Quote:
Originally Posted by ricardodw
Brodie and Gio had absolutely different starting points..... Brodie was likely close to 160 lbs when he was drafted. They both had a lot to work on to improve upon. Gio's initial way to the NHL was by being an agitator... He did not have the skill set to get drafted... not as a 18 year old and not as a 19 year old. These players had a list of things to work on.
Hamilton is a freak of nature being 6-5 and 200 as a 19 year old. He was 2-3 times better than Gio and or Brodie as a 18 year old... in 4-5 years Gio and Brodie caught up. As Flames fans we are expecting our best d-men to do better year after year. That is why we (as a group) turned on Russell last year. He had peaked out at the end of 2014-15.
Has Hamilton significantly improved from what he was as a 19 year old rookie?
Why the heck did he want out of Boston?
He has had 4 years of NHL coaching and sports psychologists.
What will he do differently this year over last year to make him better? Score more? will that win more games for the Flames?
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Regehr is a good a example of a D that started to put his defensive game together at around Hamilton's age, and he was a pure shutdown guy with no offense to speak of. If Hamilton can become half of what Regehr was in his own end, the rest is already there. Most Dmen aren't great defenders age 18-23, there is no reason Hamilton can't improve in this area by a fair amount over the next year or two.
If he is still lacking defensively at 25-26, I will concede the point. However, for right now, it's too early to say what will happen. The kid has all the tools, it's just a matter of putting it all together. Of course there are no guarantees, but to EXPECT he won't improve is a weird opinion IMO.