Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
Young guys should be taking steps forward. If they are regressing - that is regression. If they are just remaining at the same level - they are stalling.
I really trust the opinions of Drury and Alberta Beef since I know they watch a number of games and aren't just stat-watching, or basing their decision out of the 'guys who came up seemed ready'.
Poirier didn't seem ready, and I would consider him one of the more important prospects.
Wotherspoon hasn't progressed much - up and down.
Ditto for Kulak.
Shore looked about the same - a guy who I wouldn't care if the Flames don't retain.
Grant - has shown a huge improvement in his stats since arriving in Stockton - but from his last call-up to his most recent one, has there been improvement?
What about Arnold? Injuries is a good excuse, so we can wipe him off the good or bad example.
Development isn't a linear straight line increase from year to year. Prospects have down years and good years. You just want to see progression in their games with and without the puck, on and off the stat sheet. You expect young prospects to improve based on them 'learning to be a pro', 'gaining experience', 'gaining strength and size', and 'proper developmental coaching'. How much is Huska factoring-into 'proper developmental coaching'? You can't see that on a stats sheet necessarily.
One guy who I thought looked much better is Sieloff based on his NHL time. That is a definite improvement I see in a player.
My perception of Huska is 'mixed', but I don't watch enough Stockton games at all. I would rely on the opinions of the people who watch them more like Drury, Alberta Beef, Caged Great, etc.
Just my opinion - I just find that there are some people arguing too vehemently based on a handful of prospects they have seen come up lately, rather than the Stockton team itself (and I mean watching the games and forming an opinion based on gameplay - not individual and even team stats which can be extremely misleading).
Also, if this is indeed the worst team points-wise, there MAY be something to this. Remember when the Flames first went to Abbotsford? Darryl wanted only legitimate young prospects on that team, and didn't rely on established vets. Are they performing as badly as that team did? If they did, that is a reason for concern, as I would figure the prospect base is indeed much better than it was back then. Again, the division may be tougher, or there is more focus or priority in a different spot organizationally than just the win/loss record - but I would point out that it indeed MAY be an area of concern if this team is worse than that one.
Either management is really happy with Huska, or they aren't - I don't buy into any public statement with regards to it as often a coach gets complimented and fired within a short time-frame by management. You know - 'the dreaded vote of confidence'.
My own opinion of Huska - I am disappointed in Kulak, Wotherspoon, Poirier and Arnold. Is that on Huska, or is that on the players? I don't know where to place the blame as I haven't watched enough Stockton games at all this season - but I would say I am concerned at not seeing progression in some of the call-ups this year. Wotherspoon I have seen a bit of progression - but not as much as I would have expected. I thought he was on the cusp of making the NHL 2 seasons ago, and I feel he is perhaps just a bit more 'on the cusp', and that is all.
Edit: My point is that it feels like some posters are being attacked for their opinion, though they seem like posters who follow Stockton quite a lot and who have put in valid arguments in the past and have been trustworthy in their praise or condemnation of coaches and players. Just wanted to point that out. It is feeling almost like an 'attack' on them rather than a discussion based on a dissenting opinion.
|
See, the prospects you are talking about aren't top quality prospects, for the most part. We are talking about later round picks, guys who really never looked all that likely to make the NHL and rarely do.
I mean, how many players from your average draft class go of 200 on to become NHL players outside the 1st round? Wotherspoon was a late 2nd, Kulak a 4th, Shore a mid 2nd(not even our mid 2nd), Arnold a 4th. Grant was a free agent signing that the Sens didn't even want, anything you get out of a cheap pick up like him is gravy in my opinion. These are all guys I'm really not going to lose sleep over, because I didn't think their chances of making the NHL full time were that high anyway. Yeah, you hope that they develop into NHL players, but the statistical chances of them doing so are slim at best surely?
My concern next season will be Gillies, Janko, Shinkaruk(if he starts with the farm) and Kylington. Mangianpane and Andersson should they turn pro. Fingers crossed that Pollock can also have an impact if he joins the team. If our better prospects start struggling, then I'll be concerned. But Kulak, Wotherspoon and Arnold might be stagnating or regressing? Meh.