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Ron Hextall looked from his perch at Flyers Skate Zone
He then looked at some of his staffs.
They shook their heads, looking at this skinny winger 6 feet 6 inches.
Physical stature was only part of the phenomenon.
"We're standing there, going so big a guy should not have that many hands," said the general manager two weeks ago at the Flyers development camp. "He has good hands, he moves very well for his height and age. You look at a 19-year-old who is as tall as he is and as coordinated as he is, this is not the norm . "
Isaac Ratcliffe made it his standard.
In his hockey debut, he did not want to stand out in size.
Now, it is much more than an imposing presence. When he hits the ice, he turns his head with his soft touch and his skillful hands – skills you would not expect to find in a 6- or 6-pound, 210-pound teenager
.
"When I was younger, it was a big thing I was working on at the end of the practice or at the end of a workout," he said. Ratcliffe. "A guy of my size, you do not usually see him and I wanted to prove that the guys were wrong, I can bring all kinds of objects on the table and I really wanted to show that I could also bring my hands." [19659002Danslerepêchagede2017lesFlyersvoulaienttellementRatcliffeilsontéchangétroissélectionspourmonteretl'arracheràla35eplaceauclassementgénéralHextalletcompagnieontaimélacapacitéetl'avantagedeRatcliffedoncilsnesontpaschoquésdevoirsaprogressionmaisilssontravis
Ratcliffe, nervous and mobile, jumped to 28 goals and 54 points with the Guelph Storm of the League of & # 39; Ontario in 2016- from 17 to 41 goals and 68 points in 2017-18.
"Being tied to this age is amazing," Hextall said. "He has come a long way in a year, his complete game needs work, his wall game and things like that, which most guys of this age do, but his hands, his patience, his coolness with the puck – he has a reach … To have that balance and reach, developed to put him around the goalkeeper you saw this week … We are excited by the prospects for him. "
If Ratcliffe was never seen as a project, he does not look like one anymore." At age 19, he is also very aware of the trends in the NHL, which fuels his motivation to be different.
"I must still be stronger: the size is there, I just need to take that weight – the strength, the strength of my legs and certainly work on my speed, too, "he said. "It's a fast game and a game whose size is decreasing too, I have to show that I can bring speed and size to the game, as well as my skills."
For Ratcliffe, everything is a question of state of mind. When you are 6-6 years old and you are often misunderstood, that must be it.
"If you're going to fight and you think you're going to lose it, you're going to lose this battle, and if you come in and think you're going to win, you have a great chance to take the lead," Ratcliffe said. "When you have that confidence and you will have that strength, combine both and you will be unstoppable, and that 's what I' ve tried to do: keep my trust and keep my strength. has really brought me where I am today and it will push me to the front. "
Ratcliffe's fourth junior season is ahead of him in 2018-2019. It should attract the attention of everyone, not just for its size.
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