Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
No, because Ruzicka will most likely be playing pro by that time. Either in North America as a Flames farm hand, or in Europe in one of the leagues over there. A big kid with skill like that will have all leagues interested in him.
On Gawdin's production, him being an overager, playing in his 5th year of junior hockey, is a reason to be extremely suspect of his numbers. If it were not for his numbers, he likely doesn't get noticed or talked about. Yes, he had a massive year where he experienced explosive improvement in his scoring numbers. That should be a red flag. He did so playing on one of the more dynamic lines in junior hockey, and with two very well regarded prospects (Heponiemi and Steenbergen). Did his skills take a quantum leap in development where he became a dominant player in the game, or was it a combination of his line mates and the age advantage? Can he do the same at the pro level where those advantages disappear? I would think if his explosive production increase was indicative of personal skills improving, he would have been a standout player at dev camp? He would have had a number of teams chasing him? I get that we like gaudy numbers, but is this the level he can maintain, or was it a one and done thing? I think that because of the age and experience advantage being removed from the equation the potential for the "one and done" scenario is much more likely.
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Were you aware Gawdin missed 40 games over the previous two seasons with various injuries? He still would have finished below Ruzicka in the draft+1 year if they played equal games, but not by as much. As to relying on his linemates, he was also the WHL playoff MVP, FWIW.
The main downside is his initials.