Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fonz
I'm surprised 6'4" Ruzicka hasn't gotten more support. Full disclosure, I haven't seen much of him, but just seeing the steady offensive progression since his draft along with his size leads me to think he's got a legitimate shot at being a full-time NHL'er:
Draft year - OHL - 1.06 ppg
Draft +1 - OHL - 1.37 ppg
Draft +2 - AHL - .50 ppg
Draft +3 - AHL - .75 ppg
He got a sniff last season with 3 NHL games, 1 assist and a +2 in that time. Kid only just turned 21 in May.
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Progression, yes, which is great.
But 0.75 PPG in the AHL for a draft +3 player, isn't exactly indication of a budding star.
He has shown nice progression to date - more than I expected, personally - but I don't think he has shown as much upside potential as the people that have been voted ahead of him (maybe Mackey notwithstanding, but Mackey might well be on the roster this year, and defensemen are evaluated differently).
IMO, Ruzicka falls somewhere in the next group, definitely below a guy like Stromgren, but probably comparable to guys like Heineman and Phillips.
Also, he may well be next, after Kuznetsov, or at least among the next few, so I don't think he is being slighted or overlooked.