Blake Wheeler proving people wrong???

[benji]

You contradict yourself.

No. I'm not pretending to be an expert, because none of us are. I'm saying while I may be wrong, it looks like Wheeler should not have been a top 5 draft pick, based on how others were ranked before the draft, and how they are performing now.

Who knows, maybe in 3 or 4 years he'll explode onto the scene and dominate and blow everyone away. But if you look at the facts, no one predicted Wheeler would go at #5, and some of those that were predicted to go before him are producing in the NHL right now.

 

[rt]

No. I'm not pretending to be an expert, because none of us are. I'm saying while I may be wrong, it looks like Wheeler should not have been a top 5 draft pick, based on how others were ranked before the draft, and how they are performing now.

Who knows, maybe in 3 or 4 years he'll explode onto the scene and dominate and blow everyone away. But if you look at the facts, no one predicted Wheeler would go at #5, and some of those that were predicted to go before him are producing in the NHL right now.

Yes. You said "there's no way Blake Wheeler should have been picked at #5." Then you say time will tell. How can you say that "there's no way" and then turn around and say we need more time? If we need more time to tell, than how can you say so absolutely that there is NO WAY? Contradiction.

 

[Vagrant]

How many of the kids on your laundrey list had the kind of growth spurt Wheeler had. He was raw as sushi when the Coyotes picked him. Everyone knew it would take time. Time is not nearly up. Not even close.

Size is great ....but production is better. Once a player gets above 6 feet 2 inches, it's all cake. It wouldn't matter if he was seven feet tall ...taller does not make better. The fact that he has the size advantage on most of these players he is playing against and still putting up fairly modest numbers only accentuates my point even more.

I'm also not saying that "time is up", by any stretch. I'm just saying it's curious that his production and how he looks in college is being used as evidence as to how wrong everybody was about him being a huge reach is a little assinine when compared to the career path of most of the other players from his draft season.

Put guys like Andrew Ladd and Drew Stafford back in the NCAA right now and we'll see how productive those guys could be. It would be embarassing to the competition.

In terms of Okposo, he scored more as a Freshman last season than Wheeler did in his sophomore season. He also showed the intangible ability to dominate games unlike Wheeler has ever exhibited. I would hang my hat on Okposo being a far better professional hockey player than Blake Wheeler.

 

[The Fuhr*]

Size is great ....but production is better. Once a player gets above 6 feet 2 inches, it's all cake. It wouldn't matter if he was seven feet tall ...taller does not make better. The fact that he has the size advantage on most of these players he is playing against and still putting up fairly modest numbers only accentuates my point even more.

Wheeler was drafted at 6'3 and 185lbs

He is now 6'5 and 215-220lbs

You think it is easy learning co-ordination to such a gigantic size change in 2-3 years?

It takes time

 

[5mn Major]

Putting up the numbers like Wheeler has in the NCAA isn't as impressive as it seems. He should have put up numbers like he did last year from his freshman year forward and by this point should be a shoe-in for the Hobey Baker with as high as he was drafted and the relative skill level that he has. I would say he has been underachieving to this point and it will be interesting to see how he makes the transition to professional hockey. There are a laundry list of players that can produce numbers like Wheeler did last season and keep in mind that Gophers team was as strong as could be. He was 5th on his own team in scoring.

Heck, there are players like Nick Dodge of Clarkson putting up better numbers and looking like better overall players at this point and the kid was a 6th round draft pick. Wheeler should be running over NCAA players right now.

I still see a LOAD of potential for Wheeler but he's going to have to turn that into production and the ability to dominate games at the NCAA level. He has shown flashes and that's great, but it needs to be consistant from game in.

It really comes down to how you define 'underachieve'.

If it means that a player must reach a high hockey proficiency within say 4 years...then yes Blake Wheeler has underachieved.

If underachieve means that a player doesn't reach the potential that's expected for them...then Blake Wheeler has not underachieved.

 

[Vagrant]

Wheeler was drafted at 6'3 and 185lbs

He is now 6'5 and 215-220lbs

You think it is easy learning co-ordination to such a gigantic size change in 2-3 years?

It takes time

There are some cases where people lose a lot of balance and such when they have those growth spurts, and there are cases where they do not. I am not qualified to say what Blake Wheeler is dealing with but I have a little experience. I played organized sports and went from 6 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 9 inches over the summer and barely lost any coordination. It depends on how your frame takes it.

 

[Zine]

Good player, but certainly not top 5 material.........at least at this point.

 

[MN_Gopher]

The one thing Wheeler has going for him that few others have is his versatility. He plays center, he is not a true center. Let him fly like a wing and his point total would go up. Too bad if that happened for the gophers. It would most likely mean that we let in a few more too. As he is the teams best center now for two years. He is .508 on face-offs. Taking all the big draws. He plays in front on the net on the PP. If there was a stat for screens, he would be close to the top. Cannot tell me the Holmstoms and Parrishs of the world are not difference makers even if they do not score. Uses his reach on the PK. Its nice to see have a agile guy with a huge reach to break up passes or clog passing lanes. He has NHL speed. Kept up with Kessel when he was his wing. NHL strength. Soft hands and good eye coordination. This year 4g 4a. Career 31g 38a. He passes as good as he shoots.

He will play in the NHL. The question is what role will he play. 1-3 line. You put everything he does on consistant basis. He will look very very solid being drafted 5th overall. Someone allready mentioned his size. Think he was drafted at 185, freshman listed at 218 sophmore year he jumped up to 225, now he is back to about 215 again. Over the last four years he has not had the same body twice. At 21 he could still easily put on a healthy 5-15 pounds of pure muscle.

Best thing the Yotes could do is let him play another year in the NCAA. Totally dominate win a hobey and National Championship. And know how hard and what it takes to be the MAN and you will have a top notch player that can do most anything. The yotes drafted him thinking he may be something special. He has only gone in the right direction and is still growing.

 

[XX]

He will more than likely inherit Doan's spot on the wing, with the Coyotes having Turris, Mueller, Hanzal and Porter down the center.

 

[Zine]

Best thing the Yotes could do is let him play another year in the NCAA. Totally dominate win a hobey and National Championship. And know how hard and what it takes to be the MAN and you will have a top notch player that can do most anything. The yotes drafted him thinking he may be something special. He has only gone in the right direction and is still growing.

lol. Wishful Gopher thinking.

Wheeler playing next year in the NCAA would be a huge mistake. He'll be 22 already. He'll gain nothing from playing against a bunch of '87-'90 born players.......even if he is 'the man'.

 

[MN_Gopher]

lol. Wishful Gopher thinking.

Wheeler playing next year in the NCAA would be a huge mistake. He'll be 22 already. He'll gain nothing from playing against a bunch of '87-'90 born players.......even if he is 'the man'.

Seriously. He is the type of the player that has to do it to learn it. With inconsistant players thats always there knock. They never had the confidance or were never called on to be that guy until the NHL. Many do not know how to respond. Wheeler would wear the C, be mister everything. Thats the only thing he has not learned yet. This year with Okposo and 4 seniors the pressure is not all on him.

Its like what Oshie is learning this year at NoDak. He came back with one goal in mind to win some hardware. Nodak is not off and flying like many thought. But Oshie will dig deep and find it and wil be better i nthe long run.

No one has ever questioned Wheelers tools. Just how he uses them. He is too smart and works to hard to buckle. It will only better serve him down the road.

 

[Zine]

Seriously. He is the type of the player that has to do it to learn it. With inconsistant players thats always there knock. They never had the confidance or were never called on to be that guy until the NHL. Many do not know how to respond. Wheeler would wear the C, be mister everything. Thats the only thing he has not learned yet. This year with Okposo and 4 seniors the pressure is not all on him.

Its like what Oshie is learning this year at NoDak. He came back with one goal in mind to win some hardware. Nodak is not off and flying like many thought. But Oshie will dig deep and find it and wil be better i nthe long run.

No one has ever questioned Wheelers tools. Just how he uses them. He is too smart and works to hard to buckle. It will only better serve him down the road.

Thing is, everything your saying should be (and is) happening THIS YEAR.

Despite not being captains, this IS Wheeler and Okposo's team. They don't perform, the Gophs aren't gonna do very well (especially with their young defense). Just like Oshie in ND, this IS the year for Wheeler to be 'the man'.

Players don't have forever to develop. If a top 5 pick has to wait until senior year to be a top 'go to' player......there is seriously something wrong.

 

[RobertKron]

There are some cases where people lose a lot of balance and such when they have those growth spurts, and there are cases where they do not. I am not qualified to say what Blake Wheeler is dealing with but I have a little experience. I played organized sports and went from 6 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 9 inches over the summer and barely lost any coordination. It depends on how your frame takes it.

You grew 6 inches in one summer!?

 

[MN_Gopher]

Thing is, everything your saying should be (and is) happening THIS YEAR.

Despite not being captains, this IS Wheeler and Okposo's team. They don't perform, the Gophs aren't gonna do very well (especially with their young defense). Just like Oshie in ND, this IS the year for Wheeler to be 'the man'.

Players don't have forever to develop. If a top 5 pick has to wait until senior year to be a top 'go to' player......there is seriously something wrong.

You use two players name in the tilte of whos team it is. A Co team is still not the same. He needs it all on his shoulders.

Because players like Gionta, Blake and St Louis never amounted to anything because they stayed 4 years.

The rush rush aditude is the biggest downer to a young players devolpment. Its been proven you can teach a 6 year old calculus. But they miss out on so many other things that effect them later in life. And once that time is gone, its gone. I was unaware of the bust time frame.

 

[Johnnybegood13]

Exactly. Regardless of the rules in place when Wheeler was drafted, his sheer size will be a benefit because, in addition to being a total hulk, he is a legitimately good skater (not just "good for his size") and he has above average hands. The Penner comparison probably isn't far off, though I think Penner is a bit tougher than Wheeler (albeit maybe not as skilled).

You must be saying Wheeler is a creampuff because Penner is far from 'tough" especially for his size.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

The Kings and me included are still waiting for Brian Boyle and he was picked #28 overall.

I don't mind project picks but not before mid/late 1st round.

 

[Gwyddbwyll]

Players don't have forever to develop. If a top 5 pick has to wait until senior year to be a top 'go to' player......there is seriously something wrong.

2004 was a terrible draft year after the big two of Ovechkin-Malkin. Players in the top 10 that year are not as good as what people typically think of as top 5 or top 10 guys (Barker, Ladd, Wheeler, Olesz, Picard, Smid, Valabik)

At the time Coyotes had to take a gamble and pick the prospect with a high upside rather than take the safe choice. Ironically, Wheeler looks to be developing into a safe type of prospect rather than a guy with unlimited upside. It doesnt matter to the Coyotes so much anymore as they've had the opportunity to draft Mueller and Turris since then.

 

[Form and Substance]

2004 was a terrible draft year after the big two of Ovechkin-Malkin. Players in the top 10 that year are not as good as what people typically think of as top 5 or top 10 guys (Barker, Ladd, Wheeler, Olesz, Picard, Smid, Valabik)

At the time Coyotes had to take a gamble and pick the prospect with a high upside rather than take the safe choice. Ironically, Wheeler looks to be developing into a safe type of prospect rather than a guy with unlimited upside. It doesnt matter to the Coyotes so much anymore as they've had the opportunity to draft Mueller and Turris since then.

And don't forget Hanzal, I think that guy's going to play a major role in the Coyotes' resurgence which is amazing, especially when you consider that he's lost a year in development after the draft.

 

[Vector]

There are some cases where people lose a lot of balance and such when they have those growth spurts, and there are cases where they do not. I am not qualified to say what Blake Wheeler is dealing with but I have a little experience. I played organized sports and went from 6 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 9 inches over the summer and barely lost any coordination. It depends on how your frame takes it.

Zdeno? Shouldn't you be moderating for the Bruins.

 

[Garl]

Well the 4 guys taken ahead of him have already seen time in the NHL and, 6 was Montoya who likely would have in a different situation, then the next 3 picks have all played at least 40 games in the NHL as well, as have many of the other 1st rounders.

Quite frankly i havnt seen enough of him to comment on the type of player he may become but what i can say is of the top 15 taken in '04 only Wheeler, Montoya, Valabik, Tukonen, Thelen and Dubnyk have yet to see significant time in the NHL. Two of those are goalies and Thelen and Valabik look like busts.

All that said he seems to be progressing well and it was fully expected he would need time to develop so

Valabik is doing pretty well in AHL. Don't forget, he's a stay-at-home D-man, and he is 6'7/240 lbs and only 21 y.o..

 

[rt]

Size is great ....but production is better. Once a player gets above 6 feet 2 inches, it's all cake. It wouldn't matter if he was seven feet tall ...taller does not make better. The fact that he has the size advantage on most of these players he is playing against and still putting up fairly modest numbers only accentuates my point even more.

You completely misunderstood me. Growing as much as Wheeler has, in both inches and pounds, is going to **** with his production. You grow a couple of inches and add fourty pounds, and your going to have to get used to your body a little bit. It takes time. Just as everything regarding Wheeler does.

 

[rt]

There are some cases where people lose a lot of balance and such when they have those growth spurts, and there are cases where they do not. I am not qualified to say what Blake Wheeler is dealing with but I have a little experience. I played organized sports and went from 6 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 9 inches over the summer and barely lost any coordination. It depends on how your frame takes it.

You aren't a D1 hockey player, and you didn't grow 6 inches in two months.

 

[Zine]

You use two players name in the tilte of whos team it is. A Co team is still not the same. He needs it all on his shoulders.

Because players like Gionta, Blake and St Louis never amounted to anything because they stayed 4 years.

The rush rush aditude is the biggest downer to a young players devolpment. Its been proven you can teach a 6 year old calculus. But they miss out on so many other things that effect them later in life. And once that time is gone, its gone. I was unaware of the bust time frame.

Regardless if he’s a co-leader……the pressure is on Wheeler THIS YEAR (as it should be). This is his year to lead.

Wheeler has to be challenged talent wise as well as character wise. Playing against players as much as 4 years younger next year won't help his development. This is especially true considering he’s the type of player more suited for the pro-level game.
A 22 year old playing in the AHL is not rushing a prospect....not in the least. In fact, for a top 5 pick, it's taking it pretty slow. And, like I said, it's the best path for a player who is best suited for the AHL/NHL style of play.


FYO, when your examples are the rare exception to the norm (Gionta, Blake, St. Louis), you know your reaching.

 

[Vagrant]

You aren't a D1 hockey player, and you didn't grow 6 inches in two months.

You're right. I grew 6 inches in three months. Summer is a season that lasts three months. It isn't uncommon to have a growth spurt of five or six inches. It happens. It did to me at least. I'm sorry if you don't believe that, but quite a few don't believe it when I say i'm 6 feet 9 inches either ...you learn to live with it. It isn't like it's all that impressive anyways.

And yes, i'm not a division one hockey player but I played sports and can tell you from my experience that it didn't mess with my coardination at all. Tennis, Baseball, Basketball ...all of them. I'm sorry if that doesn't jibe with your contrived excuse regarding why Wheeler isn't tearing up the NCAA by now ....but hey.

 

[rt]

And yes, i'm not a division one hockey player but I played sports and can tell you from my experience that it didn't mess with my coardination at all. Tennis, Baseball, Basketball ...all of them. I'm sorry if that doesn't jibe with your contrived excuse regarding why Wheeler isn't tearing up the NCAA by now ....but hey.

Hahaha. Okay, you not sucking any worse at poking around with a tennis racket after school, despite a growth spurt, really proves a point regarding a world class athlete. Give me a break.