Jake Gardiner

[Bullfrog]

Besides, it seems only fitting the Leafs should snag a first round draft steal d-men after trading their 1st round pick for Tom Kurvers, which turned out to be Neidermeyer.

Seems like quite a stretch, but if it makes you feel better about a 20+ year old trade, good for you.

 

[Redleaf]

Anyone notice that Jake is starting find his offensive game of late? Last night he looked like the best D man the Leafs have. Another great slap pass, that no one converted, and the dance around the net, again that no one converted. I think he's real close to putting up some serious points in this league. He's playing pretty solid defense, and when he show the offensive flairs, he's turning into one of my favorite Leafs to watch on the ice.

 

[Zee]

Anyone notice that Jake is starting find his offensive game of late? Last night he looked like the best D man the Leafs have. Another great slap pass, that no one converted, and the dance around the net, again that no one converted. I think he's real close to putting up some serious points in this league. He's playing pretty solid defense, and when he show the offensive flairs, he's turning into one of my favorite Leafs to watch on the ice.

Yeah, his confidence seems to be growing quickly.  Love how smooth he looks out there.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

The commentators mentioned this last night, thought it was fun...

?We just make fun of him so much,? said John-Michael Liles, 30, the senior member of the blueline. ?He has to make sure he?s careful of everything he does.?

?That?s just part of the territory,? Cody Franson said. ?When you?re the young guy, you always get picked on a little bit.?

Listening in on the conversation, Luke Schenn decided to chime in, offering up the latest nickname they?ve stuck the mild-mannered Gardiner with.

?Everyone calls him Silver Stick,? Schenn said. ?When you get to 1,000 games [in the NHL], you get a silver stick. He just acts like he?s got 1,000 under him already.?

?That?s the joke,? Franson said. ?He?s calm and cool out there like he?s been in the league that long.?

?Nothing fazes him,? Schenn said.

?Guys chirp him, but he just lets it brush off,? Franson said. ?So we just keep calling him Silver.?

All kidding aside, at this rate, Gardiner looks like a player who could get to that 1,000th game.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Anyone notice that Jake is starting find his offensive
game of late? Last night he looked like the best D man
the Leafs have. Another great slap pass, that no one
converted, and the dance around the net, again that no
one converted. I think he's real close to putting up some
serious points in this league. He's playing pretty solid
defense, and when he show the offensive flairs, he's
turning into one of my favorite Leafs to watch on the
ice.

Yeah, his confidence seems to be growing quickly.  Love
how smooth he looks out there.

Not only that but he has the potential to become a very good point-scoring defenceman.  Maybe they'll be callng him the "Silver Bullet" someday! 

 

[slapshot]

Besides, it seems only fitting the Leafs should snag a first round draft steal d-men after trading their 1st round pick for Tom Kurvers, which turned out to be Niedermeyer.

Seems like quite a stretch, but if it makes you feel better about a 20+ year old trade, good for you.

Apparently, I'm not the only one making quite a stretch. Posted on Leafs website two days later...

Aaron Ward, TSN analyst
?He totally reminds me of Scott Niedermayer. His skating is so effortless. When he moves the puck he has his head up. That?s his glaring skill. It isn?t the speed so much as the control he has and the level of confidence he exhibits. It was the same with Paul Coffey.

Darryl Sittler, Hockey Hall of Famer
?He reminds me a little bit of Niedermayer and Coffey. He?s so fluid and he has his head up all the time. Borje (Salming) was a great skater who was in that class. As a forward it?s so much fun to have a guy like that because you can dump it off to them and they will find you when you get open.?

But what would Sittler know?..that's all I was saying is that he reminds me somewhat of Niedermeyer, who was also 20+ at one point. Not that he is  or will be a Niedermeyer.

But, yes, it makes me feel better. Thanks.

And, like Burke, let's not get ahead of ourselves...

Brian Burke, General Manager, Toronto Maple Leafs
?Jake hasn?t earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Scott Niedermayer. It?s way too early for that.?

Sorry Burkie, take Aaron, Darryl and I out to the woodshed.

 

[L K]

Burke is right, but man do I ever see little bits of Niedermayer's poise in his game.  I keep forgetting that he's a rookie because he makes some really bad decisions on the ice at times and I get on about his screw-ups.  But they seem more noticeable because he's making so many plays the rest of the time.  20-ish games of a season isn't enough to bank on his sustained play but Burke might have fleeced Anaheim something awful.

 

[maplesyrup]

I still like my Housley comparison. :-\

 

[Bullfrog]

Besides, it seems only fitting the Leafs should snag a first round draft steal d-men after trading their 1st round pick for Tom Kurvers, which turned out to be Niedermeyer.

Seems like quite a stretch, but if it makes you feel better about a 20+ year old trade, good for you.

Apparently, I'm not the only one making quite a stretch. Posted on Leafs website two days later...
...

Interesting comparisons, for sure. But, for what it's worth, the "stretch" comment was in reference to it being fitting that we traded the compared player away.

 

[Mikhail Bloodnovsky]

I still like my Housley comparison. :-\

That name leaves a sour taste in my mouth not because he isn't a hall of famer, but because his only Leaf play off performance was so bad.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

I still like my Housley comparison. :-\

A couple times I've been reminded of Leetch when I watch him skate with the puck.

 

[Redleaf]

Anyone notice that Jake is starting find his offensive
game of late? Last night he looked like the best D man
the Leafs have. Another great slap pass, that no one
converted, and the dance around the net, again that no
one converted. I think he's real close to putting up some
serious points in this league. He's playing pretty solid
defense, and when he show the offensive flairs, he's
turning into one of my favorite Leafs to watch on the
ice.

Yeah, his confidence seems to be growing quickly.  Love
how smooth he looks out there.

Not only that but he has the potential to become a very good point-scoring defenceman.  Maybe they'll be callng him the "Silver Bullet" someday! 

I wouldn't describe his shot as a bullet (maybe his speed), but that slap pass he's developing certainly has the element of surprise to it. Once the Leaf forwards get used to it they should start to convert those on a regular basis.

 

[cw]

I'm not sure who he reminds me of. But his progress defensively, especially on the PK, has been impressive. I recall in preseason that he looked quite lost on the PK - to the extent that I never thought they'd use him there this season - if he was able to stick. Now, he looks better than Liles (never his strength) and a few of the vets.

Often, as we've seen countless times, it takes an accomplished young dman from lower levels quite some time to learn the defensive side of the NHL game. Here's a remarkable thing about Gardiner: he was a hockey forward until his last year before college. Four years of organized hockey at the position and he's full time in the NHL. Can't think of any NHL dmen who only played as a dman for only four years before the NHL - maybe someone can. It certainly isn't many.

I think the path the other way, going from dman to forward, like Clark & Kelly did, is an easier transition to make.

I was aware of him during the '08 draft (that may go down as one of the great draft years for NHL dmen). I'd seen him in the WJCs. I looked really closely at him when the Leafs acquired him (video, reports, interviews, etc). Never in a million years would I have predicted what we've seen out of him this season.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Can't think of any NHL dmen who only played as a dman for only four years before the NHL - maybe someone can. It certainly isn't many.

If I remember correctly, Brent Burns was actually drafted as a forward and then converted to a defenceman once entering the NHL. But of notable NHLers that might be the only current example.

 

[Redleaf]

I'm not sure who he reminds me of. But his progress defensively, especially on the PK, has been impressive. I recall in preseason that he looked quite lost on the PK - to the extent that I never thought they'd use him there this season - if he was able to stick. Now, he looks better than Liles (never his strength) and a few of the vets.

Often, as we've seen countless times, it takes an accomplished young dman from lower levels quite some time to learn the defensive side of the NHL game. Here's a remarkable thing about Gardiner: he was a hockey forward until his last year before college. Four years of organized hockey at the position and he's full time in the NHL. Can't think of any NHL dmen who only played as a dman for only four years before the NHL - maybe someone can. It certainly isn't many.

I think the path the other way, going from dman to forward, like Clark & Kelly did, is an easier transition to make.

I was aware of him during the '08 draft (that may go down as one of the great draft years for NHL dmen). I'd seen him in the WJCs. I looked really closely at him when the Leafs acquired him (video, reports, interviews, etc). Never in a million years would I have predicted what we've seen out of him this season.

Yeah. I truly think by the end of the year, we'll be saying he was the biggest surprise of the season. I know a lot of us have already said as much, but he should get even better as the season moves along. The offense is coming soon as well I think, and that will add yet another element to his already impressive game. I know I'm going on and on about him in this thread, but look at the skill set he's brings to the Leafs. Blazing speed, good size, incredible poise, a great passer, a creative playmaker, and pretty solid in his own end. Thats a killer combination for any player to have. I really think he's gonna be a big time player for us for a long time. Can you tell I'm excited about this kid?

 

[cw]

Can't think of any NHL dmen who only played as a dman for only four years before the NHL - maybe someone can. It certainly isn't many.

If I remember correctly, Brent Burns was actually drafted as a forward and then converted to a defenceman once entering the NHL. But of notable NHLers that might be the only current example.

He is definitely a good example though I do think one or some of his teams prior to Brampton began his conversion to a dman if I recall an interview accurately.

 

[cw]

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/12/02/leafs-dads-going-along-for-ride
For John Gardiner, a couple of words sum up his feelings about following his son Jake and the Maple Leafs to Boston and New York this weekend.

?It?s a trip of a lifetime for me,? Gardiner said. ?I said to someone that this trip will be what settles it for me, that Jake is really here and going to stay. I?m still kind of pinching myself

Looks like Jake even surprised his own Dad.

 

[Arn]

I'm not sure who he reminds me of. But his progress defensively, especially on the PK, has been impressive. I recall in preseason that he looked quite lost on the PK - to the extent that I never thought they'd use him there this season - if he was able to stick. Now, he looks better than Liles (never his strength) and a few of the vets.

Often, as we've seen countless times, it takes an accomplished young dman from lower levels quite some time to learn the defensive side of the NHL game. Here's a remarkable thing about Gardiner: he was a hockey forward until his last year before college. Four years of organized hockey at the position and he's full time in the NHL. Can't think of any NHL dmen who only played as a dman for only four years before the NHL - maybe someone can. It certainly isn't many.

I think the path the other way, going from dman to forward, like Clark & Kelly did, is an easier transition to make.

I was aware of him during the '08 draft (that may go down as one of the great draft years for NHL dmen). I'd seen him in the WJCs. I looked really closely at him when the Leafs acquired him (video, reports, interviews, etc). Never in a million years would I have predicted what we've seen out of him this season.

Yeah. I truly think by the end of the year, we'll be saying he was the biggest surprise of the season. I know a lot of us have already said as much, but he should get even better as the season moves along. The offense is coming soon as well I think, and that will add yet another element to his already impressive game. I know I'm going on and on about him in this thread, but look at the skill set he's brings to the Leafs. Blazing speed, good size, incredible poise, a great passer, a creative playmaker, and pretty solid in his own end. Thats a killer combination for any player to have. I really think he's gonna be a big time player for us for a long time. Can you tell I'm excited about this kid?

Yeah. but can he fight?

 

[cw]

Yeah. but can he fight?

He nearly went with Stamkos. Maybe ..?

 

[rdowdall]

I think the player I most compare Gardiner too is Leetch.  I remember watching a Rangers game, where they were down a goal, and they are on a powerplay.  Adam Graves is on the half boards and he winds up to take a shot, and then lowers his stick cause he can't see anything he likes.  He raises his stick again like he is going to blast it, and he's holding it there, taking his time.  Leetch skates in off the point and takes the puck out from under him, skates in, dekes the goalie and scores.  Graves is just kinda sheepishly grinning at him after the play.  The announcers are talking about how "Leetch will take the puck from anyone to make a play".  It was interesting. I can see Gardiner doing that.