The Growth Of Michael Del Zotto
by Joe Fortunato on Nov 9, 2011 9:54 AM EST
in New York Rangers Analysis
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The New York Rangers have gone through many transformations from last season, and one of the biggest has been the play of Michael Del Zotto. The former first round pick, who spend half of last season in the AHL, make the team out of camp despite many thinking he needed more time in Connecticut.
Let's just say that after 13 games he's proving them all wrong.
Del Zotto has two goals and four assists for six points in those 13 games. That puts him roughly on pace for the 37-point season he had his rookie season. But it's not just the numbers Del Zotto is notching that has made his play so impressive.
His confidence is back. He looks dangerous in the offensive zone, he's making smart decisions with the puck in the neutral zone and he's tied for the team-lead with a +6. His play has also earned him the confidence of John Tortorella.
Join me after the jump to find out what that means.
Currently Del Zotto is fourth on the team with just under 22 minutes of ice time a game. That includes 4:53 of power play time a game (second only to Brad Richards' 5:09) and a surprising 1:16 of shorthanded time a game. That's a far cry from what he was doing last year.
Richards has been mentoring Del Zotto, and it's shown. His passes on the power play are smart and effective and he's no longer trying to throw the puck up the ice with no regard for opposing defenders. His instincts are back, and that includes the defensive zone as well. Del Zotto has been much more effective in his own zone this season, and has even started laying the boom and helping clear the crease when opposing teams get on his goaltender.
The kid is growing, and showing all the potential the Rangers saw when they drafted him. Which is also helping the Rangers find their offensive game.
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I think it helps Del Zotto that Kotlaik is not playing the other point on the PP.
That said he is playing better. If he’s less “social” that might be the real improvement in Torts eyes.
by It may HAVE to Last a Lifetime on Nov 9, 2011 10:09 AM EST reply actions
Why did you have to remind me that Kotalik was a ranger?
by Zuppa Di Pesce on Nov 9, 2011 3:53 PM EST up reply actions
Unfortunately when he was here it was the last time our PP was effective…at least for a couple months.
by teknics on Nov 9, 2011 6:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Role
He’s playing well in his role. That being said, his role is still somewhat sheltered with lower competition and high zone starts (as it should be). PDO is unsustainable, but his other numbers are solid and as George has hinted in other discussions the goaltending effects through 13 games skew the numbers.
He’s fun to watch – I’ve switched from forward to D in my pickup and league games and I can understand why he gets a thrill out of rushing the puck or a slick pass.
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Nothing. It’s the screen name of the guy who came up with the stat.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 9, 2011 3:55 PM EST up reply actions
So is PDO is dying? How is HE unsustainable?
by Zuppa Di Pesce on Nov 9, 2011 3:57 PM EST up reply actions
What’s been weird about his turnaround, to me at least, is that it seems to be something that happened about 6 or so games ago. In the beginning of the season he was still doing dumbfounding things with the puck in the defensive zone and taking unnecessary risks on the offensive side leading to odd-man rushes against.
Maybe it’s been the influence of Richards, Torts figuring out how to properly communicate with him (Torts sending MDZ tweets lol), or MDZ finally having the game come to him. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the simple plays in the D zone. Little chips and short, low-risk passes along the boards. He’ll still do the occasional cringe-worthy play, but not nearly the same frequency as before.
He’s also properly picking and choosing his spots to jump into the offense, waiting for an opening to sneak in for a shot and scurry back to his point spot.
It was always about the mental-side of things when it came to MDZ. If he can bring that up even close to his skating/skill side of the game, he’ll be quite a weapon. It’s a small sample-size in hockey terms, but he’s moving in the right direction.
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Now that he’s getting better defensively and with his passing ability maybe he should start working on hitting the net on the power play
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You mean 50% isn’t good?
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by George E. Ays on Nov 9, 2011 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
without looking at the stats
It just seems like he misses the net more often then he hits hit…he probably is shooting better than I think he is
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A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
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He’s taken 8 shots on the PP. 4 on goal.
(I’m making an assumption that he hasn’t missed the net shorthanded, for some reason the BTN script doesn’t account for missed shots on the PP, so have to do the math manually)
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by George E. Ays on Nov 9, 2011 10:54 AM EST up reply actions
how about ES?
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
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A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
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by George E. Ays on Nov 9, 2011 11:15 AM EST up reply actions
Yes but he’s only hit the actual netting twice. :)
Those stats lie because they don’t agree with me.
by teknics on Nov 9, 2011 11:16 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
well now
I’ve just been proven wrong…not the first time and certainly won’t be the last, thanks George
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
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I think you’re right Kevin, it’s just that the super-computer George and the BTN guys use to calculate these stats count shots that miss the net by 15 feet as passes.
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That’s not a computer. That’s the atrocious MSG official scorer.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 9, 2011 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
One of these days I’ll come up with a joke that you can’t counter with some arbitrary fact or statistic.
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#Goodluck
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Beat me to the punch. As I’ve said before, will say now, and will continue to say, this kid is going to be a star.
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He's about that age...
MDZ is getting close to that age when younger players start to break out. Defensemen typically break out later, 23-25 years old. Seeing a young defenseman like MDZ starting to get comfortable in his own skin shouldn’t be a big surprise.
MDZ has looked a lot better with the puck. Some consistent lines and defense pairings make everything easier for players. As a defenseman myself I know how important it is to know where and what your defense partner is doing/going to do. I’ve been surprised a few times seeing MDZ step around veteran players like pillions. For a guy his size he’s got a pretty good shot too. A point player who isn’t afraid to shoot the puck is good.
It would seem obvious because of styles, but being paired with Sauer may have been just the thing to get MDZ going.
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That could be one of the biggest factors (especially in the +/-). Sauer plays a very calm, no nonsense game out there (except when somebody angers him and he turns big and green).
Good point.
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Well, the +/- is a factor Biron/Lundqvist stopping damn near every shot so far w/ him on the ice. (on ice save% is .956, 11th highest among defensemen with 10 games played)
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by George E. Ays on Nov 9, 2011 11:45 AM EST up reply actions
he doesn’t let his goalies get screened in front of the net, plays a big part of their save percentages.
by Kmp on Nov 9, 2011 1:09 PM EST up reply actions
i agree… the save % could easily be attributed to the lower quality shots as it could be attributed to allowing more shots… further investigation is need to say that his plus minus is only good because of his goaltenders… maybe it’s the other way around maybe his goaltenders are making more saves because the shots are from low quality areas…
@clalicata17
The sample’s not big enough yet this year to do it, but I ran it towards the end of last year:
http://trackingthenyrangers.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post.html
On a 20 game sample, scoring chances (i.e. quality shots) and total shots trend pretty close to each other, but the conversion is all over the map. It’s much more likely currently that the on ice save% is luck than anything MDZ himself is doing.
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by George E. Ays on Nov 9, 2011 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
oh yay
Shot Quality. Kill me now.
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Confidence
Think that’s the biggest thing. Looks likw he got it back, and im sure knowing Torts truata him has gotta be a big boost to him
R.I.P Derek
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by BleedsRangerBlue on Nov 9, 2011 11:33 AM EST via mobile reply actions
*trusts
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by BleedsRangerBlue on Nov 9, 2011 11:34 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, but...
…not every pass is perfect.
…he doesn’t hit the net with every shot.
…he doesn’t hit enough.
…he’s not a superstar like Cam Fowler.
I look forward to those comments during the next losing streak.
Cam Fowler's superstardom is really only relevant when comparing to McIlrath
by LJR on Nov 9, 2011 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Not really, the theoretical reason for not drafting Fowler is because we had MDZ for that role and Fowler would get little ice time on our D because of it
by teknics on Nov 9, 2011 12:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Cam Fowler’s a superstar? What’s the definition of a superstar then?
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
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It was sarcasm.
People are way too uptight about Fowler on this site.
by NTB on Nov 9, 2011 5:48 PM EST up reply actions
I noted the sarcasm…I was joking
"Don't look now, but there's one too many people in this room and I think it's you." Groucho Marx
In Prust We Trust
"Kovalev would work with Tortorella like a kitty would work in a microwave.
A lot of smoke and desperate clawing at the door. It wouldn’t work. It would just be a big, hot mess." -Dig Deep
Follow me @8kpower
Cam Fowler is not a star by an means…hes brutal defensively and I haven’t seen anything from him thats any better than MDZ. So please tell my why Fowler is that much better, because he simply is not.
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 9, 2011 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
if i’m not mistaken most of his points last year were on the PP and he saw very very limited ES activity against lower competition… and still was a -23…
@clalicata17
A board wedged at a 45 degree angle, along the boards inside the blue line, would get a decent share of points on a PP with Getzlaf, Ryan, Selanne, Perry. Or whatever combo of talents they use.
you are right, we certainly couldn’t use a guy who is good on the power play. For now, i’ would have preferred Fowler over Mcllrath. Taking the guy on nobody’s radar two years in a row scares me.
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If they’re equal players right now, the better asset is the younger player.
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by red army line on Nov 9, 2011 2:02 PM EST up reply actions
by what a year or two? big deal. Del Zotto is already leaps and bounds ahead of Fowler defensively which should be the most important factor because thats his position. Offense is just a bonus.
by CrazyRangerFan on Nov 9, 2011 5:31 PM EST up reply actions
You’d be surprised—there’s a huge difference when you’re talking about ages 18-23, for forwards at least (how many forwards take a huge step forward at 22/23? Ovechkin, Crosby, Giroux, the list goes on, and AIH had scoring rate peaking at that age), and I’d expect there to be a similar, but less pronounced, effect for D (physical maturity and some experience).
I mean, say at the end of this season Adam Larsson and Victor Hedman are of similar caliber. Who would you rather have? The younger guy, since’s it’s harder to do stuff in the NHL at 18 than at 20.
I also disagree that a defenseman’s priority is defense. We’re at the point where all five skaters can can affect both offense and defense. If whatever the skater does is a net plus on the ice and it’s close to maximizing potential goal differential, I’m cool with it.
Sweden’s “Topedo” strategy in the 2006 Olympics was basically that, right? No positions, just rotation, everyone plays both sides of the puck and fills in where needed.
Del Zotto is already leaps and bounds ahead of Fowler defensively
I’m skeptical because neither is all that good. Worth noting Fowler also had an AHL-caliber partner until near the deadline when Anaheim traded for Beauchemin.
Another thing worth noting: MDZ’s PDO is 1101 right now. Not even sure Gretzky got up that high. He looks better than he will be normally right now.
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by red army line on Nov 9, 2011 6:05 PM EST up reply actions
Just as failure and anxiety can feed on itself, so can confidence and success, and I think the more games he gets under his belt where he contributes, the more he feels he can afford to a mistake here or there and not get sent to Hartford, so he’s relaxing.
Micheletti also mentioned that the coaching staff was on him early to hit more and that physical involvement has also boosted his confidence, imho.
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i agree… the real change in his game from the start of the season… is the confidence he’s playing with… he has his swagger back… something that he didn’t have last season…
even stepan has been showing some swagger… did you see gabby and stepan celebrating their goals… it was that confident look.. like… Yea bitch i scored… what the fuck you gonna do…
@clalicata17
I knew Clalicata17 was going to be happy with this article. Its great to see MDZ improving and hopefully he blossoms into the star we all want him to be. Just remind him not to pass the puck to the other team when he’s in our end.Then we’ll all be happy!
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by RangerFanInChicago on Nov 9, 2011 3:47 PM EST reply actions
haha… i’m ecstatic… haha in reality… i’m happy he’s doing good because I like you want to see him blossom and become that scoring threat the Rangers need from the point… and with all the talent he showed in his rookie year at 18 there is a real reason to expect him to contribute… i just couldn’t classify a guy a “bust” as some had done last season when he struggled to start the year…
i’m happy he’s doing well and more importantly the Rangers are doing well…
@clalicata17
I think it's important to look at the type of goals he scores.
heres the highlight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BmLZ7_4AEA
I think it is a combination of many things. At first, we were not playing well as a team. Now, they all have their confidence going, including MDZ. It looks like MDZ has slowed histhought process down a little, and is making the right decisions. He is sticking to the basics when necessary. He is being more physical. He continues to move his feet to get out of trouble. Like I said before, he continually improves, and still is improving with each game. I really like what I see.
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