It feels like there's a lot of potential busts this year. There seem to be a lot of small guys (not just height, but small frames), and a lot of kids with skating issues (although, looking at scouting reports for other years, that seems to be a common trend as a main flaw with a ton of Canadian kids).
Seems to be an unusually high number of kids that also have the "character issues" label to them, as well. I wonder if it might be the start of a different 'trend' or stage in hockey. The kids coming into the draft nowadays are treated more like pros than ever before...and from an earlier age. You read stories about kids as young as 10 with agents/advisors, getting massage therapy, playing on these ultra expensive touring teams (with charter buses and the whole shebang), having their own fitness trainers and nutritionists, and even those expensive hockey schools (like the new one out east of Ottawa). Plus these kids have spent most of their hockey-watching lives seeing 4th line scrubs get nearly a million bucks a year with the crazy skyrocketing salaries. All that stuff put together from such an early age (and the massive financial investment nowadays) has to be doing something to the wiring in these kids' heads quite a bit.
Agreed. I don't think he's as good as the hype. Has a decent chance of being a #4D in the NHL. But, I do think he'll be taken in the top 3.
