i think the biggest surprise for the collective list is the fact that zykov is almost entirely irrelevant as an nhl prospect after this season. some of us were more invested into his being for real than others, but to see him drop so far as to be waived and claimed twice and be stuck in purgatory was unexpected. one of the biggest risers in my opinion has been jake bean. personally, i underestimated his ability to both score and defend at the professional level and he has done both well for the checkers.
one of the things that has been most frustrating is the lack of a true breakout from any of our system prospects. the fact that greg mckegg, lukas wallmark, clark bishop and saku manalive that's hard to spell have solidified roster spots ahead of guys like kuokkanen, necas, gauthier, roy, etc. has been somewhat typical hurricanes prospects. ripen to be elite scorers in the american league and find themselves unable to make the transition when required. it's largely been a hold serve type season, but i would be lying if i didn't say my hopes that foegele would be a top six for us after his performance in his rookie season last year have hurt to see fade out.
additionally, necas not being a full time nhl player this season was a huge blow to our chances of fielding a competitive roster. regardless of what you might hear now about tempering expectations, the expectation was that he would be good for 35-40 points and look pretty impressive while doing it. the fact that he didn't rip it up at the wjc has also been a sour note on something of a learning year for him. that isn't to say my hopes of him being an impact player have been diminished at all, but more immediate results were expected considering his pedigree and world championships performance. you can call his year a developmental success and still be disappointed that he needed one.
adam fox, in his limited schedule, has been immensely impressive and maintained his profile if not raised it a few more notches... but as it was for the rest of these guys, until you're doing it for money you're not doing it. stelio mattheos has had a really strong year in the whl, but he will also face the tough task of turning that junior production into nhl production. there has been lots of praise for eetu luostarinen, but the fact that draft eligible players are producing at such a solid clip in the watered down liiga as the top end of the league has escaped to more traditional feeder leagues makes me skeptical of numeric production. it would be great if he's turning a corner, but for a former second round pick he shouldn't be considered to be doing anything wholly unusual. he still needs plenty of time. jack drury has held serve. david cotton started his season quickly and then faded a bit lately, but his progression has been positive. cliff pu has been laughably behind schedule.
