For those troubled by Zibanejad’s 9 points (5G,4A) through his first 26 games in the Swedish Elite League take the time to consider the Man Factor. In his 27 games in Sweden’s SuperElit (J20) League in 2010-11 he scored 21 points (12G, 9A) in 27 games. This is what happens when you’re a 18 year old kid playing against men. It’s a natural learning curve. To judge a prospect based on his first 20 some odd games in one of the most skilled professional leagues in the world is not only unfair to him, but a poor assessment of his projectability as a front line NHLer. In fact, playing against men at 18 years of age and being able to produce such a modest amount already puts him ahead of many other peers of similar age. No kid coming from CHL can say they’ve elevated their game at such a young age against older and more developed competition. If we held all prospects to the same scrutiny we would have written off Steven Stamkos’ first 26 games in the NHL with 11 points (2G, 9A).
Sometimes it just takes a bit to get your feet wet and adjust to a heightened level of play. Just because your stats may tail off a bit as a result does not mean that your skills have dropped off as well. Scouts project based on abilities not stats. Are any of us really fooled into thinking Mark Stone is on the same level as Nugent-Hopkins because of their point similarities this past year in the WHL? We’ve had a good enough look at Corey Locke to see that OHL producers don’t always equate to NHL stardom. Relax on the stats and stop the Mike Fisher comparisons. Mike is a good player but was never considered a top 10 talent in his draft and for good reason.
Don Brennan’s article that suggested Zibanejad may only be a Mike Fisher is not only unfair but its premise was admittedly developed from the viewings of a select few YouTube clips (and the fact Don probably saw the top 60 TSN prospects list where Mika was compared to Fisher or a poor man’s Nicklas Backstrom). I mean, at least talk to a scout or a fan in the 300-level before making such a ridiculous statement. Maybe even quote a scout’s two cents to support your argument instead of giving the guy a bum rap before he has even laced up the skates for the first time.
All said, I think Brennan’s critique was like an off target Mike Fisher slap shot – it missed high and wide. Nowhere in Z’s video montages have I seen him take wrist shots with Gord Wilson dubbed over colour commentary that says, “That puck went 1,000,000 miles per hour!”. Nor is there is a Swedish equivalent of this. So maybe it would be in everyone’s best interests to just take a step back and ease up on the needless and unnecessary comparisons.
I realize that the Sun’s target audience consists of a bunch of people who : a) have never stepped outside the Ottawa region long enough to realize there is more to hockey than throwing punches outside the Bears Den in Smith Falls; and b) need to be able to digest a concept in 10 words or less using a comparable that they are already familiar with to avoid over thinking; but the fact that the Jets reached on Scheifele and passed on Couturier like the other top six teams, should validate any concerns that Senators fans may have had with this guy. Clearly there was something to his game or makeup that gave a few organizations cause for concern.
I raised this topic on the podcast yesterday but I would have loved to have seen Mika play in the CHL this past year and seen how his game stacked up against Gabriel Landeskog. There are a number of parallels between the two and it would have been interesting to see how he fared against similar competition. Another thing that bothers me is the sect of the fan base who believes the season was a complete wash because we didn’t select Landeskog. I’ve even heard some go as far to say that it was destiny in the making and a match made in heaven. Really? Because he’s Swedish and has a girlfriend who goes to Carleton University? Because he runs people over? Because he attended the Bell Capital Cup and has a stick signed by Magnus Arvedsson? Because he’s ‘captain’ material?
Much like reading on his NHL.com prospect profile that Landeskog’s favourite player and team were Mats Sundin and the Detroit Red Wings, I eventually came to realize that he sounded too good to be true. He’s not even the same type of player as Alfie and we all know the captaincy of this team is headed right onto Jason Spezza’s chest the next time it’s up for grabs. Gabriel may have been waiting a while before he was able to pry it away from him. At any rate, it’s unfair and just reckless to start comparing an unproven professional at 18 years of age to a man who should by all accounts be a Hall of Famer once his body and mind decide they’ve had enough.
This year’s draft had several tiers of players, from 1-8 and then 9-35ish so I have a hard time digesting the statement that Stefan Noesen was a reach at 21. He was told at the combine the Senators would select him there. The Anaheim Ducks quickly traded down from the 22 slot after Noesen was taken, leading me to believe this may have been the team also looking to acquire Stefan. Interestingly enough the Ducks selected another right winger and Noesen’s teammate on Plymouth, Rickard Rackell, with the 30th selection. It’s only a reach if you believe the third party scouting rankings should be treated as gospel. If that’s the case, then why bother having a scouting department at all when CSS, ISS and Bob Mackenzie take care of everything for you?
For some of the backlash about the Senators not drafting enough offense with their first selection people are quick to forget, or turn a voluntarily blind eye, to the Senators selection of Matt Puempel who several have suggested is the most pure goal scorer of this year’s draft eligible players. Neate Sager was on the podcast yesterday and told us he thought Matt could be a 30-40 goal scorer in the NHL if things played out properly. That’s pretty high praise from a guy who actually watches the OHL (as opposed to those who prefer small sample YouTube scouting and literary dissections of player attributes). If you’re going to dump on the team for not grabbing more of an offensive dynamo at six, then at least give the team kudos for grabbing an offensive dynamo at 24.
There’s no rush…
Let’s return all these kids to junior, college and the SEL and just enjoy watching them develop over the next year. For the first time in what seems like ages we’ll be able to monitor Shane Prince and Jean-Gabriel Pageau from our own backyard while watching Matt Puempel and Stefan Noesen roll through once in a while. If you find that the quality of talent to be a bit lacking on ScotiaBank Place ice this season, you won’t have far to go to catch the next generation of Senators players down at the ol’ Civic Centre.
Development camp starts tomorrow…
Can you think of any better Entry Draft hangover remedy than the hair of the dog that is watching these new Senators play in team colours for the first time? Hopefully development camp is as well attended as in past years and these kids start their Senators careers knowing how much the fan base lives and breathes hockey. First impressions go a long way with these kids so hopefully it’s memorable.
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