I had some somewhat critical comments on Reilly, in that I said it didn't look like he was the second freshman coming of LeLegia (not that that is really very critical.) I thought Marshall was better than most gave him credit for last year, and Alt not quite as good as some thought. People definitely interpret D play differently. I think people who haven't played much, look at the offense they generate and look for glaring errors. Others look as much at positioning, angles, shot-blocking, break-out passes etc.
As for how good Reilly is, and if he is the best freshman. I've only seen 3 games. But when I watched Skjei closely, in one game, I saw some solid D, without major errors. He is not as flashy offensively as Reilly, but I am not sure I would say Reilly is clearly the best freshman given Skjei's play. (Although he may be by the end of the year, or could be as low as third is Skjei and Wilcox take off.) Reilly has tremendous offensive upside, but this weekend on the powerplay, there were times he showed the poise of a rookie. Making an ill advised play or getting rid of the puck too quickly. That resulted in a loss of possession a couple times. They weren't blantant mistakes, just rushes when he had more time. I remember being impressed with LeLeggia's poise as a frosh last year (but maybe that was later in the season) and haven't seen a game like that out of Reilly yet. In no way am I saying he isn't playing very well. And it is rare to have a D who can adjust as quickly as LeLeggia, but his play last year and Reilly's points from last year meant I had extreme expectations (or really, hopes) for him. And my guess is that anyone being critical of his play are comparing his play to the very high expectations for him, rather than to play of freshman D in general.
