[News] With the 21st overall pick Flames select C Mark Jankowski

[opendoor]

I don't know that I'd compare Wheeler's level of competition pre draft to Jankowski's. They're both high school leagues, but there are a host of NHL players who've played USHS both as 17-18 year olds (Parise, Wheeler, Oshie, Stepan, Kreider, etc.) as well as younger players who played as 16-17 year olds (Crosby, Toews, Stafford, etc.). As far as I'm aware an NHL player has never come out of the league Jankowski played in.

That doesn't mean he won't succeed, but comparing USHS to CAHS is a bit of a stretch.

[Northendzone]

Wonder if jay, John and Craig will still have an office in the dome when this kid is ready to come have a cup of coffee in Calgary.....

[showtime]

I dont know if the USHL is a hockey secret just the Flames have never really dipped into that much.

Since 2000 you usually have 1 guy from USHL being drafted in the first round. You could field a decent team with USHL alum.

[Yakbutter]

Very interesting first round pick with Jankowski. Feaster and Co. could of gone the easy route and selected one of the higher rated prospects still available such as TT or Grigensons. Instead they really stuck their necks out and went off the boards and grabbed their "guy". A pick like this really puts on responsibility and heat on Feaster and Wiesbrod if he doesn't turn out. In a way it's good I suppose, it shows they are confident in their pick.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

Hey everyone,

It could've been worse. We could've drafted a CCHL, BCHL, and High-NH player like the Canucks did

Could you imagine the freakout session CP would have. Lt.Spears would have an aneurysm.

Link: http://www.forecaster.ca/demos/hocke...Van&DraftID=30

BCHL players get drafted all the time. Benn, Turris, J. Schultz are a few recent successes just off the top of my head.

And Exeter is part of the USHS, from which 18 players were drafted this year, so I'm not sure why that's considered odd.

The CCHL one is the only really odd league, as it's a Tier 1 Junior A league.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by SebC

He's spending a year in Dubuque before Providence. Not sure if that's a good move.

Nothing wrong with waiting a year till he turns 19 before playing NCAA hockey where the average age of a freshman player is 20 years of age. Good move I think. Gives him time to put some muscle on those bones.

[showtime]

Originally Posted by opendoor

BCHL players get drafted all the time. Benn, Turris, J. Schultz are a few recent successes just off the top of my head.

And Exeter is part of the USHS, from which 18 players were drafted this year, so I'm not sure why that's considered odd.

The CCHL one is the only really odd league, as it's a Tier 1 Junior A league.

Being drafted out of a high school league with a '92 birthday is a bit odd?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by opendoor

The CCHL one is the only really odd league, as it's a Tier 1 Junior A league.

It is a gamble for sure. Next season in the USHL should give us a better indication, but given the draft being fairly weak this year and that he is almost a year younger than some of the prospects, I like this gamble. This was the year to take a chance I think.

You never know where you might find a potential NHL player. I seem to recall Steve Rucchin being drafted out of the CIS and Nik Antropov was first discovered in some backwoods area of Kazakhstan (if I recall correctly).

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by showtime

Being drafted out of a high school league with a '92 birthday is a bit odd?

Yeah, it is weird; I'm not even sure how you play high school hockey as a 19 year old. I guess they saw something and figured a 7th round pick was worth whatever he'll bring.

And I wasn't talking about those picks necessarily, just the notion that those leagues are unknown quantities or something. Players get drafted out of the BCHL (or AJHL) and USHS all the time.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

It is a gamble for sure. Next season in the USHL should give us a better indication, but given the draft being fairly weak this year and that he is almost a year younger than some of the prospects, I like this gamble. This was the year to take a chance I think.
.

Yeah exactly, to compare he's 11 months younger then Yakupov.

If Jankowsky had stayed in his mothers womb for three more days he would have been drafted a year from now and wouldn't be such a question mark. The Flames couldn't wait a year, they liked him, apparently other teams did, they went for it. Nothing wrong with that.

[FlamesFanStrandedInEDM]

As the draft was approaching, I have thought this often as I heard expert armchair scouts call into the radio talking about the top prospects and who their favorite team should draft. Yakupov vs Murrary. Forsberg vs Galcheneyck. Most of these people have never seen these players play live or on TV, yet, they feel they are God's gift to scouting. Their opinions seem to be based more closely to how the name rolls of the tongue or how the player's name looks on the back of a jersey than their actual knowledge of the player's skills and attributes. These same people MAYBE attend one Major Junior game a year to throw a teddy bear on the ice and ignore the AJHL all together.

Due to the fact that their are dozens of leagues covering half a dozen countries. It is immensely difficult to form your own informed opinion. How many people here can talk about the Florida Panthers or Carolina Hurricanes in an informed manner? These are teams that are in a league that most of us follow closely daily.

I know people are excited when the draft comes around because it is the judgement day on your favorite team's future. I just get incredibly angry(perhaps i should see someone about this) when I hear people try to talk about the NHL Draft and prospects in a "know-it-all" arrogance.

I guess what i'm trying to say is.... positive opinion or negative....99% of people who claim to have an 'informed' opinion on this kid are probably full of it.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

It is a gamble for sure. Next season in the USHL should give us a better indication, but given the draft being fairly weak this year and that he is almost a year younger than some of the prospects, I like this gamble. This was the year to take a chance I think.

You never know where you might find a potential NHL player. I seem to recall Steve Rucchin being drafted out of the CIS and Nik Antropov was first discovered in some backwoods area of Kazakhstan (if I recall correctly).

For the record, I like the Jankowski pick for the Flames as well. I think he's probably a pretty underrated player because no one knew a whole lot about him. The Canucks got Edler in a similar way as they saw him in a tier 3 Swedish league that scouts never bothered to watch.

[Stay Golden]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Yeah exactly, to compare he's 11 months younger then Yakupov.

If Jankowsky had stayed in his mothers womb for three more days he would have been drafted a year from now and wouldn't be such a question mark. The Flames couldn't wait a year, they liked him, apparently other teams did, they went for it. Nothing wrong with that.

thats in interesting tidbit. Jankowski has a full year to develop physically to be considered the same age, well that certainly is to his advantage.
Real evaluation will be this time next year, that at least explains a few reason why the pick then.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

The BCHL is the worst, hope we never draft from there again. Chris Chucko ruined it.

Yeah...afterall who could use players like Brett Hull, Glen Anderson, Ray Ferraro, Paul Kariya, Bobby Nystrom, Duncan Keith, Jamie Benn, Brendan Morrison, and a plethora of other very good NHL personel?

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by fotze

Can someone give coles notes version of the terminology of junior hockey.

What do the Tiers mean? What is Tier I? What is Junior A, junior B?

Why are some kids this age playing in leagues other than the WHL, like BCHL? Does that mean they are worse than the entire WHL at that age?

I really have never understood this, and it appears many, many other posters do not as well.

easiest comparison is the AHL to the NHL

as BCHL/MJHL/AJHL etc are to Tier 1 (Major junior)

All about the quality of the players in the league.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by fotze

Can someone give coles notes version of the terminology of junior hockey.

What do the Tiers mean? What is Tier I? What is Junior A, junior B?

Why are some kids this age playing in leagues other than the WHL, like BCHL? Does that mean they are worse than the entire WHL at that age?

I really have never understood this, and it appears many, many other posters do not as well.

Basically it depends on the region. Usually the better guys BCHL and other similar leagues are guys that bloomed later. They didn't show anything at 15 to get drafted in the CHL drafts. It doesn't mean that they are bad or even worse at all that the CHL players, it's just a bit more difficult to get a read on whether or not that guy is actually good, or is inflated due to playing against more mediocre guys.

Usually only the very best guys might get taken, and if you're showing skill, and don't get drafted you go to the NCAA and try to increase your stock there.

[boogerz]

Someone's probably touched this already, but the situation could be worse.

Jankowski is a 17 year old who dominated AAA. That's usually a good sign. How he develops will be a real test of the Flames' ability to develop players since they literally have him "right out the womb"

[CMPunk]

Originally Posted by fotze

So kids in BCHL were not good enough to make it to the WHL? Can they make it later? or do they start there then go to the WHL? Dany heatley was AJHL right? WOuld he have gone to WHL if not for college? Do they go from Midget (Macs midget teams) to AJHL?

Also, if you play in the WHL, you can't take the college route, so some players stay in the AJHL to got school. My cousin passed on playing for the Blazers so he could stick with the Olds Grizzles and get a scholarship

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by fotze

So kids in BCHL were not good enough to make it to the WHL? Can they make it later? or do they start there then go to the WHL? Dany heatley was AJHL right? WOuld he have gone to WHL if not for college? Do they go from Midget (Macs midget teams) to AJHL?

NCAA eligibility also plays a part. Junior hockey players (i.e. BCHL/AJHL etc., not major junior leagues like WHL/OHL/QMJHL) still have NCAA eligibility, so if a player wants to play at an American University they have to stay away from the CHL. Once you become a CHL player you're ineligible to play in the NCAA because you're deemed a professional.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by fotze

So kids in BCHL were not good enough to make it to the WHL? Can they make it later? or do they start there then go to the WHL? Dany heatley was AJHL right? WOuld he have gone to WHL if not for college? Do they go from Midget (Macs midget teams) to AJHL?

Yeah when a kid plays with the CHL, he is no longer eligible to play NCAA unless the player pays for absolutely everything and doesnt play anything more than an intrasquad game....so for many the tier 2 leagues offer good competition while the NCAA remains an option.

It really depends on the player...they may be good enough for CHL play, but simply have alternate goals.

And the CHL leagues all hold bantam drafts just like the NHL, but also can sign any kid that they want who is good enough and not drafted.