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forward is by the departure of last year. When he touches the puck there-s a buzz in the crowd -- an electricity that something very special might be upcoming.With forward , it can be one of those pull-you-out-of-your-seat moves that are mesmerizing to watch -- or one of those now-you-see-him, now-you-don-t moments. The question is: When will the next glimpse of greatness appear?Minnesot fox nfl a WildAfter seeing some clips of that game, former Oilers star , now with Colorado, just shook his head in appreciation from afar at his former teammate. The two played together during Hemsky-s first four NHL seasons.Milan Hejduk Larry Wigge has covered the NHL since 1969. The longtime NHL columnist for The Sporting News, Wigge is now an NHL.com columnist and a frequent contributor to the websi fox nfl te. Related Links: Complete Wigge archive Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe will never forget the 2001 Entry Draft, when the Oilers made their first-round pick, 13th overall. The comparisons were varied - until he heard two names.Todd Marchant -Then (Oilers Director of Hockey Operations) Kevin Prendergast said he thought Ales could be compared to a young . One of the other scouts said he had fox nfl discussed the kid with Charlie Henry (the GM of Hemsky-s Hull Olympiques team) and Charlie told me; -His vision is outstanding. He-s one of those players who is not going to let go of the puck until he can make a play. ... He-s got some of that Jari Kurri flair.--Patrik Elias? -That did it,- said Lowe. -Hearing someone compare the kid to Jari Kurri, well, I can definitely visualize that talent. fox nfl And I-m not about to pass up that kind of skill.- And that comparison by It turns out that Hemsky adored Hejduk-s play as a kid and still trains with the Colorado star each summer. Shawn HorcoffKim JohnssonWith Smyth now in Colorado, the 24-year-old native of Pardubice in the Czech Republic wants to be the face of the Oilers. He knows he-s the team-s most skilled player; now he wants to b fox nfl e more than that.Jason SmithThere-s a pause after that part of his answer, while Hemsky tries to figure out how he will step up to the next level. Then, he continues, saying, -I can only show how much I want to be a leader on the ice. That-s why I-m here, right?-Jaromir JagrMats SundinSaku KoivuNicklas LidstromDaniel AlfredssonBut for all of Hemsky-s offensive skills, he-s never scored 20 goals or fox nfl topped 77 points in his four NHL seasons. That-s not exactly Gretzky-esque, even in a lower-offense era.-It's tough to have real good team success unless you have somebody in the top-20 in scoring. We need him to jump up into that category.-Sam GagnerAndrew CoglianoLate last season, with the prospects of having three first-round picks in the 2007 Entry Draft, Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe com fox nfl mented on what he had to build on - and started with Hemsky-s skill level. -Ales is probably the most talented player we've had in the organization in the past 10 years,- Lowe said. -And because we've witnessed it enough times with our own eyes, we know the potential is there for something wonderful to happen.-Everything seems so easy, so natural for Hemsky the way he skates and dangles with the p fox nfl uck, looking for a shot or a pass. One-on-one, he relishes the opportunity to beat any opponent.That-s the challenge that seems to be driving the 6-foot, 192-pound curly-haired virtuoso with those incomprehensible improvisational skills.Bottom line: Those invisible moments, where Hemsky would disappear for a few games, don-t seem to be happening much any more. fox nfl
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