Dr.Sens(e) said:
I wouldn't even go that far. If a player is a role player at the junior level, it is a pretty rare occasion they ever make the NHL and become a significant role player at that level. Comparing Kelly and Calla is a good way to differentiate between prospects.
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There are plenty of valid arguments and points worthy of consideration here, but my main contention is that you are comparing specific players across eras, across leagues, across teams and roles, and ultimately, that you are assuming that statistics are a good representation of skill level. Calla plays on a defensive team in a defensive league, and in a semi defensive role, which is dictated by the systems and philosophies of his coach and team at least as much as by his skillset. This isn't to say that Calla would suddenly explode on a different team or in a different league - he probably wouldn't - but I do think his stats would improve, quite possibly to a level you find more acceptable for a decent NHL prospect.
Last year and earlier this year, my impression of Calla was that has great speed and work ethic, good size, plays well in all areas of the ice, but is very raw offensively. He has remained at this raw level for pretty much the full year, and of course this is going to make everyone quesiton his offensive upside, which is fair. He probably isn't ever going to be a top 6 forward in the NHL, and will have to get better with the puck to make the NHL at all; however, I don't think it's fair to say that because of his lack of production that he lacks the talent to play even a checking or grinding role at the next level. His lack of offensive growth has certainly dropped him, but his other attributes and in particular his outstanding skating, still make him worthy of a pick in the first half of the draft.
If you are looking for an elite checker like a Peca or Madden or Fisher or Bonk, well, Calla probably isn't going to get there. But I would argue that those guys are very solid hockey players worthy of first round picks, and they are all quite good offensive players even at an NHL level. I don't think anyone is projecting Calla to reach their level, but that doesn't preclude him from reaching a calibre of play that gets him a job as an every day player in the NHL, and neither, imo, do his unimpressive stats this year. None of this is an argument that Calla is a great prospect, or that he is worth more than a mid round pick; rather, the point here is that he is still a viable prospect with a reasonable chance to make it to the NHL. Specifically, I don't think comparing statistics of players from older, higher scoring eras and higher scoring leagues and teams provides detailed enough insight into Calla's situation to accurately assess his ability to translate his skillset to the next level. Stats aside, there are numerous examples of players who were always projected as defensive players who have fulfilled those predictions and reached the NHL.
Having said all that, I should make it clear that I don't think he's a particularly good prospect, and after seeing him for the first time in a few months in his playoff series against Vancouver I was thoroughly disappointed in him. He is not a strong bet to reach the NHL imo, but neither is anyone taken in the mid rounds of the draft; that doesn't make them unworthy of selection.