Prince Albert played against the Oil Kings in the playoffs of Drai’s draft year, and I remember thinking the same thing seeing him on the ice. Just had a massive frame, it was easy to envision him matching up against the Kopitar/Thornton/Getzlaf’s of the Pacific. That series solidified him as the guy I wanted at #3.
I remember thinking the same thing. He dominated juniors but convinced most scouts (and myself) that his foot speed would have to improve significantly to be successful. Boy did he ever.
I think that's the biggest mistake scouts make. They find reasons why a player wont make it despite producing. Every year we hear about how a guy is too slow, too weak, too small, too lazy or overweight. The thing is, these guys have always had to overcome these shortcomings and continue to produce despite their drawbacks.
In many ways this is why I think Seth Jarvis is being overlooked. He has the production (2nd in the WHL) but scouts have made up their mind that he is a perimeter player or the bounces just went his way. Scouts had the same issue with Eberle's shooting percentage sustainably and he continued to score for us. A guy like Kessel will never have the body of "an athlete". A guy like Doughty was bored and just needed to be challenged, not lazy.
Truth is we dont know how these guys will adapt to become NHLers. With Seth Jarvis I see a guy who just continues to get better and last time this year wasnt on anyone's radar. Maybe he finds an extra gear to blow past guys or becomes a better passer when drawing guys in.
Never underestimate guys who produce. Especially when they arent exactly the product of someone else.
