tl;dr version: The reason why some are down on Tracey is due to his lack of production in 12 AHL games this past season as a 19-year old, especially when compared to Zegras, Drysdale, and Perreault. Those three prospects skew the process for players who do need more time to develop.
epic version:
Perreault has elite skills that projected to be a top-10 prospect, but dropped to the bottom of the first round due to his lack of motivation to play a 200-ft game (
doesn't play defense). We went through a couple of players like Perreault in Sprong and Aberg. Also, Perreault is physically advanced compared to Tracey.
Perreault: 5'11 and 192 lbs
Tracey: 6'0 and 176 lbs
Tracey was selected in the bottom of the first round as a project as he was a late bloomer, which is the pattern the Ducks' scouting staff loves to do follow. Although Tracey didn't put up any points as a 19-year old in the AHL, John Broadbent from the Defend the Next blog site for the San Diego Gulls
reports the process for Tracey was there at the AHL:
There were several games – especially early on in the season – where it seems Tracey did everything but score.
As I noted in my game reports and on twitter, he is so adept at slipping into the soft areas undected and found himself at the end of a bang-bang play that he either fired right into the opposing teams logo or shanked off a post or sent wide.
Once the WHL started back up again he had to return to Victoria where he scored 9 goals and added 12 assists in 22 games, leading the Royals in points but still only good for 53rdish overall in the high scoring league. He will look to start his first FULL professional career season next year – drafted as more of a play-maker, I would like to see more of that side of him along with some more poise with the puck as he gets more comfor[t]able with the pro-game.
For the past two OHL seasons, Tracey has led three teams in scoring. He proved that he can score without overagers when he was drafted.
Tracey | WHL | | | | | | |
Year | Year | Team | Games | G | A | Pts | Pts/Game |
2018-19 | D | Moose Jaw | 66 | 36 | 45 | 81 | 1.23 |
2019-20 | D+1 | Moose Jaw | 28 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 1.36 |
| | Victoria | 24 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 0.96 |
2020-21 | D+2 | Victoria | 20 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 0.95 |
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In Tracey's draft year, his team was a 1-line stacked team, including defensemen. The risk of drafting Tracey was about if he was a product of good teammates or can he actually produce on his own. Despite losing all of his line mates at ES (due to age graduation or trades) with Moose Jaw and left with not a lot of talent, Tracey surpassed his scoring rate in his D+1 season. Then he was traded in the season to a defensive minded and lack of scoring team, the Victoria Royals. He led them in scoring as well, but COVID shutdown the playoff-bound Royals. Tracey's D+1 season solidified that he is one of the top prospect for Anaheim. Last year, the Royals traded away several top talents and Tracey was left in the same situation he was in with Moose Jaw in his D+1 season, which is playing without a lot of talent on the team. He still led the Royals in scoring in his D+2 season.
If we focus on his WHL seasons, then Tracey has proven to be a dual threat on offense for three consecutive seasons and a scoring leader for the past two seasons on three teams. What is interesting about Tracey's D+2 season in the WHL was his PP production on a team lacking an awful lot of talent.
Tracey | WHL | | | | | | | | | |
Year | Team | Games | G | A | Pts | . | PPG | PPA | PPP | PP to Pts ratio |
2018-19 | Moose Jaw | 66 | 36 | 45 | 81 | | 12 | 15 | 27 | 0.333 |
2019-20 | Moose Jaw | 28 | 15 | 23 | 38 | | 8 | 6 | 14 | 0.368 |
| Victoria | 24 | 7 | 16 | 24 | | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.292 |
2020-21 | Victoria | 20 | 8 | 11 | 19 | | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0.632 |
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Over 63% of Tracey's points last year was on the PP. Anaheim needs talented players to help it out on the PP.
The problem Tracey has with some fans is the stigma that he isn't Zegras, Drysdale, or Perreault. Zegras is produced in his D+1 season in the AHL and NHL. Drysdale won AHL rookie of the month and looks to be an NHL-mainstay in his draft year. Perreault produced in his draft year on paper, but people forget he was just as lost as Tracey was to begin the season. Yet, Perreault was able to work through it and put up points. Tracey can't be seen as his own player and working at his own pace. Tracey is a long term project because he was a late bloomer and rail thin when drafted. His 12-game AHL stint as a 19-year old is the sole reason many believe that Tracey is already a bust. It doesn't make sense to come to that conclusion so early in a late bloomer's hockey career, but that's what it is for some.