Jared McCann was called upon to fill a role last season because of injuries. While his time here was a bit rough, the minors should offer him a chance to improve even further.
Despite getting sent down to the minors, it ended up working in Jared’s favor. In 42 games played, he tallied 11G, 14A, and 25 points all together. Pretty good, considering the struggles the T-Birds faced. With the Cats, Jared didn’t match up well. In 29 games, the youngster only put up a goal and 6 assists. Not exactly what we were expecting from him.
His production last year and overall play showed that he isn’t quite ready to stay in the NHL permanently. Often struggling to win the battles along the boards, McCann was constantly outmuscled by his opponents to the puck. Standing at 6’1 and weighing 198 IB, it would be recommended that Jared put’s on a little more muscle, especially upper-body.
While his softness was clearly noticeable, so was his finishing. Countless amounts of times did we see Jared miss an empty net or even shoot wide of goal. Considering the amount of scoring chances he had on his stick, you’d think he’d at least hit the 5 goal mark. His lack of finishing came as a surprise, considering he’s been known for “sniping rockets”. Don’t believe me? Check out the video down below.
On the flip side, we were able to see Jared’s strengths like his speed and skill. When McCann was on his game, you could really see the creative side of him. If he continues this type of play, he’ll only be another lethal weapon added to the mix.
Despite the tough year Jared encountered in the NHL last year, it will only be a lesson learned on what areas he will need to improve/fix. In fact, McCann’s season wasn’t fully rough either. He definitely had positives to look back upon, such as his time with Springfield. His time down there proved to be the right decision and allowed him to play in an environment that best suited his style/condition.
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At 21 years old, Jared is still young and needs to fully develop. There is no need to rush him, as he is still pretty young in his career. Allowing him to spend next season in the AHL would only benefit him moving forward. The NHL is not a league for development, that is what the AHL is for. McCann isn’t quite ready to step into the league permanently just yet. Expect Jared to remain with the Thunderbirds next year.