I am in the the box that thinks size matters, and if you build a team of midgets, then you will really struggle in the playoffs. That's the key word for me, however - TEAM. You can't have too many, but you definitely can have some.
I think people are a little overly-fixated on this right now simply because the drafted 3 undersized players this past draft - Reschny, Potter and Wyttenbach. If they all make it, that's great - if the Flames do end up a little undersized, you can trade one or two. It isn't an issue. Why isn't it an issue?
Honzek - 6'4"
Gridin - 6'1"
Basha - 6'0"
Battaglia - 6'1"
Stromgren - 6'3"
Stockselius - 6'2"
Zary - 6'0"
Laing - 6'6"
Suniev - 6'2"
I think there is a lot of size and skill here. I think the Flames can withstand an injection of undersized guys without being worried too much about ending up as an undersized team.
Size - Skill - IQ - Speed - Character - Physicality: These are the traits that the Flames are focusing on, but you can't get all of these traits in one package unless you draft HIGH. That's why I am still a huge fan of the Honzek trade, as he has everything other than being a really physical force. I don't see the Flames necessarily prioritizing so much on any particular sets and forgetting about others. I think what they do is focus on IQ as a 'must' for every prospect, but they seem to be taking both undersized and oversized prospects, when available. I think they have been a fairly balanced team in terms of drafting.
We all see holes - not enough top-end centers, maybe a bit light on the RW, etc., but I don't see an undersized prospect base, even when accounting for expected positions if they develop enough to make the NHL. If the Flames go into the next draft and draft all undersized players - especially from rounds 1-4 - then we start to see a trend that way that could be worrisome, but at this point, I feel it is a nice mix actually.
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