[Cali Panthers Fan]

I've learned my lesson over the years by never getting too high or too low on a draft pick until they hit the age of 20 and/or start playing pro games. Once these guys physically mature, you get a better sense of what their game will look like, even longer for guys like Honzek with a lanky frame that he needs to fill out. Furthermore, you need to see if they can have success in a professional league, whether that be the AHL, KHL, or a top level European league, they need to demonstrate that they can produce/play at a high level in those leagues before I ever consider them to be a legitimate prospect.

It's so rare for guys to jump straight from junior/college to the NHL these days that it's reserved only for those elite players that were always too good or those levels. Everyone else takes time to develop and has ups and downs along the way, and that even continues once they make the NHL full time (see: Pelletier, Coronato both on the cusp).

Injuries are the biggest obstacle in a player's development. Valimaki would tell you that. My only worry is that some of these injuries will limit his long-term potential, but we won't know until he gets a full off season and comes back healthy.