They might weigh on a player, being lauded like this and compared to Hall of Famers like Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey, as Bourque did.Ĭarvel finally saw Makar in person in September of 2016, when he flew to Alberta to look at the young defenseman who inspired such a demand from his boss. The words pile up, accolades from luminaries past and present. As exciting as he is to watch offensively, he's exciting to watch on the other side, making big breakups or being physical." So many guys are one-dimensional and they kind of get pegged into being known as that kind of player. "But then again, you look at how responsible he is in his own end and I'm so happy to see that. You've got to say that his offensive talent is far beyond anybody you watch playing that position. "I'm just really impressed with him, how he plays defense, how he competes and how strong he plays and how tough he is to play against, even with all that offensive talent. As good as he is offensively - skilled and fast - in every, every aspect he's by far the most exciting player to watch at that position. "I think he's just an amazing talent," said Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, who won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001. He would get better and better and better, finishing this season with 86 points (28 goals, 58 assists), leading defensemen in goals, and is a finalist for the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL after finishing second last season to Adam Fox of the New York Rangers. He would move to the NHL full-time for the 2019-20 season, winning the Calder Trophy voted as the NHL rookie of the year. He hopped into the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and wowed the hockey world with six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 games. He became the school's first winner of the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in NCAA Division I hockey, in 2019. Makar would help transform the UMass hockey program and build it into a national championship contender, losing the 2019 NCAA Division I championship game to Minnesota-Duluth. With a new coach, UMass did not want to lose the prize recruit. "As soon as you hang up this phone, you need to call Cale Makar," Carvel recalled being told. Which was exactly why the minute Carvel was hired by UMass on March 29, 2016, athletic director Ryan Bamford gave him a stern message. "Watching him play, I guess every NHL GM or anyone who does anything with hockey, at any level, probably dreams of having a Makar on his team." "I think he could become the best defenseman to ever play the game. "Cale Makar is in another world," Roy said. The best-of-7 series begins at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday (8 p.m. He's an edge-of-your-seat player with all the attributes needed to be truly great - skating, vision, passing - and he's 23 years old.Īnd now, he gets a chance to show just how good he is on a national stage with the Avalanche set to play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. Makar is a revelation, a defenseman with the potential to top 100 points and a ceiling that doesn't seem to exist. Hischier has been solid as Devils captain and had NHL career highs of 21 goals, 39 assists and 60 points this season. "I'm sure there are three teams that are watching the games going, 'Holy cow, what did we do?'" "He was a pretty nice pick," retired Avalanche goalie and Hockey Hall of Famer Patrick Roy said. 4.įive years later, Shero might be kicking himself. 3 to the Dallas Stars before the Colorado Avalanche selected Makar at No. 2 to the Philadelphia Flyers and defenseman Miro Heiskanen No. They chose Hischier with Patrick going No. And he said, 'Carvey,' if I do that, he'll never get to UMass. "I said, 'I don't know anyone else in this draft, but you need to take Cale Makar first overall,'" Carvel said. But Carvel, the coach at the University of Massachusetts, had a suggestion.
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