from Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet,
The way Hall plays, there are times you’d be tempted to give up half your team for 2010’s first-overall pick, whose 93 points in 76 games this year was a staggering 41 more than the second-best scoring Devil, Hall’s rookie centre Nico Hischier. Among forwards, Hall finished as one of the NHL’s best handful of takeaway artists and the only Jersey player to end with a superior relative Corsi rating was defenceman Will Butcher, who had more offensive zone starts than anybody on the team.
The manner in which Hall blends speed and sturdiness into one terrorizing package is something to behold. A member of an opposing coaching staff says people don’t understand how strong on the puck Hall is. If you gave every NHLer a beige, numberless jersey and had them burn laps, the only child of Steve Hall and Kim Strba would be a cinch to pick out from the crowd thanks to his signature broad-based stride. The truly can’t-miss aspect to his game, though, is the way No. 9 surges whenever he touches the frozen rubber, as if mere contact with it sends a signal to his feet. “Every time he’s got the puck, he’s not trying to slow down to make a play, he’s speeding up,” says teammate Travis Zajac. “I think there’s only a few [NHLers] who can really do that, and he’s one of them.”
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