Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Mark "Fricken" Jankowski (aka The Big Jankowski)

Bandwagon In Flames · 02-10-2014, 08:21 PM

I do agree with most of what you said. Believe me, I want Jankowski to succeed as much as any fan.

However, Jankowski was and is a boom or bust type pick. It was called a hail mary at the time and it's still unclear where this kid projects to be. Whenever you draft a kid out of high school it's hard to predict how he'll make the jump to a more professional level. He played a small kid skilled type of hockey and then became a tall lanky adolescent man. In theory that sounds great, but not everyone can play a big mans game. He's not a gritty player and it's hard to teach that after playing a certain way for your entire childhood.

I agree that we now have plenty of depth and have been fortunate that some of our 2nd-4th round prospects are looking very promising. If Sieloff didn't suffer a major setback, this could possibly look like a home-run decision by Feaster. But at the time we certainly didn't have much depth or players that looked to be stepping into the organization in the near future.

At the end of the day, it's going to come down to what happens in the next 3 years. If he progresses at his current rate, we can be looking at a solid 3rd line player with offensive upside. I think/hope his floor is a 3rd liner and ceiling can be a 1st liner, but nothing is ever guaranteed in this sport.

It's just tough seeing players drafted around his spot that are making great strides in the NHL. I stand by my opinion that Feaster should of gone with the safe pick at the time. Jankowski most definitely wasn't the BPA, as that factors in the likely hood of the player meeting his ceiling, as well as how long until their ready. A player that might be ready for the NHL after 4 years of college cannot be considered the BPA in the top 30 (even if it was a weaker draft year).

02-10-2014, 08:21 PM	#1330
Bandwagon In Flames Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Flame Country Exp:	I do agree with most of what you said. Believe me, I want Jankowski to succeed as much as any fan. However, Jankowski was and is a boom or bust type pick. It was called a hail mary at the time and it's still unclear where this kid projects to be. Whenever you draft a kid out of high school it's hard to predict how he'll make the jump to a more professional level. He played a small kid skilled type of hockey and then became a tall lanky adolescent man. In theory that sounds great, but not everyone can play a big mans game. He's not a gritty player and it's hard to teach that after playing a certain way for your entire childhood. I agree that we now have plenty of depth and have been fortunate that some of our 2nd-4th round prospects are looking very promising. If Sieloff didn't suffer a major setback, this could possibly look like a home-run decision by Feaster. But at the time we certainly didn't have much depth or players that looked to be stepping into the organization in the near future. At the end of the day, it's going to come down to what happens in the next 3 years. If he progresses at his current rate, we can be looking at a solid 3rd line player with offensive upside. I think/hope his floor is a 3rd liner and ceiling can be a 1st liner, but nothing is ever guaranteed in this sport. It's just tough seeing players drafted around his spot that are making great strides in the NHL. I stand by my opinion that Feaster should of gone with the safe pick at the time. Jankowski most definitely wasn't the BPA, as that factors in the likely hood of the player meeting his ceiling, as well as how long until their ready. A player that might be ready for the NHL after 4 years of college cannot be considered the BPA in the top 30 (even if it was a weaker draft year).