Player Reviews: Michal Handzus
Posted 1:39 AM ET | Comments 0
Zeus, a warrior, what more needs to be said? What a player. This is probably going to be a very one sided review as I have a lot of respect and admiration for what Michal brings to the Kings both on and off the ice. I think that we can attribute the success of the Kings to the veterans in the room. They have taught the younger guys what it takes to win. I look at O'Donnell with Doughty, and I look at Handzus with the group of forwards.
In my opinion he is one of the best checking centers in the league. He may not put up the stats of someone like Kesler, or have the reputation around the league, but he is a great checking center. Look at what he did in the playoffs this year against the Sedins. It was a work of art to watch. Not only did he shut them down, he played at nearly a point-a-game pace himself! But back to my point about him being one of the best checking centers in the league. The reason I say this is that he plays a FAIR game. In the NHL today that is often overlooked. He doesn't whine to the officials, he doesn't take cheap-shots. He plays the game with sportsmanship and honour. This is the kind of player that every team needs.
The NHL needs more players like Michal Handzus. I am so glad that the Kings signed him. He has size, and skill. This is a recipe for success come playoff time.
Looking back on his season, we see that he played 81 games (shows durability) and tallied 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points. This ties his best offensive season as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. For a checking center, these are very respectable numbers. I think that the stat that jumps off the page for me is a shooting percentage of over 17%. SHOOT MORE MICHAL! That’s a very, very good shooting percentage. Another good stat is that this was his first season on the right side of the +/- statistic. While this stat doesn’t really mean a lot, it does show that he was much better in his own zone this year (although a lot of this stat is luck).
I don’t really have that much more to say about Michal, other than thank you. He deserves a lot of credit for turning this franchise into a winner. This was a great signing for the Kings, and I hope that a lot more are coming in the near future.
Have a good night.
- Michael
In my opinion he is one of the best checking centers in the league. He may not put up the stats of someone like Kesler, or have the reputation around the league, but he is a great checking center. Look at what he did in the playoffs this year against the Sedins. It was a work of art to watch. Not only did he shut them down, he played at nearly a point-a-game pace himself! But back to my point about him being one of the best checking centers in the league. The reason I say this is that he plays a FAIR game. In the NHL today that is often overlooked. He doesn't whine to the officials, he doesn't take cheap-shots. He plays the game with sportsmanship and honour. This is the kind of player that every team needs.
The NHL needs more players like Michal Handzus. I am so glad that the Kings signed him. He has size, and skill. This is a recipe for success come playoff time.
Looking back on his season, we see that he played 81 games (shows durability) and tallied 20 goals and 22 assists for 42 points. This ties his best offensive season as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. For a checking center, these are very respectable numbers. I think that the stat that jumps off the page for me is a shooting percentage of over 17%. SHOOT MORE MICHAL! That’s a very, very good shooting percentage. Another good stat is that this was his first season on the right side of the +/- statistic. While this stat doesn’t really mean a lot, it does show that he was much better in his own zone this year (although a lot of this stat is luck).
I don’t really have that much more to say about Michal, other than thank you. He deserves a lot of credit for turning this franchise into a winner. This was a great signing for the Kings, and I hope that a lot more are coming in the near future.
Have a good night.
- Michael