Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto
What are they doing in Stockton? In the last three years the Flames AHL affiliates have graduated three players to the NHL. Ferland, Jooris and Ortio. They haven't graduated a Dman since Brodie. That was six years ago.
The Flames drafting over the years hasn't been great but I think the real failure has been the development. These players seem great when they are drafted and usually have a standout draft +1 in junior. Then when they get to Stockton/Adirondack/Abbotsford they hit a wall.
What's the point of having good prospect depth if you can't do anything with it?
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I would guess without looking that that is pretty normal. Pro is a huge jump from junior and a lot of guys simply aren't cut out for it. For a number of reasons. Not physically ready, can't process the game at a quick enough pace, too low hockey IQ, and some guys just lack the drive and determination to take that next giant leap forward.
My guess is our failure rate from junior to pro is relatively consistent with the league average.
Further, it would look better if three of our best players hadn't made the jump directly from junior or college to pro.
Brodie, Backlund and Bouma stand out as guys who worked up through the AHL. This year, Wotherspoon, Kulak, and Poirier all have a shot at upping our average too. Our prospect pool is a bit young to say our youth isn't turning out after junior to impugn our recent (post-Sutter) drafting.