Well, I understand what you're saying. However, Labarbera wasn't a first round selection or even a second round selection for that matter. He was taken in the third round and plays for a very gifted Hartford Wolfpack team. While his numbers are gaudy and impressive, he was never projected to be an NHL goaltender and that is why his accomplishments go unnoticed. I'm aware of the Kelly Guard type goaltenders who put up outstanding numbers. It's just that Cam Ward was selected in the first round, which vouches for how the scouts project his NHL success, and still plays a fantastic game in the WHL and recieves the player of the year award and it takes a week or more, and probably never had I not done it, to see a thread related to it. I'm just wondering if it's his status as a Carolina Hurricanes prospect that makes him a little more obscure than most of the other prospects.
Brendan Bell actually is a pretty decent prospect, IMO. He scored 25 points on the blueline as a rookie defenseman in the AHL this season and appears to be on a fast track to see NHL time in the near future. He still has flaws in his game that need major work, but he is building a solid foundation.
It just concerns me a little that Josh Harding is often touted as the WHL's best goaltender while Cam Ward appears to have a similar skill set, was drafted higher, produced better numbers, and has two goaltender of the year awards to his credit and still doesn't get his name mentioned more often than not. I've seen quite a bit of Cam, and he projects well to the NHL level as far as i'm concerned and i'm just curious if i'm the only one who recognizes that. Don't get me wrong, Harding is a fantastic goaltender in his own right, but it's not as far apart as some people think as far as my opinion goes.