This guy is the quintessential top six Forward who's nowhere near good enough to play a top six role. Guys like this don't usually translate well to the 4th line, and are much more successful at the AHL level. Trust me, I've watched John Quenneville and Nick Lappin w/ the Devils struggle in the NHL but light it up in the minors.
This guy is the quintessential top six Forward who's nowhere near good enough to play a top six role. Guys like this don't usually translate well to the 4th line, and are much more successful at the AHL level. Trust me, I've watched John Quenneville and Nick Lappin w/ the Devils struggle in the NHL but light it up in the minors.
It's so difficult to know how a junior or AHL player is going to transform into a effective (or not) NHL player. Fans shouldn't be mesmerized by stats. I've attended AHL games for years and guys that are monsters in the AHL, some of them just can't make a dent into the NHL. It's often the subtle difference in speed or the difference in being able to make decisions at a quicker pace. Guess that's why teams have a multiple of scouts to select the real NHLer from the pretenders.
It's so difficult to know how a junior or AHL player is going to transform into a effective (or not) NHL player. Fans shouldn't be mesmerized by stats. I've attended AHL games for years and guys that are monsters in the AHL, some of them just can't make a dent into the NHL. It's often the subtle difference in speed or the difference in being able to make decisions at a quicker pace. Guess that's why teams have a multiple of scouts to select the real NHLer from the pretenders.
I def. agree. It's not just a science. It's not just a numbers game. You hear a lot of GM's talk about hockey IQ nowadays. Also, look at how many 1st round picks/skill players never make it in the NHL. It's very difficult to draft bottom six Forwards/bottom pair D's. Many of those types of players are late bloomers or mid/low round picks. Look at Patrick Maroon as an example. 6th round pick, but an integral member of the Blues bottom six. Every team has guys like this.