Major statement from Canadiens Director of Hockey Development on prospect Sean Farrell

« Sean Farrell, to me, is a player with a very good head on his shoulders. He's phenomenal. He knows how to read the ice. He plays chess when everybody else is playing checkers. This guy is going to be very, very special. He thinks the game through and he has elite tools; his shot is actually really underrated. He has a lightning shot. And he's an elite passer," Nicholas praised, during a Twitch Q&A in May. "He knows how to reload, create shifts, double-team to draw two opponents to give himself options to carry the puck, and his passing ability is among the best I've seen. He is able to control the puck really well and that is his main strength. He's also very good on the power play. »

« In his case, the best development context is to give him more experience against men. That's why he went to the World Junior; to gain experience. He was great at the Olympics. Everyone saw how good he is there. You just have to keep giving him experience because he's not as big as the others," explained Nicholas, referring to Farrell's 5'8", 174 lb. stature. "The smaller he is, the more he has to know how to protect himself against a 200-pound guy, so he doesn't expose himself and he doesn't get taken out of the lineup. Because we want to play him as much as we can. Then he'll just have to understand the day-to-day effort of the NHL. That's going to help him, too. »

« Without the puck, this kid is a magician," said Nicholas. Sean knows how to move and where to go to get space with the puck. He rarely finds himself in problematic, high-pressure situations, and that's usually a key asset in a smart, smallish player with a good head on his shoulders. »