Harsh Reality of Making it to the Show

[MrBoDangles]

Meltdown of the Year

[The Exiled One]

Valuable information for the numerous top end hockey players on Minnesota farms. Everybody else, not so much...

This is basically the response I'd have made, especially because it applies to the Canadian players as well. They may not all be suburban kids, but neither are they generally farmers' kids.

Also, 3B used a personal anecdote to argue an aggregated statistic... not persuasive.

[BBB]

No the AHL is not the only place to develope talent but the jump from NCAA to AHL is big.

This is debatable. I personally don't think it's that big.



How is one of your examples, drew leblanc, handling the jump?
Looks like he went from hobey baker to 3-4th liner in the ahl. Is he hurt or what's going on then?

[The Exiled One]

How is one of your examples, drew leblanc, handling the jump?
Looks like he went from hobey baker to 3-4th liner in the ahl. Is he hurt or what's going on then?

Obviously, it varies. Hanowski left the same year and is now playing with Calgary. Some do better at the next level than the previous level. Jonny Brodzinski is killing it in the NCAA, but didn't do anything special in the USHL. I could point out MULTIPLE examples of this from the WHL as well. This goes to prove the point that if you can get a degree before taking a crack at pro hockey, all the better.

On the average, players who do well in the NCAA step in and do pretty well in the AHL. The exceptional players and the "pro-style" players make the jump to the NHL quickly... like Hanowski, Bjugstad, Trouba, JT Brown and a bunch of other NCAA alumni did this season after playing NCAA last season.

Basically, eventual NHL players from the NCAA DO NOT spend more time in the AHL than eventual NHL players from the WHL. I remember seeing a study that shows they actually spend less time on average, but I can't seem to find that now. I'll keep looking.

[O-townClown]

Please tell me what benefit seth jones has in playing half as many games as 18 year old by going to North Dakota.

Yeah. That never works out.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=7109 ... l:topheads

[BBB]

Great example. Seth jones would have benefited by going to North Dakota because Justin Faulk signed a nice deal. My guess is seth jones won't ever see that kind of money.
On the other hand drew doughty has already made what Faulk signed for in his short career and is raking in 7 mil a year, if you want to compare two completely different players to try to prove a point. He wouldn't drive to the rink for Faulk money. I read an article about how he regretted going to the ohl and wishes he would have played at western mich.
You guys are on to something. I would start convincing these blue chips like jones and crosby that they are risking too much for the potential reward and they might want you to be their agents...or advisors given they take the ncaa route.

[O-townClown]

I don't think anyone argued that absolutely Seth Jones would have "benefitted" from going to North Dakota. If he were a little older he wouldn't have played in the WHL...he would have gone from the NTDP to the NHL.

That "swing" year between Ann Arbor and the NHL...did it really matter where he went? He played in the WHL and fell from #1 to #4 in the draft. Maybe he should have gone to college for a year?

[BBB]

Someone above stated talent is talent and it didn't matter where he went. They also explained that you don't know how players are going to turn out at the next level and pro (or benefit) of choosing ncaa is keeping your options to get a degree.
He played about 90 games plus the world jr. I am interested why would want to chose nodak given his situation.
But you are on to something if you can market this idea to the jones, crosbys, Stamkos', Kane's, and other top end players who give up their college eligibility.
Remember there are also a lot of Canadians who make the big decisions for a lot of teams. They think their way is the best too...no matter what they think everyone wants to draft steve yzerman and not Brian lawrton.

[BBB]

That "swing" year between Ann Arbor and the NHL...did it really matter where he went? He played in the WHL and fell from #1 to #4 in the draft. Maybe he should have gone to college for a year?

I remember hearing bob Mckenzie say one knock against him draft wise was that erik Johnson and jones were always brought up together as they had similar Ann Arbor careers. By #1 overall standards, Johnson was/is a flop. A steady d for sure but not Norris quality or someone you build a team around.

[MrBoDangles]

That "swing" year between Ann Arbor and the NHL...did it really matter where he went? He played in the WHL and fell from #1 to #4 in the draft. Maybe he should have gone to college for a year?

I remember hearing bob Mckenzie say one knock against him draft wise was that erik Johnson and jones were always brought up together as they had similar Ann Arbor careers. By #1 overall standards, Johnson was/is a flop. A steady d for sure but not Norris quality or someone you build a team around.

So the short stint in the dub made him fall?

There have been many that have risen and fallen in both paths...

Crack induced comment?

[The Exiled One]

This article doesn't talk about the "harsh reality of making the show," but it does get into the benefits of choosing the NCAA route a bit...

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/bringin ... --nhl.html