Re: Guys who play in the AHL never make it big. Here is the list of forwards currently in the top 30 for scoring who played in the AHL early in their career, and how many games they played in the 'A'.
Joe Pavelski - 16 games 2006-2007
Frans Nielsen - 54 games 2006-2007, 48 games 2007-2008
Bobby Ryan - 8 games 2006-2007, 48 games 2007-2008, 14 games 2008-2009
Martin St. Louis - 25 games 1997-98, 53 games 1998-99, 27 games 1999-00
Logan Couture - 4 games 2008-09, 42 games 2009-10
David Backes - 12 games 2005-06, 31 games 2006-07
Patrick Sharp - 53 games 2002-03, 35 games 2003-04, 75 games 2004-05
Kyle Okposo - 35 games 2007-08
Jiri Hudler - 57 games 2003-04, 52 games 2004-05, 76 games 2005-06
Bryan Little - 34 games 2007-08
Phil Kessel - 2 games 2006-07
By comparison Backlund played 54 games in the 'A' in 2009-10 and 1 in 2010-11; Baertschi played 32 games in 2012-13.
There is nothing about playing in the AHL that is indicative of a player who will not be able to contribute on the top line in the NHL.
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