Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Why would we even think that Smith projects to be a plug? When McGrattan was drafted he had all of 11 goals and 26 points in total from his three seasons in the OHL. Smith had more goals and points this past season than McGrattan did in his entire OHL career up to the time he was drafted. We will see how much Smith benefited from occasional opportunities to play with Dal Colle, but he looks like a hell of a lot more than "basically McGrattan 2.0".
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Usually prime offensive talents that project to be top players have higher point totals in the junior ranks. I know that point totals are not the be all and end all, and I don't put a huge emphasis on them, but his #'s for a 19 year old are disappointing.
Tanner Pearson, the last overager drafted high, had 91 points in his age 19 year and is profiling to be a top 6 forward. Smith had 40. That's not a small difference. With the more limited offensive production, Smith should have a lot less offensive potential comparatively. Add in that most of his highlights are him smashing people, that leads me to believe that he's going to be a depth player.
That doesn't mean that depth guys aren't necessary. King and Boyle were definitely very important parts of the Kings and Rangers runs this year. However, I am very doubtful that his offensive abilities will extend much beyond a 25-35 point per year 3rd/4th line physical guy.
My McGrattan 2.0 statement is more about that being Smith's floor. He can throw them quite effectively, and the fact that he has average speed and is 6-6, he should at worst be a good goon down the road and that's only if his offensive abilities do not translate over.