Chris Stewart: Thoughts?

[Wild_KO King]

A highlight from John Buccigross' latest bloumn:

Chris Stewart: "Give 'em Hell, Kid" by My Chemical Romance
Say hello to the 21st century's Cam Neely. As I type this, Colorado's Stewart (18th overall pick in 2006 draft) has more points than Nash, Toews, Mike Richards and Shane Doan. He leads the Avalanche in scoring. Stewart, like Neely, has really arrived as an impact player at age 22. On Dec. 2, Bryan Allen went for an open-ice hit on Duchene. Stewart stepped right in and pounded on Allen. He knows players like Duchene and Paul Stastny will make him rich.




Stewart also has a simmering temper and competitive attitude like Neely, which I love. I love to watch competitors. For the past two seasons, he has taken on all comers. Stewart comes from a family of seven kids and grew up with little means. His dad is a Jamaican immigrant to Canada and had a stay-at-home, Canadian-born mother.

Check out Stewart's hat trick against the Blues from March 6. He took a sick feed from Stastny, Craig Janney-style, and scored the first goal from the top of the crease. His second goal was a Neely-esque bomb from the top of circle -- a classic down-the-wing slap shot. (Yes, these goals still happen.) His third came on a penalty shot, which eerily looked like Neely's breakaway goal on Patrick Roy from April 26, 1988, that made it 4-1 Bruins. The Bruins' win from that April day ended their streak of 18 consecutive playoff defeats to Montreal. Neely and Stewart's shots both end up being in nearly identical places in the back of the net.

Recognize Stewart right now. He's a big reason the Avs are where they are right now.

So, Bucci thinks that Stewart is the next Can Neely, a tag that was once assigned to Milan Lucic, but I tend to see him as more of a Jarome Iginla*. Iginla has consistently contributed on the scoresheet, recording at least 30 tallies a year since 2001 - Stewart, himself, is now flirting with 30 goals. Both have also exhibited a willingness to bang, and have faired quite well once the mits hit the ice - Stewart currently has 6 fights this year, against a decent mix of middleweights, and has won pretty handidly in most.

I know that the Avs have a lot of young talent and a mix of young scorers in guys like Statsny, but I have to believe that Chris Stewart is the kid to watch, and will eventaully be the future Captain of this Avs squad.


*Of course, the argument can be made that Jarome Iginla is just an incarnation of Neely.

[forsberg21]

I'm thrilled that he's wearing an Avs uni. I hope they manage to hold on to this guy. He's something special. He's built like a linebacker 6'1 235, uses his size and plays the physical game very well, he's good for 30 goals a season, and he drops the gloves (and is pretty good at it).

As far as who i'd compare him too. I don't like that anyone dubbed a powerforward automatically gets compared to Cam Neely (although it's easy to understand why). I'd agree that he plays more like Iginla than Neely. Although if I had to compare him to anyone, it would be a pre-moore Bertuzzi. He's got great hands for such a big guy, but the best part of his game is how he is just so physically dominant in the offensive zone, and that translates into goals.

As far as him being the future captain, i don't think so. While i have no doubt he will be a great leader, Stastny is being bred to be the next captain no doubt in my mind.

[Sukoshi84]

He's a pretty good player, I would agree a more like Iggy but a better scrapper.

[Sukoshi84]

Maybe we need a Lucic vs. Stewart scrap to determine who's better at throwin em'

[Wild_KO King]

Originally Posted by Sukoshi84

Maybe we need a Lucic vs. Stewart scrap to determine who's better at throwin em'

I'm not sure Stewart has enough haters/homers yet, but I'm sure the thread would be epic.

Regardless of who is the better scrapper, Stewart is far and beyond a bigger asset to his team. Looch has 8 goals this year (Stewart 28) and he only has 4 fights. Good thing Boston paid him....

But I digress, and I don't want this to turn into a Looch thread...

[Mclaren14]

i saw him play in Lake Erie in 07-08 for a few games and he was just a beast, he was hitting everyone who moved and he actually even scored a goal, he had a good season that yr putting up 25 goals and 93 pims, def the style of play that Cam Neely was known for and flourished in, i cant think of anyone that plays his kind of game that i would rather have on the Av's then Stewart the kid has been a beast all season and just a huge surprise in my book, i knew he could be an everyday NHL player but i never thought he would be this good, everyone thought he was gonna be a bust because of his 08-09 season but he has def proved alot of people wrong, and hes quikley becoming one of my players on the Av's roster

[rondo]

Does Bucci come here and read the forums...cuz if im not mistaken we had this discussion just a few days back???? Bucci you there? I'd say he's a cross between the both....Jarome Neely...

[Wild_KO King]

Originally Posted by rondo

Does Bucci come here and read the forums...cuz if im not mistaken we had this discussion just a few days back???? Bucci you there? I'd say he's a cross between the both....Jarome Neely...

He just might - I remember a blogumn from last year in which he addressed fighting in hockey (it was a very good piece, if I remember correctly) and he singled out Andrew Peters as "the most boring fighter in the league".

[nyrgoal]

Originally Posted by Wild_KO King

A highlight from John Buccigross' latest bloumn:



So, Bucci thinks that Stewart is the next Can Neely, a tag that was once assigned to Milan Lucic, but I tend to see him as more of a Jarome Iginla*. Iginla has consistently contributed on the scoresheet, recording at least 30 tallies a year since 2001 - Stewart, himself, is now flirting with 30 goals. Both have also exhibited a willingness to bang, and have faired quite well once the mits hit the ice - Stewart currently has 6 fights this year, against a decent mix of middleweights, and has won pretty handidly in most.

I know that the Avs have a lot of young talent and a mix of young scorers in guys like Statsny, but I have to believe that Chris Stewart is the kid to watch, and will eventaully be the future Captain of this Avs squad.


*Of course, the argument can be made that Jarome Iginla is just an incarnation of Neely.

I see him as Iginla also. Good play maker, goal scorer and brings the toughness when he needs to. Hes on my fantasy team, and he gets me decent points in goals, assists, pm and ice time. Id take him on the rangers any day

[BrianTheAdsFan]

I know if this guy played in the East instead of Colorado, this thread would be 20 pages by now.

I'd have him on the Preds any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[The_Sheriff]

Stewart is a great player and can really throw them.....its true, if he played in the east he'd be one of the most talked about players around....

[bobberino]

I said it before, the kid is a beast. Young Power Forward with a great future... Imagine how much pub he would get playing with the Rags

[Isles4life]

I really like Stewart. I liked him a lot during his rookie season last year, and his offensive game has developed very quickly. He's a great player for the Avs and he brings a good deal of grit to his game. Having become such a crucial offensive player for the Avalanche, I think the fighting part of his game has taken a bit of a backseat, at least compared to his level of activity last season, but it's quite obvious that he can handle himself real well when the gloves hit the ice. I'm looking forward to watching this guy play for a long time, and hopefully finding a way to creep up at least close to double digit fights each season.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of always having to compare players to guys from the past or the present. I also see the better comparison being Iginla than Neely, but I'd rather not even make one. He's his own player who happens to have some attributes similar to both of those guys.

[5min4fighting]

So there is such a thing as a power forward in 2010? Awesome!

[coloradotuffguy]

cant speak enough about what stewart has done for the avs. adds a dimension that has been missing in colorado. ill be wearin my own chris stewart jersey before too long put the order in on it 2 days ago