"He's an elite skater," said Head Coach Lindy Ruff. "He's got elite escape ability. He can escape on the run, or he can escape from a standstill from anybody because he's got that elusiveness to his game. I don't know where that ceiling is but I think if he's inside, if some of the smaller space goals come along, I think the ceiling can be higher."
One area Bratt has improved in quite a bit is his consistency with play away from the puck. Which has helped generate more touches per game and more opportunities to score or get in on the offense.
"I try to be a good two-way player that the team can trust and the organization can trust and I feel like for me, playing a good D-zone game and sticking to the structure in a good way helps me to win more pucks back," said Bratt. "And then I can go back and play in the O-zone where I want to play, so for me having a good defensive game and together with my line, we've stripped some more pucks and then turned the puck and went the other way."
Over the last five games, he has two goals and five assists. His line, as a whole, has been a bright spot despite the up-and-down performance of the team itself. Bratt is creating a lot of that success himself with his play.
"He's created a lot of his own opportunities just with speed and getting behind people," said Ruff. "But it's a hard game to just do that every night. I think the inside part of the game is where he can make some huge gains. Like getting second opportunity goals, driving the net type goals, stuff like that. But he's a detail guy. He's a hard worker, and he's been a good player for us."
It hasn't always been a straight upward development for Bratt. There have been times in past seasons in which he has lost minutes or sat due to some inconsistencies in his effectiveness but that seems to be turning around for him this year.
"I think he's making plays, he's confident making plays," said Zacha. "He's skating on pucks. I think it's something where he's hard to play against in those areas where he gets the puck and he can turn around and create great space. At the start of the season, I think he was making the same plays they just didn't go in for him. You just stick with it. And now he's getting rewarded. It's great for him."
He's more consistent in his efforts and as Zacha said, sticking with the process even if things aren't going his way. And now Bratt and the Devils are reaping the benefits.
"I really believe that he has kept his game at a fairly consistent level that his 1-on-1 compete, his details, playing our system details and defensive play have been good," said Ruff. "Any time you're playing that way away from the puck, the minutes really go up. So, for me, there are a lot of things that I think he's really improved on."
"I just like his work ethic," Zacha added. "I think he's working to get better every game and every practice. So it's great to see."
Bratt has 18 points (6-12-18) through 20 games played this season, a career-high 25-goal, 74-point pace. He's never finished with more than 16 goals or 35 points in a season. He's also never finished a full season, coming the closest as a rookie (74 games).
The Devils are pleased to see he is well on his way to smashing those personal bests if things continue as they have thus far.
