I should mention I've never seen him play. So he's got very high hockey IQ, his skating is a plus but not elite and you mentioned 1st unit PK potential for the NHL. Being that he plays in the Dub and for a team that isn't exactly offensively dynamic, his production plus other factors justifies the early ranking. I can see that. Makes sense. Still, at his size and his production level, he's not a "typical" first round pick. Nice to know he has atypical qualities that justify it.
So let's talk about another player who's "on paper" qualities look maybe top ten and definitely top 15 but is rarely ranked there.
Why the hell does Jake Bean not get more love? I've never watched him play, but his stat line for a draft eligible WHL defenseman is incredible.
89gp 20g 56a 76p +24 22PIM
And he's 6'1 and a lanky 170lbs, so he's still got some maturing and rounding out to do, but the frame is there. I mean, it's not like he's an OHL. This is the low scoring Dub. He's the 2nd leading D scorer in the whole damned league this year with 38gp 15g 22a 37p. The Calgary Hitmen have 40GF right now. He's got 15 of them. And was in on 37 of the 40. That's nuts for a draft eligible D.
Yet I never see him ranked before spot 12th, or so. And frequently after spot 18ish.
What's the deal?
Sam's got some great wheels, quite frankly he just looks like he has all the tools. I question his overall toughness, he's not like a Benson who will fight back, but otherwise he's definitely a better player than the numbers indicate.
That being said, we've seen this happen where cerebral playmaking centers will be around PPG in the WHL but drop. So while some of us might still see him as a 1st rounder, he's far from a lock.
Jake Bean is an interesting case, because I personally have him mid-2nd round. He's like the opposite of Steel, he gets the points and a lot of them but I'm not sold on how he's doing it. He's not a great skater, his overall mobility isn't great and in today's NHL you really need to be a good skater (or at least a mobile one) in order to find success as an average sized defenseman. I've heard questions about his ability to process the play, because he can make some boneheaded decisions at times. Last year he was largely a product of Sanheim, and while this year he's been much improved in terms of his all-round ability, he's still very much a project player who needs to get better in a lot of areas before he can be considered a great prospect.
That being said, if he pieces it together he'll be a great pick. With his production and potential you can't say no. So I can understand how some people might have him in the 1st round. And it's not like he hasn't been productive in Sanheim's absence, so who knows? Either he'll make me look very stupid, or he'll fail to really take that next step into being a dominant two-way threat in the Dub.
