when the puck doesnвЂ™t touch your stick enough. The issues in PitlickвЂ™s game are the same as they were: getting open away from the puck, finding pockets of space to create passing exchanges, and using his speed in more deceptive and manipulative ways. What college coach doesnвЂ™t love a fast-paced, speedy, defensively responsible player? If Minnesota gives Pitlick the right partner, they will also increase their rush offence significantly. Sure, he isnвЂ™t scoring as much as his fellow USHL Habs prospect, but his skill set will remain useful for the coaching staff at the University of Minnesota. Not unlike Sean Farrell with Chicago, Pitlick will benefit from the college environment where he will test and push his limits. The prospect is in a constant state of pursuit, running after the puck, opponents, or to the offensive zone. PitlickвЂ™s motor is always revving and his feet always moving.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more active player in the USHL. On the other, he hasnвЂ™t lost any of his strengths. On one hand, there hasnвЂ™t been a ton of evolution in PitlickвЂ™s game over the past two years. Following a cold streak, the Lumberjacks pulled the trigger on another exchange, sending Pitlick to the Tri-City Storm. This year in Muskegon, the coaching staff moved him away from his all-star linemate and Pitlick struggled to score. Pitlick started his Junior career with the Omaha Lancers before moving to the Muskegon Lumberjacks, where he found success on the opposite wing of playmaker Daniil Gushchin. They make him a great complementary piece to most formations. We donвЂ™t always see players move from team to team like this in that league, but PitlickвЂ™s name probably comes up a lot in trade talks due to his uncommon speed and defensive abilities. Rhett Pitlick is on his third USHL team in two years. Each week we take an in-depth look at young members of the organization while providing an overview of Montreal Canadiens prospects playing at the Junior (OHL, WHL), and collegiate (NCAA) level.

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