@ Lake Superior State (12/2-12/3)

[notkithughes]

Speaking of Swankler, it seems he's really upped his playmaking this year compared to last. Last year he was a shoot first, shoot second, think about passing third but still shoot kind of player where this season he's threading passes through traffic right on the tape. Man, I hope this kid sticks around.

Last season was the ultimate setup for this season. The goaltender knew he was going to shoot, and played accordingly. Now, the goaltender is worried about the shot, but they're also worrying where the pass may go.

Before his freshman year, he was asked why he chose to play college hockey. His response was he "wanted the same teammates for more than a year." I think that's starting to really show this season. I'm pretty sure he knows there's more hockey at the next level, but there's a strong possibility it'll be like Jrs with the ever changing rosters, trades, etc. He will have some hard decisions to make at the end of the year.

I asked the coaches about Swankler's play last year and his improvement in so many areas this year. The comment back to me was don't forget that while he was a freshman last year, he hadn't played hockey for over a year.
I expect his game to continue to improve this year and next. I sure would like to see him on the same line with Emerson. Those two seem to always be around the puck and in the right spot on the ice.