Blake Wheeler Final Five Championship OT Goal

[5mn Major]

I think labeling him a great prospect or 'star' is going a bit too far. I've seen a ton of Gopher games and while I think Wheeler will be a productive NHLer I don't see him as a 1st line talent (even if he is a project). He just doesn't possess the pure raw skills of a Toews, or like Heatley did, or Vanek or Parise did.

Valid opinion.

Although Blake's a different player, I think he's got equivalent raw skill of a Toews (playing without linemates of the caliber of Oshie or Duncan). The issue is that he's older...

 

[PhoPhan]

At this point, I don't think it's a question of skill with Wheeler. He's shown, in flashes, that he has the soft hands and big body (and the ability to effectively use both) of a premier power forward, but the issue lies in the fact that he's only shown it for small stretches at a time. It's a good sign that he's turning it on again for the playoffs, but pretty much disappearing for the second half of the year is a bit worrisome. I think another year of college would be beneficial in getting him to a point where he brings it every night.

 

[ndhockey21]

Wheeler will be fine but labeling him a power foward is a mistake. He just doesnt throw his weight around enough for that.

 

[hbk]

It's weird how on HF a player is one highlight reel goal away from having "bust potential" to being a potential superstar in the making. I'm not commenting either way on the player having seen a limited amount of him, but the pervasive opinion of Wheeler prior to this goal was that he was struggling to adapt to life after high school hockey and now he's the apple of everybody's eye.

Really nothing weird about it. Wheeler's stock has been rising since his draft year as his play and game have developed at a higher level. THN ranked him #25 overall last year on their list. This year after another decent draft, he sits at #35 on their list.

The problem that most people have when it comes to Wheeler is they go back and react to how much of a perceived reach the selection was back in 2004. There's a lot of people who can't see beyond the notion that he was a Top 5 pick in what was in all hindsight an extremely weak draft. There's a grand total of 3 players ahead of him on THN's list from the 2004 draft but only one of them (Stafford) was on anyone's radar screen at the time of the selection. For all the criticism Phoenix received for the selection (and please let's not relive that debate for the thousandth time), it looks like the scouts were correct.

 

[Brandinho]

I don't understand how anybody who's watched Wheeler play can call him a power forward. He's the softest "power forward" I've ever seen.

 

[amjay13]

After seeing him play in Green Bay and at Minnesota, I'd say he is a slightly more physical, slightly less talented Eric Daze. If he stays healthy (unlike Daze), I think he'll be a very productive 2nd liner. Is that top 5 worthy? Probably not but I think there have been much bigger top 5 busts in the past 20 years.