Toronto Marlies Notebook: Soshnikov Cocktail

Kerby Rychel

Last week, I briefly touched on Kerby Rychel. Specifically, I noted how visibly upset he looked during his post-game interview.

Despite having just clobbered rival Laval by a score of 7-1, something was clearly angering him.

This struck me as odd. I mean, a blowout win seems highly unlikely to trigger feelings of frustration. Something was up.

As a former first-round pick, it would be less than surprising for Rychel to be upset with his career trajectory. Selected 19th overall in 2013, he hasn’t exactly achieved the same success when compared to his fellow draft class.

The player selected 20th overall, directly after Rychel, was none other than Anthony Mantha. To date, Mantha holds a career point total of 92, which he garnered over 128 NHL games.

Three spots later, the Washington Capitals selected forward Andre Burakovsky at 23rd overall. Both players have not only carved out defined NHL roles, but developed into offensive catalysts for their respective teams as well.

And Rychel, whose last taste of NHL action came in 2016, has been toiling in the AHL for the better part of three years. No wonder he’s upset.

When watching Rychel play, the forces withholding him from reaching the next level are glaring. Namely, his footspeed is simply not good enough for NHL success.

His skating style is one of the most peculiar I’ve ever seen. Instead of crouching to utilize his core strength, Rychel stands completely upright and pumps his arms like he’s trying to bail hay at light speed.

That he’s now 23 years old and hasn’t made any significant strides (pun intended) to fix this issue doesn’t do him any favours.

And yet, all is not lost.