Clearly you aren't since what Culkin & Wotherspoon have done is significantly more impressive than Kulak or Rafikov.
They haven't
done anything. Any of the four. And none of them will have done anything
until they have done something. Projecting based on factors outside of their control or a handful of good or bad games is ridiculous.
Projection Project says this though based on "what they've done" so far:
Kulak has a 20% chance of making the NHL. Of the players who did what he's done:
Elite: 7
First: 17
Second: 20
Third: 12
Depth: 3
Culkin has a 24% chance of making the NHL. Of the players who did what he's done:
Elite: 6
First: 18
Second: 21
Third: 12
Depth: 2
Wotherspoon has a 16% chance of making the NHL. Of the players who did what he's done:
Elite: 4
First: 10
Second: 12
Third: 14
Depth: 4
So not only does Wotherspoon have the worst chance of making the NHL, but the least of his comparables were Elite, the least of his comparables were 1st pairing, the least of his comparables were second pairing, the most of his comparables were 3rd pairing, and the most of his comparables were 7th D.
But I guess historical statistics don't pay attention, only you do.
Then you aren't paying attention. Wotherspoon has a bomb from the point, he plays very good positional defense, he moves the puck well and can play a bit of a physical game. There is a very good reason why Wotherspoon has seen NHL in his first 2 pro seasons.
Wotherspoon saw NHL in his first pro season because the team was in the Aaron Ekblad sweep stakes. He wasn't exactly great in his first stint here, though I like him. He showed nothing that implies he can be a top 4D. Also for a guy with a "bomb from the point" he in 109 AHL games has scored less goals than Kulak has in 26 AHL games. And lastly, he got into some games this year after not one, but three of this team's top 7D were injured. And even then, Hartley said verbatim that his decision to play Wotherspoon was only because of the youth movement, and that it was a tie between Wotherspoon and "career journeyman" Corey Potter on who should play based on actual ability.
He does not play "very good positional defense". He plays "very good positional defense
for a 21 year old". Just like Culkin, Kulak play "very good positional defense for a 20 year old" and honestly the same could be said about a lot of prospects. That's why they're NHL prospects.
Yes it is typical because HE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO HOLD DOWN A SPOT IN THE AHL, that is kind of a big thing. Yes, there were too many defensemen to start the year, but Kulak never stepped up and took that job.
And you think Patrick Sieloff or Sena Acolatse were "good enough to hold down a spot in the AHL"? Don't make me laugh. Who cares if Kulak never stepped up to take that job in a whopping six games? Do six games erase the other three years he's steadily progressed since being drafted?
And what does their +/- matter when Wotherspoon was playing top minutes and Kulak on teh bottom pairing?
Okay fine, +/- doesn't matter.
Whether the KHL is better than the AHL is debatable
It really isn't.
Also if you are going to talk a big game you should be aware of things like the fact that Wotherspoon was not allowed to play in the AHL at the age of 19, he was in the AHL at the youngest age he was allowed.
So rules are allowed to stop a player from playing in a league, but a handful of people with power with a plethora of varying motives on a single team with a veteran roster deciding a player shouldn't play in a league is an indictment of that player's talent.
and Culkin has proved himself to be much further ahead.
In what way has he proved himself to be "much" further ahead? You seem to agree iwth me that their games are so similar, yet Kulak has consistently scored more goals at every level, while doing pretty much everything else at a similar level.
If it weren't for Culkin's injury it is unlikely Kulak would have even been back in the AHL.
And if it wasn't for Kulak's mediocre whopping six games (six games. Let's repeat that one more time now, six games as a rookie) it is unlikely Kulak would have ever been in the ECHL. Either, Or, does not define the player's ability for the rest of their career. ALl they define are circumstances. If using ECHL assignments or NHL callups reduces a chance of a player making the NHL, then by your logic Max Reinhart was more likely to make the NHL than Micheal Ferland at the start of this season.
He's bigger than Diaz, skates better than Diaz, moves the puck better than Diaz and plays better defense than Diaz.
Oh, so he's already better than Diaz at everything. Then why did Diaz play over Wotherspoon and Culkin in the NHL? #yourownflawedlogic
Also Culkin does not skate better than Diaz.
