Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
Points aren't irrelevant either though, as they are generally a strong indication of performance, but they don't indicate progression.
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Completely disagree. Points are a red herring. A guy may be the ####tiest skater in the world and still put up tons of points in juniors. He may continue to dominate while NOT improving in an area where his weaknesses will prevent him from being even a passable player at the next level. A player may also see his team gutted and not have the supporting cast to score, but he takes a step forward in developing his skills while seeing his production drop. A player may also see his assignment change on his team, which could impact his points. Or in the case of Europeans, moving between leagues can hit your production. Points don't tell you how well a player has improved his skating, or how well he has improved his positioning or reading of the play. Points only measure how many times the player contributed to getting the puck past the goaltender. Points don't matter when it comes to determining if a player is progressing. Only looking at the sum of the player and acknowledging the player's weaknesses, and if there is improvement in those areas, can you determine growth.