Dbrownss
Registered User
- Jan 5, 2014
- 31,359
- 8,734
2017-2018 Blues Prospects Thread
- Thread starter EastonBlues22
- Start date
- Status
PiggySmalls
Oink Oink MF
- Mar 7, 2015
- 6,107
- 3,516
Kyrou is a perfect example of why they need a special status exemption for OHL players that are beyond the point of developing in juniors. He needs to be in San Antonio or Chicago.
If he does go to the olympics, That would be his best chance to get a solid look at how he plays against men.
If he does go to the olympics, That would be his best chance to get a solid look at how he plays against men.
Evocable Manager
Registered User
Players like Kyrou are the exact reason the agreement with the OHL is in place.
The OHL needs guys like him to sell tickets.
The OHL needs guys like him to sell tickets.
PiggySmalls
Oink Oink MF
- Mar 7, 2015
- 6,107
- 3,516
Doesn’t make it right. They are profiting off those players while limiting their development.
Evocable Manager
Registered User
That's what makes it right.
OHL is a developmental league, yes, but once drafted they don't care. They need to make money, if they don't, the league can't sustain and then all those great players who come from the OHL won't be available and playing junior hockey becomes a lot harder.
The OHL ain't a bad league, metrics suggests it's as good and possibly better than some of the European professional leagues.
A guy like Kyrou is no longer attending high school, he can spend that extra time with a trainer, working on his game and his flaws. Whether he does do that or not I don't know.
The rule does suck but at the same time it helps keep junior hockey afloat so I really don't have much of a problem.
Completely agree.
The issue is that it is a blanket rule with no other options, there is a complete disregard when it comes to negatively impacting a players development.
The obvious solution is that there is an agreed fee an NHL team can pay to buy out that players eligibility and have him in the AHL.
STL fan in MN
Registered User
- Aug 16, 2007
- 7,160
- 4,070
Sure they’re profiting but if those elite 18-19 yr olds that are good enough for AHL but not NHL left Jrs, it would likely result in a Jr hockey business model that isn’t feasible. At best, it would make the caliber of Major Jrs way lower, thus hurting the development of all prospects that play in those leagues as they wouldn’t be pushed nearly as hard. At worst, it would lessen the product so much that enough fans would stop coming, making the costs infeasible, tanking the leagues entirely.
I don’t like it but the rule is in place for a reason and the NHL is good with it for a reason - it’s ultimately the biggest development path to the NHL and the NHL doesn’t want to jeopardize that or weaken it.
I do believe a slight modification could be done that may still leave enough top tier Jr players in Major Jrs as to not weaken the leagues too much while also allowing a few teenagers to play in the AHL. It’d have to be very restrictive IMO to even hope to get the CHL to agree to it. Here’s what I’d suggest:
I would think it would have to be limited to 1st rd picks, there would have to be a sizable pre-arranged compensation going from NHL team to CHL team (probably based on a scale based on where in the 1st rd the player was taken) and there can only be a max of 1 player taken from each CHL team and a max of 1 player an NHL team takes per season (if 2 teams want to put 2 recent teenaged draftees from the same CHL team in the AHL, priority would first be given to the player drafted the previous season (ie. the 19 yr old gets to go to the AHL instead of the 18 yr old) and then if the 2 (or more) players are in the same draft, priority goes to whichever one was drafted first). That would really limit it but it’d have to be really limited for the CHL to even remotely get on board with it.
The quest for the 150 point season still going strong. Which won't actually happen due to World Juniors and (Maybe?) the Olympics, but still.
PiggySmalls
Oink Oink MF
- Mar 7, 2015
- 6,107
- 3,516
Listening to Jeff Marek talk about Kyrou makes you feel all tingly inside. I really hope the kid is able to translate his success with the big club.
Oberyn
Prince of Dorne
- Mar 27, 2011
- 14,422
- 3,980
Thomas just named captain of the London Knights. So now both him and Kyrou are captains of their respective teams.
David Noel with 2 more apples. Right now he has 18 points in 16 games. Biggest concern is the -4 - that stands out a bit, but only 2 of their Dmen are in the + category. Boy I wish I could find an icetime stat to know how much ice time our prospects get. They don't do it in the AHL or CHL.
...and isn't Tanner Kaspick the captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings?
Oberyn
Prince of Dorne
- Mar 27, 2011
- 14,422
- 3,980
Halak Ness Monster
Registered User
I was really hoping Kyrou would get a 9 game tryout this year simply because we all knew he'd dominate the OHL. He didn't need more playing time at a much lower level. He needed to experience playing against players bigger and older than him. A 9 game tryout spread out over 5-6 weeks would have been great for him.
The Note in MI
Bow to the pyramid
We just didn't have the roster flexibility to do that. We'd have to be a bottom team with expendable 3/4th liners. Unfortunately we have an abundance of 3/4th liners but none of them are sticking at current.
JoshFromMO
Registered User
Believe Petro had 2 trials. So long as don't play in more than 9 NHL games in a single season (AFAIK).
STL fan in MN
Registered User
- Aug 16, 2007
- 7,160
- 4,070
Correct. It’s an option for 18 and 19 yr old players coming out of the CHL. But of course, if a player plays more than the 9 games as an 18 yr old, then his clock has started and there’s no 9 game trial his 19 yr old season as his contract can no longer slide.
Quite honestly, I’m trying to think of another player that did 2 trials and got sent back both times like Petro did and I can’t think of one. Boy was Petro a string bean back then. He was ready from a skill standpoint but he was so tall and skinny that his center of gravity was so high that it was very easy for opposing players to just get low on him and down he went.
I saw a poster mention the Blues no longer had rights to Glenn Gawdin. What happened there? I thought he was progressing fairly well and I never heard about a trade? Did they just not sign him?
PiggySmalls
Oink Oink MF
- Mar 7, 2015
- 6,107
- 3,516
Sarnia lost their first game after rolling off like 14 straight wins. Kyrou had a helper on their lone goal. London lost in OT to Saginaw, Thomas had a strong game recording 2G, 1A.
They just didn't sign him. He has great stats this year, but remember, he's 20 years old playing against mostly 16-19 year old players. However, he's a RH center, so the Blues must have seen something in him that made them question his probability of being an NHL player.
There's also Nolan Stevens and Austin Poganski, who are captains of their college squads. So that's 5 of our guys that are captaining their teams this season. That's a pretty good indicator of one of the things we're scouting for. Good team guys, hard workers, coachable, leaders on and off the ice, and guys who are counted on by their teammates and coaches to be there for the team in the tough moments. Given we've got 5 of them in one year, I'd say we're doing a pretty good job of spotting 17 year olds that have those qualities. I like that strategy a lot, it certainly couldn't hurt to have that as a factor anyways
PiggySmalls
Oink Oink MF
- Mar 7, 2015
- 6,107
- 3,516
- Status
