Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
These are all good points - but Ferland started out in hockey much later than these guys. Most of the guys you are using in your example were all way ahead of Ferland and were relatively high picks. Ferland was a 5th round pick, who then blossomed into a scorer.
It is always difficult to find comparables in such cases, but I don't think any of the guys you mentioned are really direct comparisons - at least when it comes to development timelines.
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Yeah when I picked those power forwards it was a comparison of years development in the NHL instead of age. These guys were always going to be better but still needed a few years experience compared to snipers and skill guys that came into their own in 2-3 seasons compared to power towards needing 4-5.
I don't know if Ferland is going to be top 6 material, but I think a good direct comparison is Glencross who took a few years and three teams to finally develop into a strong third liner who could fill in top 6 minutes. I think the biggest disservice ever done to him was trying to force him into top line minutes when he was always more effective at the 15 min range.
Its easy for Hathaway to play with that intensity for 8-10 mins a game, if the coaches want Ferland playing 15-18 (I don't actually know what he's at) I could see them teaching him to reign in the aggression and saving energy and I feel this season is him learning the balance, some games he's 100%, some he's 20% but with more experience he will find the good balance like Glencross did. Thats my hope at least.