Because he’s a nothing player, he’s literally a worse Tyler motte
If you’re basing this off the transitive property then there’s so many arguments I could make of really good NHL players being “worse” than Motte.
Or hey, let’s discount anyone that had worse stats than Nail Yakupov in the OHL because obviously they’re worse than him.
And to quote another point you made, Lockwood is not a worse skater than Motte. You cannot say that with conviction whatsoever. Furthermore he has a lot more skill.
We’re getting spoiled with Hobey Baker winners and nominees these days and now you think you’ve gotta be on that level to be a good NHL player? Lockwood has been the best forward for Michigan for the majority of the season, and his progression so far is further than a normal 3rd rounder. And I don’t think you’d be happy just losing a third rounder for nothing.
And for the record, 31 in 35 on a bad team in the Big Ten is not “pedestrian numbers.” Thats generally way over PPG in the OHL. And yes the transitive property is better applied here, since we’re talking about the same player at the current moment.