CircularTheory said:
Not sure if i'm right cause i live in a place where hockey doesn't exist
From what i saw, Staal looks like a good player, he can get the job done, reliable and with his size, he can fight for the puck. I think he is fairly overrated (#2 css final ranking?). He did improve his numbers by alot from his 04-05 season from 28 points to 68 points on 05-06. I think its safe to say that he is in the top 15, at the least.
Btw, can't find any info on Erik Johnson, is he really that great? #1 on css ranking?
I think Toews and Mueller have both played better this year. The thing that intrigues scouts about Staal though is his potential. He showed a rapid development between year 1 and year 2 in the OHL. That excites scouts and they think his development will continue at a rapid pace, thus, vaulting him past guys like Mueller and Toews. Those two especially have outplayed Staal this year. Toews in college, and Mueller in the more defensive minded WHL, have put up similar point per game numbers in tougher situations.
Then again, the draft isn't a reward for what you've done this year, it's a prediction of what teams think you're capable of doing when you're 22 and older.
Classic case of this occurred in 1998, as many Montreal fans can attest.
Montreal takes Eric Chouinard 16th overall after he scores 41 goals and 42 assists for 83 points in 68 games for the Quebec Remparts. On the same team, Simon Gagne scores 30 goals and 39 assists for 69 points in 53 games.
Few people questioned the pick of Chouinard then because he put up better numbers, or did he? If you average it out to points per game, Gagne outperformed Chouinard. Gagne scored 1.3 points per game and Chouinard 1.22.
Chouinard was also bigger than Gagne and the Habs were probably intrigued by his pro size. However, they temporarily forgot that hockey is played on ice and underated Gagne's skating ability. That of course, is the biggest reason why Gagne has become an NHL star while Eric Chouinard is playing poorly with San Antonio of the AHL.
Who would you rather have now?
Jordan Staal has put up similar numbers to his brother Eric at the same age. Remember, Eric wasn't drafted until after his third year of junior because of a late birthday. Jordan will be drafted after his second year.
Staal deserves to be taken in this group of players: Johnson, Toews, Mueller, Backstrom, Kessel.
I think Johnson should go first because one scout told me he is the next Rob Blake. After that, it's a question of how good you think the other guys are going to get. Some teams will have different opinions than others.