positional player

[indaslot 0]

Sorry if this is a dumb question,but when a player is referred to as a "positional player" in hockey,what exactly does that mean? What would be the contrary then?

[thejackal 46]

the opposite would be a chicken with his head cut off

[indaslot 0]

lol, so I guess a positional player respects his position and doesn't race all over the ice like the aforementioned headless chicken?

[trevor13478 1]

yes, a positional player plays where he is supposed to play, he doesn't just chase the puck like a mite.

[juiced 0]

it's a good thing if you were called that :)

[chef_ducky 0]

Each player has a spot they are supposed to play....it is sort of like an L...

Not a very good idea but if you were called that Congrats

[Jat 0]

How were u called that when u dont know what it is? YOu must have been a good player =)

[indaslot 0]

I never said I was called that. I just asked what it meant.

[Chadd 916]

It's something nice to day about a guy who doesn't have a lot of speed or great hands.

[indaslot 0]

I don't think so in this case, as it was part of a very complimentary scouting report on a top 5 major junior draft pick.

[The Stranger 0]

My first though was positional player = skater (i.e. not a goalie). Maybe I am confused with baseball though.

[indaslot 0]

Yes,I think they refer to baseball players as "position players" (as opposed to pitchers and catchers?) but I have seen this term used in scoutng reports when the player has already been defined as a center, winger or whatever.

[TheBert 0]

It's something nice to day about a guy who doesn't have a lot of speed or great hands.

I played at a drop-in with some 40-year-old ex-juniors and that's what I thought they meant when they called me " a good positional player" :(

[MojoJoejoe1987 0]

I thought it always meant, always seems to be in good places, defensivley responsiable, team player, ect. Lacks skill and speed but gets it done

[Hipster 5]

I would kill for about 5 positional players right now. Positional players are guys who understand how a team working as a unit is far more efficient and effective than 5 individuals doing their own thing.

If I've seen it once, I've seen it a hundred times, come playoffs, a team that tries to get it done with a series of individual efforts will get outlasted and beaten in the end by a team of disciplined positional players.

Talent and Hustle are hard enough to find....but find a player with talent hustle AND positional discipline and offer to serve as his agent because he'll need one.

[biff44 0]

Positional player probably refers to one that plays well in a zone defense. Playing positionally is tough because the opposing team plays head games to try to screw up the defenders, like criss-crossing forwards with the puck, trying to get both Dmen to go behind the net, etc. It takes a smart player to not get sucked in by such tricks.

Unfortunately, a really great positional guy might look poor if the team uses a man-on-man defense! He instinctively does not want to leave his zone, but is required to.