Jakob Pelletier named QMJHL Most Sportsmanlike Player

[Scroopy Noopers]

Lady Byng: Player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability

[Buff]

Originally Posted by united

No kidding! High IQ, competitive two-way players who score, crash the paint, and have non-stop motors in the defensive zone but do so while playing a supremely disciplined brand of hockey resulting in annual Lady Byng votes get you nowhere.

Patrice Bergeron? Anze Kopitar? Ryan O'Reilly? Pavel Datsyuk? Martin St. Louis? Nik Lidstrom? Patrick Kane? Sasha Barkov? Marian Hossa? Tough to win with "soft" players like that, especially in a 7-game series.

Joe Mullen

[1qqaaz]

Hot take:
I think even the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year (awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League player who is best combines success on the ice with success in school) is more indicative of future success than any CHL Most Sportsmanlike Player award.

Scholastic winners in the past decade:

2018–19 Dustin Wolf Everett Silvertips WHL
2017–18 Alexandre Alain Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL
2016–17 Sasha Chmelevski Ottawa 67's OHL
2015–16 Alexis D'Aoust Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL
2014–15 Connor McDavid Erie Otters OHL
2013–14 Connor McDavid Erie Otters OHL
2012–13 Josh Morrissey[2] Prince Albert Raiders WHL
2011–12 Jonathan Brunelle Cape Breton Screaming Eagles QMJHL
2010–11 Dougie Hamilton Niagara IceDogs OHL

Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy winners in the past decade:

2018–19 Peter Abbandonato Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
2017–18 Joel Teasdale Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
2016–17 Hugo Roy Sherbrooke Phoenix
2015–16 Samuel Girard Shawinigan Cataractes
2014–15 Kyle Farrell Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
2013–14 Frederick Gaudreau Drummondville Voltigeurs
2012–13 Zach O'Brien Acadie-Bathurst Titan
2011–12 Zach O'Brien Acadie-Bathurst Titan
2010–11 Philip-Michael Devos Gatineau Olympiques

Of course it should be noted that one award is the the QMJHL while the other is for the entire CHL.
Either way, Flames prospects have won both, so it's a moot point.
And I don't mean to be negative. Congrats to Pelletier for winning this. It's just that he was being compared to Brad Marchand last year. Marchand was 11th in the league in PIMs.

[Reggie Dunlop]

If the award were to be rebranded it would probably be viewed more favourably.

Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy died over 70 years ago. Pretty sure there's few descendants (none direct) who would care one way or another.

Other awards have been retired.

The Wayne Gretzky Award would probably work. He won it five times, the most of any in the modern era (despite playing for the No- Goods).

If you wanted to name it after a posthumous person, Pavol Demitra wouldn't be a bad choice (despite winning it only once). It'd be nod to the international flavour of the game and a tribute to those lost in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane disaster.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Buff

Joe Mullen

And...

Hakan Loob

[Beatle17]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Never understood the appeal for this award. Like yeah sure congrats on being nice and respectful, but is that going to help you in the war of a 7 game series? Its basically a flyer for opposing players letting them know they can give you #### without the fear of getting it back.

Like that known coward Mike Bossy

[united]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

And I don't mean to be negative. Congrats to Pelletier for winning this. It's just that he was being compared to Brad Marchand last year. Marchand was 11th in the league in PIMs.

Unfortunately, I suspect that comparison was a victim of the laziest of comparable analysis: focusing on size above anything else. This frequently occurs with any player outside the standard 5'11-to-6'2 (forward) or 6'1-to-6'4 (defence) stereotypes. Also the Pierre McGuire effect of comparing every single first-rounder to a current all-star caliber player.

While Pelletier and Marchand are both solid players in all three zones, viewing clearly demonstrates them as completely different stylistic players and the simplistic comparisons are disappointing - personally, I thought of him more as a Mats Zuccarello-comparable winger.

However the thought process is clear: (prospect) is a tenacious two-way winger who is undersized at 5'9. Fan immediately thinks of the most successful (but not most comparable) player who fits that high-level description, and possibly even filters NHL players to find 5'9 cohorts. A tenacious, two-way 5'9 winger? Brad Marchand immediately comes to mind for most, or failing that via filter.

The same thing happened with Mark Jankowski when people were comparing him with Joe Thornton, which, to anyone who had watched either, was completely asinine and bordering on comical as stylistically they are completely different (imagine Joe with Mark's shot, or Mark with any other attribute of Joe's?). However, in no coincidence, their height is exactly the same. Who is an offensive-minded 6'4 centre, as touted prospect Mark Jankowski is? First to come to mind/in filter is Joe Thornton, naturally.

[sempuki]

> 2010–11 Dougie Hamilton Niagara IceDogs OHL

It's all those museums.

[GreenLantern2814]

Fine the kid.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Never understood the appeal for this award. Like yeah sure congrats on being nice and respectful, but is that going to help you in the war of a 7 game series? Its basically a flyer for opposing players letting them know they can give you #### without the fear of getting it back.

The kid plays with a lot of tenacity, this tells me he plays hard and doesn't take penalties, that is a very good thing.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

If the award were to be rebranded it would probably be viewed more favourably.

Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy died over 70 years ago. Pretty sure there's few descendants (none direct) who would care one way or another.

Other awards have been retired.

The Wayne Gretzky Award would probably work. He won it five times, the most of any in the modern era (despite playing for the No- Goods).

If you wanted to name it after a posthumous person, Pavol Demitra wouldn't be a bad choice (despite winning it only once). It'd be nod to the international flavour of the game and a tribute to those lost in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane disaster.

Gretzky winning the Byng is a farce, few players in NHL history whined and dove as much as he did.

[SportsJunky]

Scott Wheeler did a Q&A this afternoon on NHL prospects. He had this to say when asked about Jakob Pelletier:

J. Pelletier was one of the final cuts for my top 50 and he's a legitimate potential middle-six player who can play the flank or the slot on the PP. I'm a big fan of that kid, his approach to the game, the way he carries himself, and his skill. Just needs to get a little quicker.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

Gretzky winning the Byng is a farce, few players in NHL history whined and dove as much as he did.

To be fair, Johnny also has a Byng and he whines and dives too LOL

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

To be fair, Johnny also has a Byng and he whines and dives too LOL

I know, but Gretzky was probably the worst in NHL history. I also don't think Gaudreau should have won, I think the moment you get an unsportsmanlike penalty of any kind you should be eliminated from the running.

[monkeyman]

It's pretty easy to be passive when you have Semenko there to beat guys up on your behalf. But is that really a demonstration of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct?