Jack Quinn was a bit of a hot-button topic going into the start of this season. He was coming off an average D+1 season playing in the AHL. There was some talk that he could push for a roster spot in training camp, but he had a disappointing preseason with the Buffalo Sabres.

Since then, he has taken his game to another level. The 20-year-old winger has been dynamic for the Rochester Amerks this season. He has 12 goals and 26 points in 20 games this season. He’s 10th in the AHL in points per game so far this year.

He has been deserving of a call-up to the NHL and it looked like he missed a window a few weeks ago while he was out with mono. Fortunately, another opportunity presented itself and he’ll make his NHL debut tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tracking Data

Last summer I wrote about what I observed in Quinn’s rookie season in the AHL. There were a handful of areas in his game that needed work for him to hit that next level. Well so far in his D+2 season he has gone down the list and checked off most of the areas of his game I thought needed to improve.

First off, he has gone from the bottom to the top of our 5 on 5 on-ice shot share and high-danger chart this season.

You can see in the chart above that in the games we’ve tracked that he has a 51% shot share and in the next viz below you’ll see he’s at the top with a 74% high-danger chances rate.

His ability to drive offense is all showing through in the primary shot contributions. He’s one of the top forwards on the team which again is a big improvement over last season.

The Canadian-born winger is known for his shot, but that’s not all he’s relying on this season. He’s also creating scoring chances for his teammates. He’s second on the team behind JJ Peterka in high-danger passes per game at 5 on 5.

Video

The numbers are only part of the story of validating the jump that Quinn has taken. Even if we didn’t have the numbers, you would be able to see Quinn jump off the screen when you watch the Amerks play. He consistently makes plays throughout a game that lead to scoring opportunities.

In the clip above you can see an example of a high-danger pass from Quinn that nearly leads to a goal on a transition play. Quinn and Peterka have combined for numerous highlight-reel plays on the rush throughout the season.

The most encouraging thing for me has been how he’s attacking the middle of the ice in the offensive zone this season. In the article I mentioned earlier looking at his rookie season, I tracked that the majority of his shots were from the perimeter. That has not been the case this year. He’s going to the net and attacking the defense. He has a knack for finding the spaces in the defense and the puck always finds him in those spaces.

Quinn has become a more effective player offensively not only because of how he has attacked the middle of the ice but also because he has improved on the perimeter as well. He’s no longer being pushed off the puck with ease by defenders and it’s allowing him to keep possession in the zone.

The final area that has seen improvement is his defensive play. He’s more engaged in his end of the ice and that is showing up in the numbers as well as giving him more transition chances. This video clip below isn’t a play that he makes in the defensive zone, but I like it. He is deep in the offensive zone and then the puck is turned over. Quinn buries his head and gets back into the play to disrupt the chance for Hartford.

Now we’ll get the opportunity to see if Quinn can continue this style of play against NHL speed. He’ll be thrown right into a good opportunity tonight playing with Dylan Cozens and Vinnie Hinostroza. It’ll likely be a short-term stay with the Sabres for their 2020 first-round pick, but it’ll be a good measuring stick.

Photo Credit: Rochester Amerks/Facebook