[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I think you need to do better than that. If you are going to claim that many players are stunted in their development as a result of "overcooking" then you need to identify who these players are. Mark Giordano is possibly one. Where are the others?

In our system, I would actually look at Granlund as another example. Never really got an opportunity to be the player projected or what he showed as a junior player. Was a miscast prospect forced into a role not suited for his game. Rather than allow him to develop into the finished he appeared to be, they kept him in the minors to become a two way center. Another guy would be Wotherspoon. I think his time to make the jump was a couple seasons ago and he was never given the opportunity, and I think that he actually has plateaued.

Just thinking of other players around the league a few names jump to my mind. Joel Armia, Derrick Pouliot, Ty Rattie, Mark McNeil, Dylan McIlrath, Brandon Gormley, etc. You can talk to fans of every team and every single team will have prospect that were kept in the minors for various reasons, many times no room on the roster because of depth veterans. Its a common story.

Moreover, what is "overcooked" in your estimation? As I see it, a good indicator that a player is ready to make the jump is in how dominant he appears while playing in the AHL.

Over cooked is the point where a player has achieved a comfort level and the challenge may not be there. Again, you don't learn how to his a 90 mph pitch hitting against guys who throw 80. You don't learn to deal with guys with speed unless you play against guys with speed. You need to keep pushing players, and I think the Flames are a team that doesn't push their players enough to achieve or exceed.

Dominance in what though? If you're kept on the farm to do something that doesn't fit your game, then what? You're going to be kept down there to be something you're not. I would say both Baertschi and Granlund were lucky to get out of the Flames system and into one where there was opportunity. Both players were trending to be AHL players in the Flames organization.

Marcus Granlund had clearly outgrown the AHL, and he was promoted.

And played sparingly in a role really not suited to him, nor with players his skill level. Opportunity matters only if you are given actual opportunity. If you're a middle infielder and you are given an opportunity to play right field, is that really an opportunity? If you're a power

Michael Ferland was clearly too good for the AHL and he was promoted. So who is there that is languishing in a League that they have obviously outgrown? None of the current Flames prospects, as far as I can tell.

I like the way Ferland was handled, but he's one of a very few forwards that have come up through the system recently. Seems to indicate there is a problem someplace, no? I think that Shinkaruk was definitely held back because of contracts last year. The arrival of Tkachuk likely hurt his opportunities as well, as the team didn't like the idea of have two young guys up front. Again, as you said, luck and opportunity sometimes work against each other.

It's an interesting discussion and I doubt there will ever be a certainty reached either way, as teams seem to go through cycles and have different philosophies in handing their players. Just seems to be a long term challenge for this team.