Nicholas: 'This guy is going to be very, very special'

MONTREAL -- If anyone understands the intricacies of forward Sean Farrell's game, it's Adam Nicholas.

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The Canadiens' director of hockey development previously worked with Farrell during his tenure with the USHL's Chicago Steel in a player development and skill development capacity.
The pair was reunited at Development Camp last month where the former fourth-round selection and current Harvard University standout's remarkable skill set was on full display.
There's no denying that Montreal has a top talent in Farrell, and Nicholas knows it.
"Sean Farrell to me is a very heady player. He is phenomenal. He knows how to read the ice. He's playing chess and everyone else is playing checkers. For me, this guy is going to be very, very special. He thinks the game and he has elite tools, like his shot actually is very underrated. He can wire the thing. And he's an elite passer," praised Nicholas, during a
Twitch Q&A
in May. "He knows how to reload, create speed differentials, how to attack two checks to suck in multiple defenders to free up options for him to move pucks into, and his area passing is amongst the best I've seen. He can really manage a puck very well, and that's his strong suit. He's also very good on the power play."

The 20-year-old Hopkinton, MA native's performances at the Winter Olympics and IIHF World Championship earlier this year were particularly impressive.
After leading the Americans in scoring with six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in four games in China, he added another six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 10 appearances in Finland.
Nicholas says participating in international events versus bigger and more seasoned opponents was invaluable for the star pupil.
"For him, the number one player development situation is just getting more experience against men. That's why he went to Worlds, to get that experience. He was great in the Olympics. Everybody saw how good he was there. It's just continuously getting him that experience because he's undersized," explained Nicholas, referencing Farrell's 5-foot-9 and 175-pound frame. "The more he's undersized, he just needs to know how to protect himself against a 200-pound defender, so he doesn't expose himself and he's out of the lineup because we want him in as much as we can. And then just understanding the day-to-day grind of the NHL. That's going to help him as well."

The skills guru mentioned that his primary teaching focus with Farrell would be "a lot of edge control and deceleration to reacceleration stuff" to help the youngster "create more time and space on the puck" when he has it.
Then, Nicholas gave the prospect another cool compliment…
"Off the puck, this kid's a wizard," said Nicholas. "Sean knows where to move and where to go to get pucks with space. He rarely needs to problem-solve heavy pressure, and that's usually a key component of a smart, heady, undersized player."
There's nothing "undersized" about Farrell's desire to achieve success, though.
The 2021 USHL Player of the Year sets a good example for those around him.
"Sean is a leader. He's a quiet leader. I call him "The Silent Assassin" because he's very quiet, but he competes," added Nicholas. "He wants to win in everything that he does."