Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
Bourque (and Stankoven especially) look like high-skilled players, but I wouldn't target either of them in a trade for as a centre. Stankoven is 5'8", so will he likely be a centre in the NHL? Bourque is 5'10". I would guess that both will transition to the wing.
I don't think there is any weirdness going on with Bourque not getting any NHL games yet. Dallas is a fairly good team, and this is only his 2nd pro season. He will probably see some NHL games this year if there are injuries, otherwise I would peg him to get longer looks next season, unless Dallas doesn't see him as an NHL'er.
What is impressive is that they both lead the lead in points - Stankoven #1, Bourque #2, and funny enough, Jankowski #3.
Bourque's points aren't outrageous.
Rookie year: 70GP, 47Pts
This year: 41GP, 47Pts
Comparing him to Coronato, Dube, Pelletier for rookie seasons would see Bourque ranked 4th, as all the above were PPG (though only Pelletier played a full season in the AHL, so you have to go by P%). Jankowski led his team in points as a rookie.
The best comparable on the Flames is actually Mangiapane - they have eerily similar numbers for both years.
It does make me want to watch some more Texas Stars games and see how they are together. Anyone know if they play on the same line? They are both listed as centres. I wonder if one (or both?) have been moved to the wing. If they play together, who is the catalyst? If they don't play together, who is getting the prime opportunities?
Either way, if the Flames are trading for one of them, I would look at them as wingers rather than centres, though there are exceptions in the NHL. Brayden Pointe is a great example, as he is only 5'10" as well, so it will be interesting to see what position they end up playing when they make it to the NHL. Conroy stated that Coronato is a winger, not a centre, at the NHL level, and that's due to size apparently - Coronato is also 5'10".
As an aside, I wonder why Conroy doesn't have much of a belief in Zary being a centre. The way he handles the puck and make solid defensive plays, along with his vision - I see a centre. He isn't slow or undersized either. At times he seems more like a centre than Kadri does. He looks like the most promising prospect to eventually become a top 6 centre. I still hope he gets a look at centre this season and next. Centre is definitely the biggest hole in the prospect pool.
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