Kirby Dutch should play on the wing, not in the middle, according to one of his specialist coaches, Tim Turk.
The throwing expert, Turk, made his point during a recent episode of “The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro.”
“I prefer him on the wing because he has this ability to separate players from the ball in the corners of the ring. He’s above average in this side of the game, so I’d like to see him in the corners a lot. And after pucking out, I want him to attack the central lane, and close in the middle in attack.” Counterattack and throw the disc!
Dutch is seen more as a playmaker than a rebel, but Turk, who has worked with Conor Bedard, Brendan Gallagher and others, thinks the reputation could change.
“He can become a natural goalscorer,” Turk said. And if he doesn’t score, his shot will create scoring chances.”
In this extended interview with Tony Marinaro, Türk also focuses on more technical aspects of his collaboration with Dutch, such as the changes to his wand.
“I was noticing that Dutch had a few chances in the hole and couldn’t lift the puck in traffic. However, his technique was good. We changed his stick a bit. Basically, we went from 7-iron to 8-iron in one section of the stick. We tried. It was like: “pu…de m…!”»
Dutch, 22, showed a sample of his potential last season as he scored 38 points, including 14 goals, in 58 games. He should play an important role in CH’s attack in 2023-2024.
