Jonah Neuenschwander is impossible to miss when he’s on the ice. Not only does his gigantic frame tower over every other player on the ice, but he constantly involves himself in the play to search for advantages and opportunities for his team. The biggest contribution he brings to his team is his hockey IQ, being able to read and anticipate plays before they even happen to properly position himself as a passing option, to pick off an opponent’s pass, or be the first to a loose puck. His hockey IQ helps him in every aspect of the game to remain one step ahead while bringing a versatile set of skills to capitalize on being that one step ahead. With the puck, he is great at leveraging his IQ and vision to make quick one-touch passes or carry the puck to open ice while evaluating new options. Offensively without the puck, he is great at driving the net for deflections, rebounds, or even as a passing option. Due to his size, his presence in front of the net creates chaos while his opponents try to restrict his ability from making an impact in the slot. Defensively, he is great at containing his opponents to the perimeter, using his stick to try and create turnovers or intercept passes, and is fairly effective at helping his defencemen when the situation calls for it.
Though I believe that there is an extremely high likelihood that Neuenschwander will be, at the very least, a top ten pick next June, there are still a few aspects of his game I would like to see him improve on over the season to make that an absolute guarantee. First, his skating would be his biggest aspect to improve upon for me. I would like him to develop more length out of his stride, using his long legs to generate more power per stride as opposed to taking many short strides in quick succession like he does now. His top speed and ability to chase down pucks would greatly improve with a longer stride. Similarly, he needs to improve his agility. Though a longer stride wouldn’t directly improve his agility, being able to conserve more energy from taking fewer strides would indirectly affect his agility due to having more energy readily available for when he needs it in those close quarter situations. Secondly, there are times where he loses his poise with the puck and throws it where he believes he has a teammate, when in reality they’re either not ready for the pass or not there entirely. I would like him to improve on his poise over this season, creating a tendency to hold the puck that extra half second to evaluate his options or take a shoulder check to find his teammates before making the play he decides upon. Lastly, I would like to see him develop his physical game some more. He has a huge frame and utilizes it fairly well, but he isn’t the most effective when using it. He doesn’t have any fear engaging in board or netfront battles, but he isn’t strong enough to guarantee winning those battles consistently. Developing some upper body strength would improve this aspect of his game while preparing him to play in the North American style of game in the future.
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