I don't believe all top 10 draft picks should be playing in the NHL right away but not because it will "ruin" them. I agree that is mostly BS.

The top couple picks for sure should get in - but only because their teams are garbage and they won't have to play 3rd line minutes. If your lineup for Arizona holds, then you have an all-rookie first line. They are going to SUCK! But those players will get their ice time. IMO ice time is important for young players.

If the team that drafts a player can't give that player major minutes or offensive linemates then they are better off in junior(really the AHL should be allowing players in after they've been drafted as that would be a much better stepping stone).

As a Leafs fan I think of Marner - he has zero chance of making the Leafs - and even our other very high end prospects such as Nylander won't be making the Leafs. But we still have NHL forwards that would be taking minutes away from the young guns. JVR is a legit first line winger. Bozak and Kadri are probably quality 2nd line centers and one will be a 1st line center better than Nylander(but not for long).

Instead all of our young guys will grow together on the farm team. And it's gonna be an awesome farm team.

Good blog - I agree, but it has to be on a case by case basis taking the player and the NHL teams depth into consideration.

It's not a "proven fact", but it's also not a "myth" that even really high NHL draft picks can definitely be rushed to the NHL.

Reasons why many prospects are not ready for the NHL

1. Physical, and more importantly mental, strength. 18 year olds are going through a huge growth period, both physically and cognitively. Just because a kid is a good athlete and has the size to dominate other kids his age in a league like the CHL does not mean he is ready for the NHL. Height and weight does not equal strength. When you're talking about a kid like Dylan Strome, you're talking about a kid who's going to take years to grow completely into his frame.

The mental aspect is far more important IMO. Unless you're a hockey robot like Eichel, McDavid, Ekblad, Tavares, etc, you're not ready for pro hockey. A kid like Connor McDavid is still gonna have huge emotional and mental hurdles to overcome next season that he'd be better suited facing with a 20-21 year old version of his brain. These kids are surrounded by the best of the best and have every possible resource available to them, yet some still struggle. See Yakupov.

Tanner addresses the mental aspect in the very beginning of his blog, but chose not to discuss it. The mental aspect should have been the main obstacle you tried to argue against in your blog, as it is the main reason a lot of kids don't play.

2. Schedule. This ties into how an 18 year old gets exhausted. They're not use to possibly 100+ hockey games in a calendar year including preseason and possibly playoffs. Theyre not use to constantly flying all over North America. And these are players you want in the gym on their days off building strength and growing into their bodies. Again, for a hockey robot like McDavid? He probably finds a way to put the work in. Not saying the same for any other player.

3. Contract. Idk about you, but I'd rather use up Dylan Stromes ELC when he's 20-22/23 then 18-20/21.

4. There are countless examples of players who stagnate or never come close to their draft billing because their game isnt immediately transferring at age 18. Instead, they adopt to the pros by changing the way they naturally play the game just to stay in the lineup. No one wants this to happen. Not the player, not the organization, nobody. But it happens all the time.

5. Culture. Kinda ties into all the other points, but players drafted pretty high are typically on bad teams. You don't want an 18 year old kid spending his first 3 years in the league on a .500 or even sub .500 team. Nobody likes to loose, and many times these players are too hard on themselves because of it. They feel as though because they were taken so high, they need to be doing more to help the team win. It can very quickly start to way on any players confidence and effect their game, especially an 18 year old. That kind of pressure can be catastrophic, again, for just about everybody but a kind like McDavid.

In conclusion, my opinion of Dylan Strome is he's at least a year away, possibly two. I think he's much better off playing another year in the OHL without McDavid on his team. He will be THE guy, and will come into Yotes camp next season probably an inch or two taller and with way more strength. Hopefully, the team will have a bit more talent then too.

If the team that drafts a player can't give that player major minutes or offensive linemates then they are better off in junior(really the AHL should be allowing players in after they've been drafted as that would be a much better stepping stone).

- Allan Bester

I've said for awhile that every team should get 1 player they can pluck from Junior early and put in the AHL if they'd like. Teams can't sign a new player early until the previous players entry level deal is done.

I've said for awhile that every team should get 1 player they can pluck from Junior early and put in the AHL if they'd like. Teams can't sign a new player early until the previous players entry level deal is done.
- mochoson

That would be perfect. Maximum of 30 players so it wouldn't decimate the CHL and it would allow for better development of those elite players.

I've said for awhile that every team should get 1 player they can pluck from Junior early and put in the AHL if they'd like. Teams can't sign a new player early until the previous players entry level deal is done.
- mochoson

Your location is hilarious. You realize that if anyone is dumb enough to call him a top ten player then it's an actual fact that he's the most overrated player, right?

I don't even think you could legitimately put him in the top 25. Maybe at the very bottom of it.

The high end draft picks are already on a 12 month cycle. They get drafted and end up in development camps for their teams and for the World Junior team, during the summer. The previous year, they're in the under 18 development summer camps and are playing in the Czech Republic in the Ivan Hilinka tournament. They've honed their skills with the press and have already experienced world travel. They aren't the same as players at their age, even 5 years ago. If they earn a spot, then give them that opportunity. They have 9 more games to prove themselves, before a team has to lose a year of their entry level contract.

A lot of the top end talent has never had to play a two way game. They may need a year or two in the minors to learn how to back check and how to battle an nhl sized player in the corners and to grasp the speed of the game. Not saying no one can make the jump but there is no need to rush. It is easier for a young player to jump in on a team like Phoenix where his every mistake will be not be front page news.

James Tanner: Rushing Players Is a Myth: Strome Should Be a Coyotes Opening Night
The Coyotes need to go young and quit being so cautious.
- James_Tanner

you're a myth!

Burning ELC years on a noncompetitive team is illogical.

Burning ELC years on a noncompetitive team is illogical.
- jfkst1

No it isn't. Players have limited years in which they can play the game, keeping them in the minors to control their cost is immoral.

It's also unnecessary if you think about it because the odds of timing it so that you have a bunch of really good high-end prospects on ECLs along with a rosters worth of expensive star players so that you can work-around the salary cap are incredibly long.

The Ducks sort of did it when Perry and Getzlaf were rookies and they added Pronger and Niedermeyer, but I can't think of another example where it was really close. The Hawks didnt' win until they burned through Kane and Toews ECLs and neither did the Penguins. (Maybe they were close, I'd have to check).

Point is, like first round picks, faceoffs and body checks, ECLs matter, just not in the way that they're made out to be.

you're a myth!
- Nucker101

I can assure you that I am real. If anything, as a hardcore sophist, I'd argue that you're the myth and are nothing but a matrix like figment of my imagination.

Your location is hilarious. You realize that if anyone is dumb enough to call him a top ten player then it's an actual fact that he's the most overrated player, right?

I don't even think you could legitimately put him in the top 25. Maybe at the very bottom of it.
- James_Tanner

......are you seriously referring to Roman Josi right now?

If you've ever been to school beyond high-school, one of the first things you learn about if you have a teacher worth a damn, is that one of the biggest problems in developing new ways of looking at things is because of successful people who already do things a certain way.

What happens is that whenever a new idea comes up, people say "Oh, if so and so doesn't do it that way, then it must already be stupid." This is a logical fallacy and it's technical term is something like "Ceding to Experts," (although i'm bad with names).

I am not saying I am smarter than Ken Holland, but even he has things he can learn and improve upon. Take for example Ken Hitchcock's take on advanced stats where he basically said he was embarassed to rely on the eye-test for so long. That is the best coach of the last 20 years and even he said he still learns things and changes his mind about his old beliefs.

There is a proven and demonstrable age-bias in the NHL where scouts and coaches tend to play or favor or more highly rate older players but where the statistics favor young players.
- James_Tanner

But those stats from "young" players are probably 21-23 year olds
And not 18-19 year olds

......are you seriously referring to Roman Josi right now?
- mochoson

You're right, it's best to ignore people like you. Forget I said anything.

You're right, it's best to ignore people like you. Forget I said anything.
- James_Tanner

I already have. I wasn't going to dignify it with an arguement.

I will: if you honestly think Josi is close to a top ten D man, you're an idiot who shouldn't be allowed to even watch hockey.
- James_Tanner

If I said this to you, I'd be banned for at least 2 days. Have a nice day guy.

Duclair - Stome - Domi
Dvorak - Samuelsson - Perlini
Rieder - Vermette - Doan
Downie - Richardson - Chipchura

Damn that is a young top six .
- KINGS67

It's a delusional top six is what it is.

If I said this to you, I'd be banned for at least 2 days. Have a nice day guy.
- mochoson

You should already be banned for putting a quote from me in your location and refusing to debate it.

If I said this to you, I'd be banned for at least 2 days. Have a nice day guy.
- mochoson

Richard Cloutier wouldn't mind.

Do you think Strome can handle the physical requirements at the NHL level? I have little doubt that skill wise he is more than ready to compete but otherwise I'm not so sure. Kid is not small by any means but can he take a Kronwall/Chara/Weber hit and bounce right back? Would he really be any better off playing for Dave Tippett? A coach notorious for implementing a defensive system and favoring veteran players? I see where you are going and agree, for the most part, that young players should be given every opportunity to succeed. I just don't think it is as black and white as you are making it out to be. Some players sink, some swim. Is one more year being THE GUY on what looks to be a pretty good Erie team really going to be that detrimental to Stome's development?

Do you think Strome can handle the physical requirements at the NHL level? I have little doubt that skill wise he is more than ready to compete but otherwise I'm not so sure. Kid is not small by any means but can he take a Kronwall/Chara/Weber hit and bounce right back? Would he really be any better off playing for Dave Tippett? A coach notorious for implementing a defensive system and favoring veteran players? I see where you are going and agree, for the most part, that young players should be given every opportunity to succeed. I just don't think it is as black and white as you are making it out to be. Some players sink, some swim. Is one more year being THE GUY on what looks to be a pretty good Erie team really going to be that detrimental to Stome's development?
- JakeTech19

*Strome's* excuse me

I can assure you that I am real. If anything, as a hardcore sophist, I'd argue that you're the myth and are nothing but a matrix like figment of my imagination.
- James_Tanner

Anyone who has to stroke their own ego by declaring on their own blog's message board that they are a hardcore sophist has some serious psychological issues and should be suspected of being the opposite of what they claim they are.

Do you think Strome can handle the physical requirements at the NHL level? I have little doubt that skill wise he is more than ready to compete but otherwise I'm not so sure. Kid is not small by any means but can he take a Kronwall/Chara/Weber hit and bounce right back? Would he really be any better off playing for Dave Tippett? A coach notorious for implementing a defensive system and favoring veteran players? I see where you are going and agree, for the most part, that young players should be given every opportunity to succeed. I just don't think it is as black and white as you are making it out to be. Some players sink, some swim. Is one more year being THE GUY on what looks to be a pretty good Erie team really going to be that detrimental to Stome's development?
- JakeTech19

To be fair, I'm probably proposing that we swing the pendulum too far in the other direction, I mean, I don't think it is cut and dry at all. I just think in general there's way too much "oh don't rush the poor little baby rookie" BS.

But yeah, I do think Strome can handle it. Why not? Guarantee he's been working his ass off to try and make it so it's not an issue. Is another year going to hurt him? No, but it's a waste.

Anyone who has to stroke their own ego by declaring on their own blog's message board that they are a hardcore sophist has some serious psychological issues and should be suspected of being the opposite of what they claim they are.
- RonPielep

I'm guessing you don't know about either jokes or irony, which is why I don't ever care for your posts.

Here is Josi's HERO chart for last season. What do these stats tell you Tanner?

I am genuinely interested btw.