Quote:
Originally Posted by cannon7
Yet the Dallas Stars, who have arguably better scouts than the Flames, gave him a $862K three year ELC.
Sorry if I put more credence there than some CP poster.
And the Flames were once led by an undrafted late bloomer like Wheatcroft in Giordano. There are approximately 175 undrafted players in the NHL.
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When the Flames signed Giordano he already had 2 excellent seasons in the OHL, leading his team in defensive scoring both seasons and earning a spot on the OHL first rookie all star team during his 19 year old season. He isn’t a good comparable to Wheatcroft.
A better comparable would be Tye Felhaber who the same Stars signed in 2019 to a 3 year ELC after he had 109 points and 59 goals in 68 games in the OHL during his 20 year old season. Since then he has bounced back and forth between the AHL and ECHL.
Giordano was a late bloomer, but he popped as a 19 year old. Very similar to most players that get passed over in the draft and then go on to have successful careers. Mangiapane for example went from 51 points to 104 points from his 18 year old to 19 year old season.
Wheatcroft had 20 points as a 19 year old. Granted he has been hampered by injuries throughout his junior career, (probably the major reason why Dallas is giving him a shot) but it’s a classic case of too little too late. These players exist every single year in junior.
I get it, it’s a harmless gamble to take, but there’s no reason to be concerned that Calgary didn’t sign this guy. Regardless, they don’t get first dibs on a player just because he’s from the area. For all we know, they actually liked the player but he liked the opportunity in Dallas best.