Drew75
Registered User
- Sep 5, 2005
- 2,518
- 0
So – as we’re about to trade everyone and end up with all 30 1st round picks, completely revamping our prospect pool on June 26th & 27th 
(realistically we should have 4 – 6 top 90 picks if things go well) …. Our development system is now going to be more important than ever. This is a prospect site, and development has thus been heavily debated in thread after thread, but maybe it’s time for its own thread.
Historically, the Leafs have not done a great job with development – I think can all agree there. In recent years, however, the team has shown a lot more patience, leaving guys like Brown & Nylander with the Marlies even though they could probably play better than most of the guys on the current roster. There is even talk now that both players will start with the Marlies next year regardless how well they play in camp – which is where the debate starts.
Everyone quotes the Detroit model – which is draft for skill, let your prospects spend years in the farm system to mature and round out their game, so that when they finally EARN a spot on the roster they are both ready to handle it, and ready to contribute at a higher level. Detroit takes patience with prospects to a whole new level – and personally I think the version of this model that Steve Yzerman has implemented with Tampa may be just as successful – without taking so damn long! He still makes his prospects spend time in the system, just perhaps not as long. Where Detroit will take 5 – 6 years with a prospect, Tampa will take 2 – 4 years.
There is also the school of thought on these boards that “let the kids play through their mistakes and develop with the big club†– one that I personally don’t buy into. The challenge with this method is firstly it assumes that these prospects are not people, just impersonal assets like stocks. These kids have maturity issues, confidence issues, and adjustment to having lots of money and taking care of themselves for the first time in their life. Every 18 – 20 year old in the world thinks he knows everything, but as those of us old enough to look back honestly can attest to – We didn’t know jack at that age. I know I was an idiot – and if I suddenly had $1million to play with at that age, there would have been issues!
The other factor is that these kids will make mistakes. Nylander needs more size, needs to work on his game without the puck. I know that if I had millions of people discussing, reviewing, and criticising my every decision at work on a daily basis – it would get to my confidence. It may work to bring an 18 year old into the fold in a place like Carolina where there’s as much attention as the Marlies get here – but the Leafs are whole different ball game! This is where we can completely fill a thread on a 7th round draft pick, or debate the merits of a “Free Wallet†to death!
In the Sun there’s an article where Dubas said they want to start using the Solar Bears as an “introduction to Pro Hockey†for first year players. Have a kid excel there, and when he does, he graduates to the Marlies – and when he’s excelled there, he can finally have a shot with the Leafs. That may not apply to a Nylander or Strome / Marner who will already be too good for the ECHL, but I think it’s a perfect system to slowly nurture talents like Finn, Biggs, and maybe a Verhage.
Which brings us to the crux of the debate – Patience vs. Let the Kids Play.
Personally, I’ve seen prospect after prospect benefit from patience – letting a kid develop the physical and mental maturity required to succeed in the NHL before throwing him in. Putting a kid who is not mentally or physically ready on the main stage is NOT putting them in a position to succeed – it’s a situation where only the remarkable will come out OK, and most will fail / falter. Many a prospect who has been rushed in has failed to reach their potential (except in some markets where there is little to no attention). Schenn and Bogo from 2008 have both faltered and stalled along their development, not really hitting their potential – while Petriangelo (sp?) has excelled after a couple of year of seasoning.
Acknowledging that high-end skilled players would not require as long as mid-round guys, it’s still obviously beneficial to take your time with all prospects.
I have never, in all my years of watching hockey, seen a prospect ruined or hindered by taking too long to develop them. It seems obvious to me – you can definitely ruin a prospect by rushing them, and you can’t ruin them by taking too long – thus err on the side of caution and have a patient development system to maximize your success.
To all those who say that patience is overrated, or my favorite – that you can “over-cook†a prospect and ruin them by leaving them too long in the development system – my question is this - please, please, please – name me one (1) – just one prospect who has ever been ruined by spending too long developing?
What do you think the right approach to development is?
(realistically we should have 4 – 6 top 90 picks if things go well) …. Our development system is now going to be more important than ever. This is a prospect site, and development has thus been heavily debated in thread after thread, but maybe it’s time for its own thread. Historically, the Leafs have not done a great job with development – I think can all agree there. In recent years, however, the team has shown a lot more patience, leaving guys like Brown & Nylander with the Marlies even though they could probably play better than most of the guys on the current roster. There is even talk now that both players will start with the Marlies next year regardless how well they play in camp – which is where the debate starts.
Everyone quotes the Detroit model – which is draft for skill, let your prospects spend years in the farm system to mature and round out their game, so that when they finally EARN a spot on the roster they are both ready to handle it, and ready to contribute at a higher level. Detroit takes patience with prospects to a whole new level – and personally I think the version of this model that Steve Yzerman has implemented with Tampa may be just as successful – without taking so damn long! He still makes his prospects spend time in the system, just perhaps not as long. Where Detroit will take 5 – 6 years with a prospect, Tampa will take 2 – 4 years.
There is also the school of thought on these boards that “let the kids play through their mistakes and develop with the big club†– one that I personally don’t buy into. The challenge with this method is firstly it assumes that these prospects are not people, just impersonal assets like stocks. These kids have maturity issues, confidence issues, and adjustment to having lots of money and taking care of themselves for the first time in their life. Every 18 – 20 year old in the world thinks he knows everything, but as those of us old enough to look back honestly can attest to – We didn’t know jack at that age. I know I was an idiot – and if I suddenly had $1million to play with at that age, there would have been issues!
The other factor is that these kids will make mistakes. Nylander needs more size, needs to work on his game without the puck. I know that if I had millions of people discussing, reviewing, and criticising my every decision at work on a daily basis – it would get to my confidence. It may work to bring an 18 year old into the fold in a place like Carolina where there’s as much attention as the Marlies get here – but the Leafs are whole different ball game! This is where we can completely fill a thread on a 7th round draft pick, or debate the merits of a “Free Wallet†to death!
In the Sun there’s an article where Dubas said they want to start using the Solar Bears as an “introduction to Pro Hockey†for first year players. Have a kid excel there, and when he does, he graduates to the Marlies – and when he’s excelled there, he can finally have a shot with the Leafs. That may not apply to a Nylander or Strome / Marner who will already be too good for the ECHL, but I think it’s a perfect system to slowly nurture talents like Finn, Biggs, and maybe a Verhage.
Which brings us to the crux of the debate – Patience vs. Let the Kids Play.
Personally, I’ve seen prospect after prospect benefit from patience – letting a kid develop the physical and mental maturity required to succeed in the NHL before throwing him in. Putting a kid who is not mentally or physically ready on the main stage is NOT putting them in a position to succeed – it’s a situation where only the remarkable will come out OK, and most will fail / falter. Many a prospect who has been rushed in has failed to reach their potential (except in some markets where there is little to no attention). Schenn and Bogo from 2008 have both faltered and stalled along their development, not really hitting their potential – while Petriangelo (sp?) has excelled after a couple of year of seasoning.
Acknowledging that high-end skilled players would not require as long as mid-round guys, it’s still obviously beneficial to take your time with all prospects.
I have never, in all my years of watching hockey, seen a prospect ruined or hindered by taking too long to develop them. It seems obvious to me – you can definitely ruin a prospect by rushing them, and you can’t ruin them by taking too long – thus err on the side of caution and have a patient development system to maximize your success.
To all those who say that patience is overrated, or my favorite – that you can “over-cook†a prospect and ruin them by leaving them too long in the development system – my question is this - please, please, please – name me one (1) – just one prospect who has ever been ruined by spending too long developing?
What do you think the right approach to development is?
