Edmonton Oilers rookie forward taking major step in first weeks of regular season
Photo credit: Perry Nelson - Imagn Images
Despite a slow start to this young season, in the last few games rookie Ike Howard is showing why the Oilers are so high on the 21-year old.
And it could not have come at better time for the rookie. There was much talk of him being sent to the minors because of ineffective play early on. He seemed overwhelmed by the pace of action in the NHL, despite his ability to keep up.
Oilers' prospect now playing like he belongs in lineup
Yet, I suppose when you're being doubted as often as he's been, at some point you must prove the critics wrong. Here's a sample of what had been said of Howard:
Maybe it's a little much to ask a pair of 21-year-olds When Hyman gets activated - I wonder whether or not Howard ends up in Bakersfield.
- Bob Stauffer
- Bob Stauffer
That is no longer the case. Even with Hyman in the lineup, it won't be Ike Howard to lose his spot in the lineup now.
Howard has been shooting at a high rate of 7.07 shots per hour, which is 3rd on the team, while his 14.11 shot attempts per hour are first,
Furthermore, Ike's 8.06 scoring chances per hour rank fourth. It seems to be that with these kinds of numbers, Howard's goals will continue to increase beyond the two that he's scored in the first ten games which he's played this season.
He's starting to get more involved, moving his feet a little bit better," head coach Kris Knoblauch said recently of Ike Howard. "It's not that he's 'deer in the headlights' kind of thing where you're playing in the NHL. First couple games, it can be a little difficult. He's been contributing, he's making some plays. Yeah, there's going to be down games, but overall I like where he's going right from first day of camp, he's making progress and we're going to keep pushing them to continue doing that because we have a lot of invested in them and we want him to be a good player for us in the long run.»
Seems the coach's confidence in him is working.
Seems the coach's confidence in him is working.
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