He went from leading his Junior team in scoring to almost off the map at 18th. Dressed for 23 playoff games and did not finish in the top 30 in scoring although 4 of the top 6 were Remparts. Being the stats ****e that I am, I figured him for the early favorite to go #1 when his draft comes but with the way he hit the skids was his start in 05-06 just a fluke?
Fallen?? I'd say it has probably risen over the course of the season. He had a tremendous rookie campaign.
I think his stock has fallen slightly. At the beginning of the year he was getting mentioned in the same breath as Crosby and some people were talking like he was the next great offensive talent on the horizon. Since the mid point of the season his production has declined dramatically. His goal in the Memorial Cup final was his first goal in ages. He is no longer going to be able to vault himself into the stratosphere of the elite #1's of 2004 and 2005, when early this season it was thought that he might be able to. He's still a decent bet to get picked first overall, but it's wide open now.
I think he was playing on the 3rd line the whole time and for the last ~30 games of the season because the extra pressure was getting to his stomach.
Stock did not fall at all.Next year I expect him to get the minutes that Radulov had this year and Angelo should get around the 100 points plateau.Angelo will be a solid nhl hockey player
None at all. Name me all the players in the NHL who, at the age of 17, scored 98 points in their CHL rookie season and centred the top line of a Memorial Cup champion. Not too many. He did not play well at the WU17, but it's still a great rookie year. He's still the favourite to go No. 1 overall.
I am in Alberta. The sports coverage here is all Oilers all the time. I'll take your word for it that he's still the one but 58 points in his first 30 games compared to 40 points in the last 27 games is a real drop and then in the playoffs 11 points in 23 games. Was he playing hurt? Did he lose his linemates? I did see his points output came back in the MC but his scoring pct was still under 9% which is weird numbers unless you are a defenseman. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't thinking he was dropping out of the top 10 or anything, just that he started out with such a bang and then cooled off. I need the perspective of you guys that saw his whole season.
I don't know how you can think that. He had what 98 points in 57 games or so? The original poster said that he is a stat groupie wait for his numbers next year.
If you bothered with Sportsnet they showed every single MC game. READ previous posters as they've said Espo got SICK midseason because of stress, and ice-time was reduced!
Espo started on the first line with Radulov and lit it up. He was scoring at a ridiculous pace to start the year. He wasn't the key guy on the line, but he was a game breaker early on. As the season went on he was less and less of an impact player and got fewer minutes and fewer points. That's factual. He was not one of the key players for Quebec down the stretch. Maybe it can be explained away by injuries and illness (he was reportedly very sick during the U17's) but that type of season raises a flag in scouts' eyes. You want to see a player improve his game during the season, not stay where they are or regress. The elite prospects leave scouts with an impression that they are climbing the developmental curve, and Espo's climb wasn't very steep. I'm not saying he isn't a good prospect or that he will not be the first overall pick. All I am saying is that at the beginning of the year people were talking like he was going to distace himself from his draft class and be the undisputed #1 pick come draft day and now people aren't talking like that. He might still be the first pick, but like I said it is wide, wide open right now and there are at least four or five players who could pass him next season. It's wide open now and it wasn't wide open before, so to me his stock has fallen slightly. SLIGHTLY.
Why because ISS dropped him out of the number one spot? That is more a reflection on them then him. Gillies and his 12 points may not even be the first pick from his team. It may be outstanding two way player Justin McCrae. Esposito is firmly the number 1 at this point.
As they do every year, and I usually catch most of it. But if you are in Edmonton right now you know the city has the fever. I got preoccupied with the surprise success here and the next thing I know the tournament is over, Brule is declared a god, and the Remparts are the champs. If it is stress and fatigue that ground him down I can't see that hurting his position too much. He should come to camp next year 10 pounds heavier and a half a step quicker with a Memorial Cup under his belt.
Didn't he have a wrist injury or something like that? It's amazing how much of a difference an injury can make, look at Brule's stock after he broke everything in his draft year...from #2 to #6.
I don't see his stock falling, nor do I see any other 2007 prospects stock rising high enough to supplant him in my mind. Of course, there's a lot of time between now and the 2007 Draft. Remember when Kessel was "a lock for the 2006 draft"?
Yeah Backlund is amazing, if there is anyone out there who can take the 1st overall away from Esposito it will be Backlund easy. This guy is the best Swedish prospect since Peter Forsberg.
That might not be a bad thing. He will be the go to guy for all situations and the power play will be built around him rather than Radulov. Just looking at who is graduating and who is staying, he might not be in Quebec next year. With only one year left in the league the Remparts might deal him off if they don't see themselves as a serious contender.