Quote:
Originally Posted by 442scotty
Still have high hopes for Janko. Get him in the AHL next year and lets see what he can really do.  |
I agree with you somewhat - I think Jankowski may indeed be ready to enter the AHL next season. Wouldn't hurt playing him with better wingers, that's for sure! However, I still think patience is key with this kid, and I am actually very comfortable with him continuing with Providence next year.
It has been a while since I have added much to this thread, so here goes!
I think the worst-case scenario for Jankowski was getting drafted by the Flames. Why? Because the Flames were DESPERATE for young blood. I believe this was part of Feaster's reasoning for his idiotic proclamation that Jankowski was going to be the best player in the draft. Regardless if he felt that was true or not, it was at least partly driven by Feaster to sell 'hope' to the fanbase (and at the same time, trying to push any blame onto Weisbrod if it didn't work out!). I liked the fact that the Flames were willing to draft a project as I think it showed they were not looking for quick-fixes, and that they were finally starting to plan for the future instead. I just hate how they trotted him out in that way, and it quickly escalated into the biggest joke of the draft. Really felt sorry for the kid right after Feaster's comments.
Todd Button actually spoke about Jankowski - was in one of Sureloss' posts regarding the current Flames prospects. He said (paraphrasing) "Having a bunch of prospects emerging into the NHL and doing well takes the pressure off with regards to Jankowski and allows the Flames to be more patient with him." Something like that. I think we can all agree with him on that now.
Jankowski was a project - a long-term project. He could very well pay-off and be a key component of this rebuild. I actually believe he will be. Let him keep developing physically, let him keep developing his 2-way game, and give him a chance to dominate before turning pro - may help his confidence when he does turn pro. I think he may indeed be ready to step into the AHL next season, and if he really is fully ready, I would support it. I would think at this point he is being developed properly in Providence. I do think it is tough as a fan to gauge how good he really is doing as compared to the other Flames' prospects though.
If he was in a program run by someone who wasn't so respected (Nate Leaman is a fantastic coach to develop under) or was being developed in a way that wasn't conducive to the pro game, then I would be hoping he would leave Providence ASAP. I like that he is being forced to play 2-way hockey even if it may be hurting his offence a bit. I like that Leaman likes to use Jankowski in key points in the game. I don't think Jankowski would necessarily be getting as much experience in the AHL as he may be getting in Providence at the moment, though I may be wrong. Reinhart and Arnold are both further ahead of him developmentally (and are both older), and Granlund is definitely ahead of him developmentally.
For me, I thought Jankowski was more of a 'risk' (i.e. bust potential) due to him not playing at a high enough level in regards to systems and defence. I think offensively, he has a tonne of skill, but I do think his two biggest questions marks coming out of the draft was his physical development (which is coming along very nicely now) and his ability to play within a structured system - specifically defensively. I think his development has been perhaps a little bit disappointing for stat-watchers. However, when you take into consideration everything to do with Jankowski as a prospect - especially the weaknesses coming into the draft, and the type of game Providence plays - I think he is coming along admirably and I think his 'bust' potential has dramatically fallen. Can he bust? Sure he can. He can still be an outright bust and I do understand some posters who are adamant that he will bust. I just think the chances of him doing so are so much lower now as we have seen him developing in the NCAA.
I still believe he can be a top-line center (though probably never a 'star' center or anything of the ilk), but I also think he would make for a great bottom 6 center as well (which for me, erases much of the bust potential) due to his size, skating and IQ. People may laugh or roll their eyes for my continued belief in his ceiling, but he has excellent skating, excellent vision and passing abilities, and since last season, he has started going hard at the net more. He does have a huge amount of talent, and it will be interesting to see how it translates. I do think his ceiling is still that of a top-line center, but also think he can also be a very good bottom-6 center or even winger. I really believe as the last few years have rolled by since the draft, he has a lot of holes in his game being patched up. With his size and skating ability, combined with his IQ, vision and skill level - he is the type of prospect that can fit anywhere in a lineup. I think he will provide loads of versatility, and at least be a guy that can help shut-down opposing lines while providing depth scoring.
I think a lot of prospects bust because they are often not dedicated enough (Jankowski seems to be, and has apparently been working out very hard putting on much needed size), or they are poor skaters with skills (Jankowski is actually pretty quick and agile on skates, and becomes even more impressive with his size), or they have low-IQ (High IQ has always been one of his strengths in every draft report about him and that is evident with how quickly he picked up his defensive responsibilities in Providence). Lousy attitude also seems to be a big underlying reason why a prospect busts, but I don't think I have ever heard anyone mention any negative attribute about Jankowski's attitude in any way.
Providence (IMO) plays a very NHL-type game relying on structure and solid defensive acumen. I am rather comfortable with him continuing to develop under such circumstances. I hope that he exceeds expectations and turns pro after this season, but I am very happy to see him continuing his development in Providence even if he isn't throwing up big numbers offensively. With all the prospects starting to emerge out of the pipeline, I think we should be extremely patient with Jankowski. I think if the Flames show a lot of patience, he is going to be a key player down the road. 6'4" centers with that skill level and skating ability are difficult to find in any draft. I still find him, Gaudreau and Ferland the most interesting prospects in the system, and I am very high on all 3.
A key change since the draft really is that the Flames can afford to take their time with him. Providence for another year after this if there is value there, 'x' amount of time in the AHL, and then hopefully gets to the point where he deserves a cup of coffee in the NHL and hopefully become a key contributor.
/end my semi-annual long Jankowski post.