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Originally Posted by Boreal
https://jhanhky.substack.com/p/how-to-ruin-a-player
Do you secretly work for the Oilers in player development and can’t help repping the same narrative with all prospects?
Of course he has warts as a player. He didn’t make the team out of camp. So let’s evaluate and focus on all of his flaws or potential flaws. Let’s not focus on what he’s good at. Let’s all be Brian Sutter and see if Martin St. Louis can be a grinder on the 4th line.
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That article is actually quite funny. That article
IS the Oilers' development plan. They let their prospects continue to play the game they want to, somehow believing that the other parts of their game will magically come around. How many prospects have the Oilers drafted and then did nothing to improve their game? Imagine of Rob Schremp could have learned how to skate? Oh wait, I forgot, skating is the easiest thing to teach a player and the easiest thing to improve upon. Better tell all those minor leaguers that the one thing that probably held them back the most was the one thing - the easiest thing - they could have learned. Imagine if any of their prospects could have learned to play defense? Or improved on any of the holes in their games? This is an organization that has been desperate for talent for the better part of 30 years, yet they always seem to fail at drafting and developing players. Could it be that they follow Han's brilliant approach to development? Yeah, looks that way.
The funny thing is it even extends to their NHL players and team. Don't worry about teaching McDoofus or German Gretzky a thing about playing on the defensive side of the puck, just let them be a net even for goals scored and goals against. That's how you win hockey games! Or maybe it isn't. Maybe that's why Scotty Bowman made Steve Yzerman make a commitment to playing both sides of the puck and turned him into a champion?
I learned something coming up through the minors in another sport. You are only as good as your weakest skill, and your weakest skill will keep you from progressing and keep you out of the show. If you are not willing to understand your weaknesses and learn to improve them to even an average level, your best skills will never be able to shine. I learned, too late, that it is important to identify these gaps and then work on them harder than any other skill you possess, as they are the ones that will help you the most and show your coaches you want to improve and be the best player possible. If you don't do that, other players will pass you buy and steal your opportunity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus
Funny, the most positive things scouts liked about Kerins pre-draft was his shot, vision and instincts. the only negatives were foot speed and needed to put on weight.
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His instincts are good. He has a nose for the net and knows how to use his teammates. Not overly enamored with his shot. His release isn't exactly quick and his velocity isn't high. What it is, is accurate and finds holes. Is that enough to get him to the NHL?
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He worked hard over the summer to put on about 15 lbs so I assume his leg strength is better for his foot speed and as you can see his shot is no muffin.
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The criticism doesn't mean I don't like the kid or don't think he could be something someday. It just means I observe things I think he needs to work on and that have potential to hold him back. I'm not going to look at his stats line and proclaim him to be one of the Flames' best prospects, because the same weaknesses still exist in his game. Junior hockey is like
Whose Line Is It Anyway. The points don't matter. At a time when the NHL demands so many things from players, especially foot speed and defensive awareness, player weaknesses need to be considered as much as their strengths, as it is the weaknesses that hold them back.
Again, not impressed with his shot. I would say it is more muffin than it is cannon. I see too many shots the goaltender overplays or let's get through him. I never like seeing goals where the goaltender is hanging his head because he knew he should have had that one. I see a lot of those with Keirns and I'm not sure those are going to find their way into the net against professionals at the next level. I again repeat that his shot is accurate and he loves that low shot just inside the post. That is a great shot to have in the bag and can lead to a lot of success. Will it translate to the next level or will he suffer Zavgorodniy syndrome?
Again, Keirns is not a bad player. I like a lot of what I see. If I were to pick a player that Keirns reminds me of, Luc Robitaille immediately comes to mind. Lucky Luc was not the greatest skater, did not have a cannonading shot, nor was he the best two-way player. But he was smart, he worked hard, and he had a knack for putting the puck in the net. His shot was accurate and he found more net than he did goaltenders. The difference I see is Robitaille had a great release, but that release took time to work on. Robitaille's work ethic was legendary and he worked endlessly to improve his shot and release to keep his edge.
Robitaille was a 9th round pick back when there were 12 rounds to the draft. So drafted in a similar position to Keirns. Luc was a bit more prolific in his scoring and played in the no defense era, so different expectations obviously. Different time and different expectations on what gets a player to the NHL, but an interesting contrast. I think there is definitely room in the Flames system for Keirns and he's got a skill that the Flames desperately need. The big question is will that one skill be enough to crack a lineup where the demands are so high? A player is the sum of their parts, and does the strength overshadow the weakness? That is the approach I take when I look at players and evaluate their potential.