Quote:
Originally Posted by opendoor
I think his age is being overblown; it's not like he's a year younger than the other guys. He's only 2 days younger than Teravainen, 3 weeks younger than Maatta, 1 month younger than Forsberg, and 6 weeks younger than Dumba.
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Let me ask you this.
What if Ryan Murray and Nail Yakupov were not approximately 11 months older than the list of players you just mentioned? Would they have gone one and two in the draft? That timespan may not seem like a great deal of time, but for some of the kids it will prove to be everything. Just look at the growth a player like Baertschi made this past season, or the growth Yakupov made over this last year alone.
I think his age absolutely plays a huge factor in this for two reasons
1. He has the greater potential to physically improve his strength and add weight to his large frame.
2. He has the least amount exposure to high level coaching and training.
Let's face it, high school prep hockey does not offer you the same opportunities to learn and develop as a player when compared to the CHL or junior divisions in Europe. For the first time next season he will be playing in a proven hockey program that has produced some extremely high end talent in the past few season's.
When you add those factors in with the raw skillset he posses who's to say just how good this kid can be in a years time.
And, yes. I completely understand that their is a risk that he will not progress as we all hope he will.