Yams so far hasn't really developed much since the draft which is a shame but isn't a bust..yet
Prospect Info: 2018-2019 Prospect Stats, Reports and Discussion
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McDNicks17
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I think that's more so because they had less picks to screw up haha. Bouchard and Rodrigue fit the bill of really good junior hockey players despite not ideal physical traits, so they took the right step there, IMO.
The 2016 draft is just an eye sore. Bunch of big, great skating terrible hockey players or low skill terrible junior players. The only guys that look like they have a chance at NHL games outside Pulju are the two guys(Benson and Berglund) who weren't physical specimens, but just good hockey players.
The 2017 draft when Gretzky took over looks incredible by comparison. All the guys have taken steps forward except maybe Yama*
McDNicks17
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The thing with Yam is even with great production, the player at least needs to be an average athlete.
Taking a guy with his size who isn't really even an above average straight line skater by NHL standards is just as needlessly risky as taking a great athlete who hasn't put it all together.
I posted this in another thread too, but he's also part of one of the worst groups of prospects in regards to having NHL success. WHL forwards with Sept15-Dec31 birthdays(meaning they have an extra year of development prior to the draft).
Sam Reinhart is the highest scoring guy from that group at 48th in the league. Colton Sissons is the next best at 203rd.
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He's only played 30 ish pro games though. He didn't have a ton of developing left to do in junior. His issue is speed and size, which he needs to work on in the pro leagues.
Yam to me is a prospect who would be in the AHL all of next year, and be ready to fight for a spot the following season.
BarDownBobo
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To me he seems like the next Lander. Will be too good for the AHL soon but not able to put anything together in the NHL. Will probably be a force in the KHL for sure.
McDNicks17
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McPhee and Rasanen have combined for 12 points in 47 games this season.
At that rate, it'd be a miracle if they even get AHL contracts.
There's more to an athlete in hockey than skating. Yam has other aspects of his game that are much harder to teach, like hockey IQ.
It's yet to be seen if he can overcome his physical shortcomings, but calling him a bust after 30 pro games, when it was well established from the start that he was a long term project is crazy.
Ratanan and McPhee play together and have a combined what.... 12 points in 24 games? Desharnais is okay and Wells will be a career AHL guy.
It way too early to tell that. Lander played in a pro League prior to being drafted, then had 2 full years of NA pro hockey before he even looked good in the AHL, so I'm not sure how you can compare him to yam in any sense.
In fact I'd guess that if yam ever does dominate the AHL, it will translate well into the NHL because his biggest limitation is his stature, and if he can overcome that issue against grown men in the AHL, it's a good sign he can do the same in the NHL.
His size and skating are issues. He can adapt to the AHL size and make it work but his speed has to be much better to move it to the NHL
McDNicks17
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Hockey IQ only goes so far when you're that physically limited. Like I said, take the good hockey player over the athlete, but that hockey player needs to at least have average physical traits.
And I'm not saying he's a bust. I'm just saying that it's a needlessly risky pick and that those risky, long term project picks are one of the big reasons why the Oilers have been absolutely terrible at drafting.
Who should they have picked then?
A quick look at picks 23-31 show me nothing of value, a bunch of guys who I'm sure the board's are in love with because they're still dominating junior leagues, or guys who've turned pro and done nothing. We're they supposed to pick outside of the first round choices and go off the board? Wouldnt that be needlessly risky?
BarDownBobo
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Boston College has been weird this year, they've got one line that has been capable of scoring goals and that's it. Even Oliver Wahlstrom is barely at 0.5PPG. This time last year people were gushing over McPhee especially, I'm not ready to write them off after half a year of struggles. They could still very well end up being solid pros.
So, two guys who were ranked below yam by pretty much every scouting agency, and most didn't even have frost in the first round.
This is a clear case of hindsight being 2020.
No matter who the pick was at 22nd overall, nobody around there is doing anything more than Yamamoto right now, but for some reason all hope is fading with yam, and everyone else is just fine.
Typical.
McPhee maybe. Rasanen is done. Guy was bad last year, even worse this year.
Won't matter. Don't see the team wasting contracts on them when better College free agents show up every year
McDNicks17
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Tough to say. I was a big fan of a handful of guys in that range. Vesalainen, Tolvanen, Robertson, Hague, Frost. Obviously we don't know if they'll be better NHLers, but to me, they were guys with a similar skill level, plenty of production and with less physical limitations than Yam.
Draft boards are going to be drastically different at that range of the draft, so I wouldn't really consider it going off the board. Some teams have the luxury to swing for the fences on a player who could be anywhere between a 10 or a 1. If I was drafting for the Oilers, I would have had the guys who are going to be an 8 to a 5 higher on my board since it seems like every 10-1 prospect the Oilers take ends up closer to a 1 than a 10.
Wouldn't say everyone else is just fine. Lots of those guys underperforming. That said a couple guys around him have elevated their games since their draft. Yamamoto was arguably worse last year then the year before and we have noticed a few times that he takes demotions very bad and tends to sulk for a while before he starts playing well again.
Arguably worse how? His ppg improved despite a slow start after taking his demotion hard.
Saying he tends to take demotions bad and sulk is also unfair. He took his demotion to junior hard as far as we can tell based on stats, but he has been fine in the AHL, he just keeps getting injured. There also hasn't been any reports I'm aware of where he's been "sulking".
I just don't understand why youre so set on calling this kid, or any other prospects busts when they've had all of 30 games of pro experience.
It's like if they don't step in immediately and succeed, you start looking for reasons that they'll fail.
Not a slight against KY but you should never draft someone with his size in the 1st round no matter how skilled they are. You draft him 2nd round or later. If he's not there then oh well
Fine these guys are busts yet. A lot of them, McPhee, Rasanen and Yamamoto are going through bust trajectory.
I guess everyone drafted after Yam besides jokiharju is a bust then.
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