Quote:
Originally Posted by David Struch
Jesse Puljujarvi
Dylan Strome
Michael Dal Colle
Valeri Nichushkin
Griffin Reinhart
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Yes, sometimes players don't work out, though for most of those guys you named the jury is still out (I mean, Puljujarvi is only in his D+3). Sometimes they do and that's why one needs to make their observations carefully. There are definitely players who have had some real success, but not until many years after their draft day. Some of them were even very high picks, such as:
Blake Wheeler
Brayden Schenn
Nazem Kadri
Kyle Turris
Elias Lindholm
Sean Couturier
For a prospect to break out, a lot of factors, both internal and external, have to go right. Sometimes teams make a serious long term investment in their prospects, even at the expense of short term success - the highest scoring line in hockey right now is Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen, and yet two years ago they were each part of a team that had
only 48 points. A prospect usually needs a defined role, both ES and on special teams. Brad Treliving mentioned in the offseason that the Flames were looking for forwards they thought were ready-to-pop but had not yet. The two young right wingers they acquired were Austin Czarnik and Elias Lindholm. Do you think they acquired these guys based solely on their counting stats? Or do you think they thought there were attributes that would make these two players successful if given more, or better opportunity?
In fact, when you compare every minute Lindolm and Bennett have played in the NHL,
including this season, their 5 on 5 production is eerily similar:
5 on 5
Ages:
Sam Bennett: 18-22
Elias Lindholm: 18-23
TOI Total:
Sam Bennett: 3351.85
Elias Lindholm: 5182.23
Goals/sixty minutes:
Sam Bennett: 0.68
Elias Lindholm: 0.51
Assists/sixty minutes
Sam Bennett: 0.72
Elias Lindholm: 0.83
Points/Sixty minutes:
Sam Bennett: 1.40
Elias Lindholm: 1.34
How does that happen, that Sam "Stone Hands" Bennett has to-date produced minute-for-minute about the same as our current leading goal scorer at 5 on 5?