Inside Wheeler’s Shocking Summer 2025 NHL Prospect Rankings: Who’s the True Future Star?
His stride and shot, which both lacked power at 16, have also made clear progress. His release, which has always been naturally quick, now has some oomph, and his skating has really smoothed out and is an asset now, which has helped his dynamic rush game.
Sennecke can definitely handle the puck. He has extremely soft hands and confidence on it, even under pressure, spinning and weaving off the wall or attacking right into defenders with his stick skill, regularly finding his way out of tough spots and traffic with craft and creativity. The puck just sticks to him. He also moves well in control, side-stepping checks and sticks nicely. He’s impressively dexterous and does a good job catching bad passes and handling the puck in his feet. But he does have a habit of playing one-on-one a little too much at times, which has frustrated some at times, but also more often thrills in sequences of skill on the puck. He’ll dangle past a defender multiple times a game, but also sometimes turn the puck over trying to be a hero when there are better plays. There are also times when he needs to empty the tank on the backcheck, but he has made more of an effort to finish his checks and battle through contact over the last 18 or so months (his flat games are fewer and fewer now and I’ve seen more and more games where he has battled and competed). He has legitimate high-end talent on the puck and his feet and stick move in and out of unison to shade away from opposing reach-ins niftily. He also sees through coverage well and — when he’s not so focused on making the individual play — can really pass it through gaps in coverage. He’s still got some work to do and some development in front of him, but the potential reward could be one of the more skilled tall wingers in the NHL. With a little more muscle and maturity, his game could continue to take off. He’s still got some work to do to win more battles and round out his game defensively, but he has made important strides on both fronts, and he has clear top-six talent/dimension.
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