MayDay
Registered User
Agreed....stay away from these college prospects.
Why oh why did they take Eichel???
As I said up above, first-rounders who look like sure-fire, near-term NHLers (like Eichel) are a different story.
But if a college-bound guy looks like he'll be a late-bloomer or a slow-developer (and almost all goalie prospects are this), then don't waste your post-first round picks on him. By the time such prospects will get close to NHL-ready, they will also be very close to free-agency.
And don't tell me it's the same for CHL players because it's not. NCAA players in the 2nd and 3rd post-draft year have an added incentive to stay put for four years - so they can get their degree. CHL players don't have that incentive - their only incentive is to turn pro as soon as possible. College players always have to weigh turning pro sooner (which would mean continuing development in the AHL) vs continuing development in college and earning credit towards a degree.