With Anaheim, Patrick Maroon averaged just 12:35 minutes of ice time per game. With the Edmonton Oilers, he’s a top-six forward.
Though he’s only been with Edmonton for about a season and a half, Maroon has proven his worth and earned his minutes. Not only has he drastically upped his scoring totals, but he has become a huge part of the team. In addition, Maroon has made himself a staple on the Oilers’ top six. A lot of that can be owed to his surge in production.
Edmonton Oilers
Breaking Down Maroon’s Offence
First off, the 6-foot-3, 227-pound winger uses his size to his advantage. His frame is perfect for the NHL, and he uses his body to get in front of the net, creating screens and catching deflections and pucks in front. In fact, a lot of Maroon’s goals are from in front of the net.
Still, standing in front of the net is not the only area where Maroon shined. He has expanded his game and started to take more shots and has improved his shooting. Maroon attempted a career-high 300 shots, and 178 of them were on net. He finished the year with yet another career-high 15.2 shooting percentage, good for second on the Oilers roster behind Leon Draisaitl. With improved accuracy, as well as more shot attempts, Maroon was able to finish with better totals and make more use of his time on ice.
Not to mention, he has improved his speed and skates much more effectively. He lost 20 pounds prior to the 2016-17 campaign in order to keep up with Connor McDavid, and it has not only paid off but helped him improve in m
ultiple areas.
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With new-found offensive acumen, Maroon racks up an average of 1.86 points per 60 and finished with 27 goals and 41 points in 81 games this season. After improving in key areas, Maroon has earned his minutes, and now sees over 16 minutes of ice time per game. That could increase even more next year.