Quote:
Originally Posted by TX_Flame
Very few posters are suggesting Kylington is a sure thing. However to write him off because he has defensive shortcomings that show up when he plays above his "weight class" against men is ridiculous. Yes, Phaneuf was a higher rated prospect at his age and didn't look as suspect defensively but he was playing against kids. Also, as already pointed out, even in his own draft year Shea Webber was not as highly rated either. I know who I would prefer now and it's not Dion. This is not to say that Kylington is going to become Shea Webber, but neither is he condemned to be worse than Phaneuf either.
|
His stepping up against bigger competition is a good indication that maybe his defensive shortcomings are often taken out of context. He was 16 when he was playing in professional leagues, and while that's not quite Hockey Canada's "exceptional player" status, it's still good merit.
I think it's good to have cautious optimism with Kylington. It's equal parts the trust in our scouts and prospect development coupled with the raw talent of Kylington.
In the last few years, more prospects have made the jump than ever before. Players like Ferland, Granlund, and Bouma have panned out quite well and justify the coaching and scouts being given more trust from the fanbase. The belief that Kylington will show some decent upside (which happens to be pretty high) is a reflection of that.
I don't think anyone's guaranteeing him being a top pairing NHLer in future. Kinda ridiculous when he hasn't played a season on NHL ice like Andersson has. But suggesting that the coaching staff and management has what it takes to teach him how to play defence isn't out of reach, especially when they've done a good job with our current D prospects so far. Not to mention the Flames' intent to have his development in their control.
Also, Kylington's skills aren't just being big, strong, or a wicked shot - he has elite skating ability and very good puck-handling skills. Those are traits that translate very well for a defenceman in today's NHL game. Teaching him defensive zone coverage and systems shouldn't be too much of a stretch unless he has a Baertschi-like attitude. I seriously doubt that - he fell all the way to #60. If he was picked at #15 I might be worrying about the percieved attitude issues more, but you could tell from his interviews that he was anxious as hell and relieved when the Flames called his name. Now he's motivated and has something to prove, that he will become one of the best defencemen of this draft.
As Calgary4Life outlined, Burke would've been present during all the talks and interviews with Kylington. IIRC, they took him out to dinner during the combine...probably to pick his mind more. So the Flames picking him after all that questioning from our management suggests that he's not a 'head-case' as previously mentioned.
He'll be soaking up whatever the coaches tell him, and this'll be even better if he was learning the Flames system in the AHL first to get used to the assignments and positioning. Someone mentioned his team Farjestad playing the AHL all-stars and he had a pretty decent showing, so unless he has a bad camp I expect him to start in Stockton this year if AIK is agreeable as Swedish Flame said.