Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
Correction: they SAW nothing special, and CONCLUDED that production wouldn't translate.
That was last year. Things change. Progression is key, and his progression is highly indicative of success.
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I would also add the caveats that a scout on the Flames very much did see something special that could translate, albeit further from a sure thing than someone in the first round (acknowledging there’s no such thing as a sure thing).
And I don’t think it has anything to do with scouts being “typically correct” or not either. 5 scouts might have a guy ranked 5 different places, but where they end up going depends on who has watched him, what the team list looks like, what picks a team has, etc. For all we know St. Louis correctly identified him as a good pick for the late first/early second, but didn’t have a pick until 147 so missed out.
I think people put way too much stock in draft position. Scouting is educated guessing and there are a whack of reasons why the draft order shakes out the way it does. Yes, size makes it easier to apply a player’s talents at the NHL level, but I don’t think it’s the determining factor it once was and I think scouting/drafting is slow to catch up.