Haven't surfed too much here lately but took the time to read this thread and the real-time draft thread.
People REALLY need to take a step back on both the Bleackley comparisons and the skating concerns. His skating is just fine. I really don't see him as a 3/5 skater. He's more like a 4, if not a bit more. He's a bit hunched but his legs seem rather long for his height and he's both powerful and agile on his edges. Watch some of his highlights from the U18's, he has pull-away speed on some of his chances in the clips. As for Bleackley, they're same in the sense that they were 200 foot players with grit and leadership. That's about where the comparisons end. Jost is twice as skilled and three times as smart.
I had the chance to watch him at last year's World Junior A Challenge, where he was 1 of only a couple 16 year olds at the event. He was a stud. Here's what I wrote back in December 2014:
He was fantastic in this game, as I fully expected him to be. He scored a goal on his very first shift, walking over the blueline and wiring a low, hard wrister through the goalies legs to make it 1-0. His skating is great. He’s not tall but he’s thick and seems like a powerful kid. To go along with that speed and ability to skate, he has a lot of finesse in his game. He was great along the cycle and in small areas. He made some smart area passes including having the understanding of where to put pucks in order for his linemates to receive them and succeed. He was a constant threat all game and saw time in all situations. A very impressive showing for such a young kid in this event. Him and Fabbro are the first 16 year olds to play in this event since Jaden Schwartz did. This kid is going to be special. Hopefully this summer he decides to head to the WHL and play for Everett. The 1998 class out west is shaping up to be fantastic and Jost is right in that mix with guys like Benson, Patrick, Clague and Steel. He should be a top 10 pick in 2016, if not higher, if things continue this way for him.
He's done nothing but improve since then, either.
To me, he's basically the centre version of a guy like Parise. Somewhat undersized but gritty, smart and skilled. I think he'll be a guy that can play both C and LW, kill penalties and play in a few different spots on the PP. I expect to see him in the NCAA for a year, AHL for part of a year and then the NHL after that. He's technically AHL eligible right now and he's probably ready for that, but there's no rush.
