I kind of like him for the 29 spot.
His season was a disappointment. There’s no way around it.
But it’s almost kind of overlooked that he actually had the second highest goal scoring pace in Hartford after Lettieri.
I think it’s overlooked because the expectations for a first year pro that still needs development time are out of whack. Just for example, as a 21-year old first year pro, Gropp scored goals in the AHL at about the same rate as Michael Ryder did as a 21-year old second year pro. Would anyone claim that Ryder didn’t develop after that?
I know some of the ways in which people are down on Gropp are more qualitative than that. More based on watching him play. In the two games I saw, both of which the Wolfpack were really awful despite Chytil and Andersson being there, Gropp was one of the more positive noticeable wingers.
He needs to show improvement this year... and then if he does, next year is really make or break for him, but I think it’s way too early for him to have been pushed down this far in the rankings.