Quote:
Originally Posted by vilzeh
also the SM-Liiga is not a physical league, that's a huge step to take when you come over to the NHL/AHL, because players do play fast and with power. The good example is Mikael Granlund, he has silky smooth hands and hockey IQ but he can't keep up with the speed & physicality going on.
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Sure, that's always a huge step, but somehow that hasn't deterred teams from drafting European prospects. Barkov isn't in any special situation in that regard.
However, a couple of things. First of all, Granlund is tiny so obviously he'll struggle with the physicality more than a big guy will. Second, as we've seen with Bärtschi for example, it's a huge step from a Canadian junior league to the NHL as well. The leagues are different, and I'm sure that simply because of the wealth of experience over the decades and availability of information teams are more confident in projecting NA junior players. At the same time, there are fewer mistakes, stronger defensemen, and better goaltenders in the European leagues so the prospects end up playing a slightly different kind of game (and their highlight reels won't be as dazzling).
When scouts rank prospects, they try to take all that into account. Barkov is just the highest rated European skater, the same issues of transition arise with every other prospect.