Are you meming?
Lol, 9 out of 10 Wings fans on this page thought he was going to play first line this year on the Wings. We have people slotting him on Larkin's wing next year now.
The next Dal Colle
haha that sounds like Tkachuk although we praise him for getting all the dirty goalsYeah but have you seen the points he’s gotten? A lot of them are rebound goals or not very pretty. He doesn’t really deserve any of them.
Alex Nylander similarly struggled adjusting from the CHL to AHL.
I think it's best to leave kids in the juniors for as long as possible unless they can make the NHL earlier.
I don't think Zadina gained anything from going back to Juniors and dominating kids.
His skill level is far superior for juniors, the issue is his fitness level is pretty lacking for pro, adult hockey. Still feel that he needs a significant offseason in the gym. Hopefully playing against men gives him that wakeup call.
I think there's always room to take your game to the next level. The juniors, especially in the 2nd half of the year and playoffs, gets pretty competitive.
It's not like Zadina was putting up 2 points a game.
Just personally am not a fan of kids going to the AHL at 18/19. Especially undersized skill forwards like Zadina and Nylander.
6' 200 lbs is undersized?
Read 196, but point taken. Undersized probably applied better to Nylander.
Let's just say neither were really physically fit enough for pro hockey.
In Nylander's case, I believe it hurt his development. Zadina was/is a better prospect so he might have a better time of it, but it's just not my preferred route for teenagers still eligible for junior hockey.
I rounded up. As for the fitness, I definitely think it's lacking, but I don't think it hurts him to get that experience and push him toward improving on it.
I don't think having him continue to dominate kids in Junior would pressure him to get better in the gym. Having guys blow his doors off in the pros will, though. For what it's worth, summers in the gym is what really blew up Cholowski's stock.
Also, as for his production in the Q, aside from Lefreniere, he was the only player in top 10 production who wasn't previously drafted or draft eligible. (Two 2017 draftees, several 2016 draftees or 20 year old players)
His production was good for a draft eligible no doubt, but there's always room to improve your overall game with another year.
You see guys like Mitch Marner, who put up 2 p/gp in junior in his draft year, come back just to do it again. Doesn't look like it hurt him at all.
People exaggerate the need of immediately graduating guys all the time. It's not like it has been a great track record of CHL guys being rushed forward on the loan loophole. I'm not sure it helped Julius Honka or Alex Nylander. I obviously hope it works for Sandin (like Wings do for Zadina), but I'm not delusional to what has happened. But, it would also be insane to draw firm conclusions on 2 players.His production was good for a draft eligible no doubt, but there's always room to improve your overall game with another year.
You see guys like Mitch Marner, who put up 2 p/gp in junior in his draft year, come back just to do it again. Doesn't look like it hurt him at all.
They couldn't. William was sent due to being from Sweden. But, I would look at the case of Alex Nylander who had great CHL production but a flawed game, and was pushed into the AHL (partially due to his dad falling out with Sauga, but that's another story) before he was ready. I personally think its easier to round out your game against lesser comp if you are willing to work specifically on those areas without cheating for easy offence. Tough to stay disciplined though.Sure, but I think Marner was more complete than Zadina is. I think Detroit's goal is and has been to round him out. Don't think he'd do that ripping one timers from his office in Halifax.
Also worth mentioning, don't believe Marner was AHL eligible. Otherwise the Leafs probably would've sent him there, like they did Nylander.
They couldn't. William was sent due to being from Sweden. But, I would look at the case of Alex Nylander who had great CHL production but a flawed game, and was pushed into the AHL (partially due to his dad falling out with Sauga, but that's another story) before he was ready. I personally think its easier to round out your game against lesser comp if you are willing to work specifically on those areas without cheating for easy offence. Tough to stay disciplined though.
17 points in 28 games in the second best mens hockey league in the world as a 18 year old? I'm not worried about his career
Larkin was in the NCAA in his draft +1 and had one of the best freshman seasons in recent memory compared to prior levels. Now, Zadina is a late-birthday compared to Larkin being an early birthday which stops it from being a like for like comparison. I would also add, Larkin was an extremely well-rounded player at the NCAA level.Eh, I would look at Larkin as a recent specific example of somebody who was thrown in the deep end and was in way over his head, and became a better player for it.
Granted, that's a character thing, but I think Zadina has the work ethic to find his flaws and improve on them.
Eh, I would look at Larkin as a recent specific example of somebody who was thrown in the deep end and was in way over his head, and became a better player for it.
Granted, that's a character thing, but I think Zadina has the work ethic to find his flaws and improve on them.
Me neither. The travel from Grand Rapids to other KHL teams must be exhausting.17 points in 28 games in the second best mens hockey league in the world as a 18 year old? I'm not worried about his career
Larkin was in the NCAA in his draft +1 and had one of the best freshman seasons in recent memory compared to prior levels. Now, Zadina is a late-birthday compared to Larkin being an early birthday which stops it from being a like for like comparison. I would also add, Larkin was an extremely well-rounded player at the NCAA level.
My main point was
That harder comp doesn't always=Better development situation.
You can argue either side, as there is no clear sign one is significantly better than the other. I like the idea of playing at lower levels allowing you to focus on your weaknesses (and its easy to play a player in a situation that challenges it), whereas at higher levels you can be focusing on how to just survive. Now, it requires a prospect (and his junior coach) buying into this approach. Now, I also know, that a player could just play the same game without working on those things and tear up the league possibly leading to bad habits that stick. There is no perfect solution.