Quote:
Originally Posted by Slanter
Can somebody explain this to me like I'm 5? The guy is 23 (a young 23; just had his birthday in April). The only guys that scored more goals than him in the AHL are older (by 2-4 years). He plays centre, where the Flames have hardly any depth. He's obviously tearing up the AHL, yet he's not considered a top Flames prospect?
I honestly don't understand why he isn't considered likely to become a regular in the NHL. I'm not trying to say I'm smarter than the Flames coaches/development staff. There's obviously a reason.
What is it?
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Being dominant in the AHL is often, but not always, an indicator that the player is an NHLer waiting for their chance. The one caveat to that is that there is a subset of players who are quick enough to put up points in the AHL, but just aren't quick enough to be effective in the NHL - a combination of being too small AND too slow, makes them unable to make the jump.
There are countless guys that fit that mold, but a good recent example with the Flames would be Austin Czarnik - could put up a point a game in the AHL annually, but just didn't have the tools to be effective in the NHL. Kerins is a very similar player, IMO.