"The d-men are inside the dots. It's kind of the last line of defence, and you have to try to steer the puck from the right side to the left. Most teams play a 1-2-2. A lot of times, your success is dictated by the head of the snake, which would be F1 because everybody has to read off of him."
"Stecher's cerebral approach to the game is certainly paying off, and he's ruthlessly competitive. You'll hear 'competitive' thrown around a lot. It's the first word that sources within the Leafs organization described Stecher as, upon joining the team. And you just need to tune into the games to see how Stecher's relentless drive, especially in puck battles, where he's often the scrappiest player in the fight, has galvanized the Leafs during the road trip."
Stecher's mobility, relentless drive and ability to facilitate exits have injected new life into the Maple Leafs' defence corps. He has moved beyond a stop-gap role and projects as a permanent lineup fixture even after Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo return from injury. He joined the team with a chip on his shoulder and could remain through his 10th season. He described the Maple Leafs' neutral-zone 1-2-2 structure and emphasized that success depends on F1 reading. His cerebral approach and scrappy puck battles have galvanized the team, particularly during a recent road trip, earning him an elevated role.
Read at TheLeafsNation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]