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Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan
Yes, he's a legitimate prospect, one that went undrafted the year prior and had a big jump in numbers this year. Dude went from 1 point in the 2 prior seasons getting limited playing time due to injuries and coaching decisions, to scoring 40 points in 64 games, mostly goals. To me all that tells me he's a little behind the kids his age in terms of development. Last year was the first year he got real minutes and a chance to contribute more than just punching faces. He showed he could possibly do a lot more, but there's a lot to be proven and worked on for him to be a legitimate NHL player.
The good news is he has some nice raw tools to work with, and with good development he will be a guy like Ferland (not quite as good) who will need at least another year in junior, and likely 2 in the AHL before he is ready to contribute. Hence, 3 year project.
The NHL is a tough league to crack. Just ask Max Reinhart, Sven Baertschi, Corban Knight etc.
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He's 18. He's one month older than Draisaitl.
Yes, he went undrafted the prior year but as you said, it was a year of injuries. Also, he was a 17 year old who shot up to 6'7". Finally, he was a few days from not being draft eligible anyway, and simply being a 2014 draft prospect. Had he been born 5 days later and thus not 'gone undrafted', would you look at him differently?
He is not 'behind other players' as much as one might expect a 6'7" kid to be behind. He is actually on pace with most.
Interesting that you compare him to Ferland and call him a face puncher.