I think it’s pretty unfair to say he stayed in the OJ because he wanted to be with friends, as if that was really such a bad thing anyways. Canadians who want to go the US college route don’t have the CHL as an option. Cale Makar did the same thing last year and went 4th overall. Jake Walman did the same thing too. It happens all the time, it isn’t some indictment of their work ethic or anything. He’s going the college route, he’ll get more than his fair share of development time, and we already know how much Barmstrong likes to take guys out of Hockey East. Also he did pretty well in the Hlinka and the CCHL Top Prospects game, so it’s not like he’s lagging way behind his peers because of his decision.
I see a guy that has underrated skill and drive, he’s a guy who goes all out. He can score in a variety of ways, including as a net front presence. He’s a good skater and has a long reach. He’s a “toolsy” player, and with a few years in Boston I think he can be a legit top-6 center. Whether or not he’s putting up gaudy numbers this year isn’t super concerning to me, because nobody really is in this draft class.