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Position:
RW Height: 6'2" Born: 6/13/78 in Stittsville, Ontario Acquired: 102nd Overall pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. |
Matt Bradley, SJ's 5th RW prospect in a row, was drafted in the 4th Round by Los Tiburones, being the 102nd Overall pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Brads is almost the mirror image of Zalesak. Where Miro is dominant offensively, Bradley is dominant defensively. Where Zalesak is learning to play his own end, Brads is learning to play in the opposition end of the ice. Where Miro will go around the opposition, Brads will go through it. The one thing that they've got in common, though, is their speed. Bradley is very much like Marco Sturm in the overall scheme of things. Both focus more on the defensive end, and both can flat out fly. They're so alike, it seems, that they will be on the same line, with yet another D-first speedster in Nicklas Sundstrom. Another thing that Bradley has in his favour is his endurance. Brads outlasted every Shark in camp last year, winning the annual trophy given to the Shark with the best endurance. With Billy Houlder gone, it seems Brads' only rival for the award this year will be 45-min/game Scott Hannan. For that matter, both of them would go in my top-10 list for overall NHL prospect endurance. If on any weaker prospect club, Brads would be a shining star of a 3rd-liner, one that could play on the 2nd line, much like Manny Malhotra in NY. Unfortunately (for Brads, at least), Bradley is on a loaded Sharks club, where he is still battling for the 3rd line. Look for him to win it, after a year in the AHL, if even that! Brads is the next forward to come to San Jose. Of that, you can be sure.
