When you look at most prospect rankings these days, you are probably used to seeing the term “elite” being thrown around like candy. Whether it’s players taken high in the first round of the draft or players found from other countries, that is how people get to know these particular players… elite. You hear it over and over again. Jack Hughes is elite. Cole Caufield is elite. Trevor Zegras is elite. It’s redundant as hell.
Well let me tell you something, Minnesota Wild prospect Matt Boldy is not elite. He is polarizing.Now, what exactly do I mean by polarizing? I believe the easiest way to explain it is that Boldy has the rare ability to change the course of a game with one abrupt course of action. The three things that stand out the most to me with Boldy are: His ability to attack defenders, his decisiveness, and unique blend of size and skill.
Let’s get into it, shall we?Boldy’s Ability to Attack Defenders
Most players prefer to go around opposing players while entering the offensive zone but Boldy does not. He chooses to attack and go right through them like a knife through warm butter. In another sense, Boldy doesn’t wait for things to happen, he makes them happen with his killer instinct. Passive aggressiveness is a well-documented issue with Minnesotans. We hold our feelings inside when something is bothering us and act as though nothing is wrong. Boldy says to hell with that.
Boldy’s Decisiveness
Boldy’s decisiveness is an absolute power tool. He knows what he wants to do with the puck before he even knows what he wants to do with the puck. In the world of hockey today, the game is faster than ever so when you have a player that is so polarizing mentally, you immediately have a massive advantage. The Minnesota way is to overthink absolutely everything and anything. You won’t get an ounce of that with Boldy. Once he sees something, he goes and gets it. Most of the time coming back with even more than he had his eyes set on.Boldy’s Unique Blend of Size and Skill
If you have size, you don’t have skill. If you have skill, you don’t have size. That’s been the mantra over the past 20 years in the NHL. Well let me tell you something, Boldy doesn’t fit your stereotypical mantra. So get over it. He is the unicorn of the bunch with a unique blend of both size and skill. The hands of Johnny Gaudreau and the size of Wayne Simmonds. The sandwich with both mayo and mustard. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and Tom Marvolo Riddle. I promise you haven’t seen a player like Matt Boldy before Wild fans. Get ready.
These clips are just the tip of the iceberg into the polarizing game of Boldy. It’s clear that the best is yet to come, as he seemingly continues to get better and better with every passing day. When you mix these rare abilities to attack opposing defenders, a refreshing decisiveness, and a unique blend of size and skill, you get a polarizing player. In this instance, you get Matt Boldy. Now imagine this dude opposite a freshly signed Kirill Kaprizov and let your mouth begin to water.
Buckle up and grab your popcorn Wild fans. The #BoldShow is coming soon to a rink near you.