Over the last few weeks I have taken the time to track and analyze Ottawa 67’s games to get a better understanding of Jack Quinn as a player.
When the Sabres selected him with the 8th overall pick, he immediately became a polarizing choice, considering there were other more prominent names on the board.
Kevyn Adams and the Sabres believed in Quinn enough to take him with Adams’ first ever draft choice, and given his ability to score goals…Quinn has the potential to make Adams look very smart.
This article will be the first in a series of five articles breaking down individual performances by Quinn and at the end there will also be a projection and a generalization of Quinn as a player.
The first game I tracked was the Ottawa 67’s vs the Niagara IceDogs on Nov. 1 2019.
Why I chose this game
I chose to track this game for a number of reasons, the main one being that I was in the building to watch this game live.
The other big reason was, at this point in the season the IceDogs were a formidable opponent. Akil Thomas and Phil Tomasino were still on the roster and Tucker Tynan was emerging as one of the OHL’s top young goalies.
This game provides a good picture on how Quinn could perform against a decent opponent and it’s unique given that I was able to see the game live in the arena.
For this series of articles, I will outline positives and negatives from Quinn’s performance as well as providing 5v5 numbers and Quinn’s overall production.
Quinn’s Numbers
Statistics – Goals: 1 Assists: 2 Points: 3
5v5 Numbers
Breakout Numbers
Controlled Breakouts – 5
Dump-Outs – 1
Failed Breakouts – 1
Breakout % – 71.4%
Entry Numbers
Controlled Entries – 3
Dump-Ins – 2
Failed Entries – 1
Entry % – 50%
Corsi and Scoring Chance Numbers
Shot Attempts For – 14
Shot Attempts Against – 12
CF% – 53.8%
Scoring Chances For – 8
Scoring Chances Against – 7
SCF% – 53.3%
Individual Shots on Goal – 5
Individual Shot Attempts – 7
Scouting Report
Positives
Quinn possessed an excellent ability to generate offence off the cycle, his line flourished in the o-zone controlling the puck and creating an abundance of chances by working the puck from below the goal line.
When the puck is on his stick he is most comfortable working off the boards, he can process the game quickly and knows how to attack the opposing team’s defensive strategy.
While he created most of his offence off the cycle, his 2nd assist came off a beautiful stretch pass from inside his own zone.
Finally, he was able to flash his potential as a play driver. He commanded the puck in all three zones and wanted to take control of the game whenever he was on the ice.
On his goal, he picked up the puck at Niagara’s blue line and attacked their defenders. Quinn took the puck to the slot and wired a beautiful shot past Tucker Tynan.
His full offensive skillset was on display, he was able to show his ability as a complimentary finisher, a play driving winger and the ability to create offence in a wide variety of ways.
Negatives
The offensive talent is evident, on the side of the ice Quinn had a few mental lapses that hurt his team.
As is standard with a lot of players, when pressured by the opposing forecheck Quinn had a tendency to rush his decision making. This led to a few defensive zone turnovers, or errant breakout passes that didn’t result in a successful transition to the neutral zone.
Quinn and his linemates were guilty of rushed decisions, and it led to a goal against and a few shifts that were spent being caved in by Niagara’s offensive attack.
Overall Thoughts
This was a solid performance by Quinn in all facets. His 5v5 numbers weren’t excellent but they were good enough to prove that his line was one of the best lines for Ottawa.
Quinn outscored Niagara 3-2 at 5v5, and Quinn had a hand in all three of those goals. His goal was excellent and showed exactly why the Sabres were interested in him at 8th overall.
While his defensive game was a bit of negative, there was no denying his offensive talent. His line did have the benefit of starting in the offensive zone on a regular basis, but Quinn was also effective at getting into the o-zone with possession of the puck to set up the 67’s offensive attack.
If Quinn can have performances like this on a regular basis at the next level, the Sabres will have a nice top-6 winger on their hands for years to come.
