I think Horvat has a golden opportunity; just enough competition that a roster spot is not a gift, but not stuck behind so much veteran depth that he has no chance. If he can get 3rd line NHL minutes at his natural C position he should develop just fine. If on the other hand, he ends up on the 4th line or they move him to the wing, I'd prefer he stay in London. Realistically, since Bonino has pretty much locked down the 2C position, the competition is Brad Richardson, Shawn Matthias, Linden Vey and Brendan Gaunce. Richardson is probably going to be the 4th line C, Matthias and Vey can play on the wings and Gaunce is AHL eligible without waivers so unless he's clearly superior, he will go to Utica.
I think as long as a player is physically mature enough to withstand the grind of an NHL season and can earn 12 - 18 minutes per game, developing a player at the NHL level is fine. In Junior or the AHL he will not see the speed and pace that he will experience at the NHL level, so he will learn to process the game at a high pace. It has the added advantage that your own staff can develop the player.
Their are also risks. Smaller players who are not physically ready, particularly those coming out of Tier II junior, NCAA or European junior leagues, can get a bit shell shocked or injured by the physical game. An offensive player who struggles early and is being coached to improve his defensive play can lose his confidence offensively. Once a player makes an NHL roster as an 18 or 19 year old, they can go into a bit of a funk when they are sent down as a 20 year old. However a coach who is good at handling young players (something we haven't had in a while) should be able to manage this issues.
I think as long as a player is physically mature enough to withstand the grind of an NHL season and can earn 12 - 18 minutes per game, developing a player at the NHL level is fine. In Junior or the AHL he will not see the speed and pace that he will experience at the NHL level, so he will learn to process the game at a high pace. It has the added advantage that your own staff can develop the player.
Their are also risks. Smaller players who are not physically ready, particularly those coming out of Tier II junior, NCAA or European junior leagues, can get a bit shell shocked or injured by the physical game. An offensive player who struggles early and is being coached to improve his defensive play can lose his confidence offensively. Once a player makes an NHL roster as an 18 or 19 year old, they can go into a bit of a funk when they are sent down as a 20 year old. However a coach who is good at handling young players (something we haven't had in a while) should be able to manage this issues.