Kyle Platzer is having a career year in the OHL. His boxcars read 43 20-35-55 so far for the Owen Sound Attack. He’s scoring at a 1.28 point per game clip. This represents a huge increase in scoring for Platzer. To put his offensive jump in perspective, here’s a graph of Platzer’s point per game scoring since his draft year:
| 2012-13 (draft year) | .34 |
| 2013-14 (draft+1) | .55 |
| 2014-15 (draft+2) | 1.28 |
Here’s a graph of Platzer’s even strength point per game scoring since his draft year:
| 12-13 (draft) | .32 |
| 13-14 (+1) | .35 |
| 14-15 (+2) | .58 |
There’s a definite jump here. But… this is not the kind of even strength scoring jump needed to explain Platzer’s overall offensive boost.
Let’s look at his power play point per game scoring since his draft year:
| 12-13 (draft) | .02 |
| 13-14 (+1) | .18 |
| 14-15 (+2) | .56 |
Annnnnnd, there’s your answer.
A Thought About Opportunity
Platzer was drafted as a reputed “two-way” (re: defensively conscious, offensively poor) center. He was buried on a deep London Knights team and the thinking was, he’d thrive as he climbed the depth chart or found his way on to a weaker team.
Last year, Platzer was traded to Owen Sound mid-season. His box cars enjoyed a noticeable uptick with the move. 39 9-8-17; .44 PPG with London. 27 13-6-19; .70 PPG with Owen Sound.
But the real action didn’t start for Platzer until this year. And, the reason he’s scoring more (besides from being a year older and presumably enjoying better linemates and more time on ice) … he’s getting a lot more power play time.
Oilers’ fans have every reason to enjoy Platzer’s sudden success, but they should be warned: he’s unlikely to enjoy this kind of power play opportunity ever again in his hockey career and he’s yet to prove he’s a strong even strength scorer.
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