2012: Player gets drafted in the 1st round and it is widely expected he will take several years to develop. Mooted plan has him spending a year in the USHL before joining Providence in the NCAA. From day one it looks like the player is 5 years from playing in the NHL.
It is decided that the player will join Providence a year earlier than expected, making a huge jump, in terms of development, from high school hockey to NCAA.
Player shows solid signs of improving his notable weaknesses (filling out, learning strong defensive game and well-organised team systems) during his 1st season playing against strong opposition in college. Contributes to Providence's first winning record in several years.
2013: Used in all situations, the player has become a go-to guy for his coach. Improved his goal output by 5 goals and improved from a +5 to a +15 in his sophomore season. Still only 19, the player is developing at exactly the pace he was always going to develop. By the time he goes pro in 2 years he'll be an afterthought (behind Monahan and Bennett) with little to no pressure. He should become a very solid part of the young core of this team.
I can understand objecting to how early he was picked by the Flames, but anyone proclaiming Jankowski a 'bust' at this stage needs to take a break from the crack pipe.
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