Edited May 24 at 12:06 p.m.
Quoting: Garak
It is all the best most elite players stacked on like 2 to 4 teams going against a handful of teams that barely stand a chance. Again, it is great for showcasing talents and all that, but players stats are inflated from both playing with other high end talents and playing against low-ish end talent. Lot's of guys have great WJC's and go on to be mediocre in pro, and lots of guys have mediocre WJC's or don't even make the team to begin with and go on to be stars. Some really good players get left out in favor of balancing the roster with grinders and role players. There are things that it is great for in scouting, but it is not the same as watching players in a consistent team setting playing a whole season under the same coaches and watching their development curves over the span of years rather than a few weeks. It should not be taken as a baseline and should not be used as a definitive measurement of the players who compete in it.
So, it is important and it also isn't. By no means, is it the end all be all of scouting or a necessary requirement.
I think we will have to agree to disagree when it comes to Demidov.
Obviously the World Jrs is not the be all end all of scouting, the point is, it is still an elite level event which can be used to measure a player against their peers. Yes some players get left off rosters in favour of grinders and role players but those grinders and role players are still the best their countries have to offer in those roles and above average players in their respective leagues. Is there some low end talent playing for weaker hockey nations? Absolutely, that is no different than weaker talent playing for bad junior teams in the CHL, USHL and yea even the MHL.
If it was just the World Jrs that was missing from Demidov’s resume BUT there was a large sample size of competition against KHL players I would feel much more comfortable with him as the # 2 pick… there just isn’t we only have MHL games to base his evaluation on.
You also mentioned in a previous post how Demidov was being punished by SKA for his refusal to extend with them and that is a reason for his limited game action in the KHL, I don’t doubt that as it seems very plausible. I would they want to make sure before selecting Demidov that I can get him to NA for the start of next season and not leave his development this coming season in the hands of an organization that doesn’t have his best interest as a priority.
At the end of the day, if the Hawks decide Demidov is their guy I will cheer him on and hope he ends up being a mega star for years to come but to think selecting is not a greater risk given his lack of exposure to higher level competition is just approaching the situation with blinders on in my opinion.