Philadelphia Flyers prospects will use 2014-15 season to prove they can play at next

[Stizzle]

Obviously a lot of that is due to cognitive biases, though (in addition to new information). When you make a long-term commitment, your perception of the item you just received goes up significantly (and your perception of all the other foregone alternatives goes down).

There've been numerous studies done proving such a relationship. I'd safely assume that every fanbase in the league collectively increased their valuation of their respective prospects (relative to their predraft valuation) the second the player was drafted. Even a team that near unanimously hated their pick (eg, Vancouver/Virtanen) likely has grown to appreciate Virtanen MUCH more than they did earlier.

That's why I'm tempered on Sanheim. When assessing him, I tend to remind myself of my pre-draft perception of him rather than my current feelings. I've always been intrigued by him, but I still had him in the 18-20ish range on my list, so I would not classify him as an elite prospect.

Cognitive bias is definitely a part of it. But I'd say with Sanheim it is less than normal. I just think most Flyers fans here never really heard of him and weren't conditioned to accept the pick at first glance. He wasn't all over draft lists for many months since he was such a late riser. It's a fairly unusual case. Once fans actually did a little research they warmed up a bit. Then when they actually got to see him in action this summer for Canada and the rookie game they started to buy in.

 

[Random Forest]

Cognitive bias is definitely a part of it. But I'd say with Sanheim it is less than normal. I just think most Flyers fans here never really heard of him and weren't conditioned to accept the pick at first glance. He wasn't all over draft lists for many months since he was such a late riser. It's a fairly unusual case. Once fans actually did a little research they warmed up a bit. Then when they actually got to see him in action this summer for Canada and the rookie game they started to buy in.

Definitely. I don't think anybody was expecting to draft a defender, either. Before the draft, I always laughed at mock drafts that had us picking Honka or Sanheim because I didn't think there was a chance we'd pick a defender over a forward in this draft. Lots of people had to learn about him before coming to judgment.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

This past draft pretty much went according to plan for the most part, not really many surprises in the first round. The board just didn't shake out in our favor in regards to landing a top forward.

Personally I didn't care heading into the draft if we drafted Sanheim since I was pretty high on him but once it unfolded like it did I really wanted him.

 

[Funf]

I remember the rumblings of Sanheim a few months before the draft and remember maybe 2 posters here who were on the Sanheim wagon as a riser due to his physical gifts. (I cannot remember who they were but there were a few advocating his selection as a steal)

That being said I wanted Kapanen when that pick came.

I do love the Flyers recent ideology in drafting D though... Ghost, Sanheim, Morin and Hagg should all be NHLers in the new NHL simply due to their skating ability so long as they do not completely drop off a cliff.

Me! I was one of them. I believe LOD was the other. I had wanted Kapanen earlier in the year, but there was just something about Sanheim that I really, really liked.

I soured a bit on Kapanen sometime during the year, just because I think he has limited upside. I think he's a safe pick, and definitely has an NHL future, but with the way the last draft shook out, I felt like there could be some teams picking in our range that end up with star players. By the time of the draft I just thought Milano and Sanheim had the best chance to be that late round steal.

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

I just went back and read through this forums GDT that took place during the draft. It's pretty funny. Very few people were pushing for him. The initial negative reaction by some is hilarious. Now that we got to see him in the WJC summer games and the rookie game it's understood why a couple of us were on Sanheim so hard. I also think he'd get better consideration for higher votes in the Flyers prospect voting if it were held now.
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1697575&highlight=draft

I admittedly wasn't happy with the pick when i heard it, partly because I wanted Tuch, or I wanted them to trade up for one of Perlini, Richie or Milano... But also partly because I didn't know much about Sanheim and am always pretty wary with taking guys who's stock has only risen within a short period of time. I felt the same way with Morin. I still feel that way about Morin, and I don't think he'll be good enough to warrant having used an 11th overall pick on him. But after watching Sanheim play and really watching his game, I'm very happy with the pick. Much more so than I was with the Morin or even Laughton picks. Honestly, I think Sanheim has the highest ceiling in our prospect pool. I think he has the ability to be a franchise defenseman.