Ryan Strome

[TheCamelToews]

I drafted Strome in my keeper last year, and noticed alot of people were either quite high on him, or quite low?

How does everyone feel about his potential in NY after this year? Seems like he is making good progress in Niagara compared to last season

Start the discussion!

[arctic_rogue]

I think he's definitely got some potential. It's just so darn hard to predict NHL success based on junior hockey. There have been way too many "can't miss" prospects come along that have done very little in the NHL. Even if he does do well, it may take him years to adjust and be what many expect him to be.

[Axeman33]

I think he's definitely got some potential. It's just so darn hard to predict NHL success based on junior hockey. There have been way too many "can't miss" prospects come along that have done very little in the NHL. Even if he does do well, it may take him years to adjust and be what many expect him to be.

Nicely said and I agree. Right now Strome has to battle JT and Frans Neilsen down the middle for quality scoring time. Both are entrenched in the #1 and #2 centre roles. Obviously, Neilsen is replaceable down the road but right now, he's solid in that spot.

It would be nice to see the Islanders actually take some time with a top prospect for a change and bring him a long at a pace that wont ruin his development. That have a history of doing that.

[islefan31]

Nicely said and I agree. Right now Strome has to battle JT and Frans Neilsen down the middle for quality scoring time. Both are entrenched in the #1 and #2 centre roles. Obviously, Neilsen is replaceable down the road but right now, he's solid in that spot.

I see Neilsen more of a 3rd liner in the mold of Jordan Staal in Pitt. Having said that, the Islanders have a lot of depth up the middle that will give Strome some competition. Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas to name a few. And Bailey is still in the mix as well, although he did thrive on Neilsen's wing. Still they seem better suited for the 3rd line in the long wrong.

[Who Dat]

I live in Niagara and watch the Dogs quite a bit. Went to the game vs. the Subban boys and Belleville last night. Here's my read on Strome. I love the guy, but I see the NHL transition being difficult for him. He seems to get a lot of goals not through creating them, but by being in the right spot at the right time. I feel that against more skilled D men, he's going to have trouble. He's a small guy, and you look at the small successful guys in the NHL as either being creators or fiesty grinders. I don't see Strome as either. I rarely see "wow" moments from him, but he's always puts up numbers. He's benefitting a lot from having Brett Ritchie with him this year, who I honestly think has a game more suited for the NHL then Strome.

The next thought would be that he could adapt to the NHL game with some experience. I question that as well. I watch guys like Dougie Hamilton who've got composure and the smarts to adapt to whatever situation. I see Strome having a hard time adjusting. He just seems to have the demeanor of a guy who would get agitated/frustrated when faced with some hurdles.

As a sidenote, I got him in my keeper as well. I'm hoping for the best for the kid, but the more I see him, I see him having difficulty carving out a spot on the Island.

[vandalay]

Let the doubters doubt and try to pick Strome up on the cheap is my recommendation. He plays an unassuming game that makes people think that he doesn't have enough intensity. But when you watch him closely you see that he is very good positionally and he finishes his checks. He knows where to be in the ice and thinks the game well. Despite what other will say being 6 ft and 180+ pounds at age 19 is not small.

Tonight his team was down 5-1 with 5:26 left in the game, then he proceeded to assist on 4 straight goals to bring Niagara level. Finally, he capped it off with a shootout goal as Niagara completed the comeback.

He now has 50 points in 26 games, including 29 points in 10 games here in November. Not to mention that he is a +30 this year, leading all OHL players. Let's not forget that he put up 105 points in his draft eligible season, at the age of 17, which is something that very few players manage to do. Now thanks to the lockout he's getting extra development in juniors, which will only benefit him in the long-run as he gains his man strength.

Go ahead and doubt him, but you won't find me doing that.

[Axeman33]

Let the doubters doubt and try to pick Strome up on the cheap is my recommendation. He plays an unassuming game that makes people think that he doesn't have enough intensity. But when you watch him closely you see that he is very good positionally and he finishes his checks. He knows where to be in the ice and thinks the game well. Despite what other will say being 6 ft and 180+ pounds at age 19 is not small.

Tonight his team was down 5-1 with 5:26 left in the game, then he proceeded to assist on 4 straight goals to bring Niagara level. Finally, he capped it off with a shootout goal as Niagara completed the comeback.

He now has 50 points in 26 games, including 29 points in 10 games here in November. Not to mention that he is a +30 this year, leading all OHL players. Let's not forget that he put up 105 points in his draft eligible season, at the age of 17, which is something that very few players manage to do. Now thanks to the lockout he's getting extra development in juniors, which will only benefit him in the long-run as he gains his man strength.

Go ahead and doubt him, but you won't find me doing that.

I dont think anyone is doubting his skill in the OHL, they are doubting how that will translate into his NHL career.

[arctic_rogue]

I dont think anyone is doubting his skill in the OHL, they are doubting how that will translate into his NHL career.

Exactly. There have been way to many OHL/WHL/QMJHL stars that couldn't translate their junior success into NHL success. I don't think anyone is saying that Strom will not be able to make the transition, we just highlight that there is some uncertainty as with all junior players.

[Big Ev]

Not a fan at all. I'd look to sell high.

[berni67]

Let the doubters doubt and try to pick Strome up on the cheap is my recommendation. He plays an unassuming game that makes people think that he doesn't have enough intensity. But when you watch him closely you see that he is very good positionally and he finishes his checks. He knows where to be in the ice and thinks the game well. Despite what other will say being 6 ft and 180+ pounds at age 19 is not small.

Tonight his team was down 5-1 with 5:26 left in the game, then he proceeded to assist on 4 straight goals to bring Niagara level. Finally, he capped it off with a shootout goal as Niagara completed the comeback.

He now has 50 points in 26 games, including 29 points in 10 games here in November. Not to mention that he is a +30 this year, leading all OHL players. Let's not forget that he put up 105 points in his draft eligible season, at the age of 17, which is something that very few players manage to do. Now thanks to the lockout he's getting extra development in juniors, which will only benefit him in the long-run as he gains his man strength.

Go ahead and doubt him, but you won't find me doing that.

Exactly what I think. He and Tavares will be a killer punch for the next dacade. All checking pressure will be on Tavares line, so Strome line will have more room to produce.

[vandalay]

I dont think anyone is doubting his skill in the OHL, they are doubting how that will translate into his NHL career.

Exactly. There have been way to many OHL/WHL/QMJHL stars that couldn't translate their junior success into NHL success. I don't think anyone is saying that Strom will not be able to make the transition, we just highlight that there is some uncertainty as with all junior players.

When you look at the players that in the last 10 years have managed to put up 100+ points in the OHL in their draft eligible season you will see very few players whose game didn't translate to the NHL. One, in fact: Brett MacLean, a poor skater that was riding shotgun to Tavares. And with his heart condition now we'll never know how well he would have done. The rest have gone on to produce in the NHL. The list is short: Spezza, Little, Kane, Gagner, MacLean, Stamkos, Tavares, Hall, Seguin, Strome.

I agree with you that there is a lot of uncertainty with junior players but when they produce as early as Strome in the quantity that he did he is in pretty elite company in junior hockey.

You can talk all you want about how you worry about whether his game will translate, but I don't see what you see that is concerning and let's face it, none of us are scouts. I'm going to rely on stats and trends when it comes to fantasy hockey. Strome might end up busting but recent history says that it is a very small chance that he does.

[arctic_rogue]

When you look at the players that in the last 10 years have managed to put up 100+ points in the OHL in their draft eligible season you will see very few players whose game didn't translate to the NHL. One, in fact: Brett MacLean, a poor skater that was riding shotgun to Tavares. And with his heart condition now we'll never know how well he would have done. The rest have gone on to produce in the NHL. The list is short: Spezza, Little, Kane, Gagner, MacLean, Stamkos, Tavares, Hall, Seguin, Strome.

I agree with you that there is a lot of uncertainty with junior players but when they produce as early as Strome in the quantity that he did he is in pretty elite company in junior hockey.

You can talk all you want about how you worry about whether his game will translate, but I don't see what you see that is concerning and let's face it, none of us are scouts. I'm going to rely on stats and trends when it comes to fantasy hockey. Strome might end up busting but recent history says that it is a very small chance that he does.

I never said that I was concerned specifically about Strome. It's moreso about all junior players.

Just for arguments sake, I'd like to list all the OHL players that have put up 100+ points in the last 10 years:

2002-03
Corey Locke
Matt Foy
Chad LaRose
Joey Tenute
Kyle Wellwood
Jamie Johnson

2003-04
Corey Locke
Corey Perry
Martin St. Pierre
Eric Himelfarb
Daniel Sisca

2004-05
Corey Perry
Dylan Hunter

2005-06
Rob Schremp
Dave Bolland
Wojtek Wolski
Dylan Hunter
Evan McGrath
Justin Donati
Bryan Little

2006-07
Pat Kane
John Tavares
Sergei Kostitsyn
Tyler Donati
Sam Gagner
Bryan Little
Even Brophey
Bobby Ryan
Brett McLean

2007-08
Justin Azevedo
Brett McLean
John Tavares
Luca Caputi
Steven Stamkos
Chris Terry
Jack Combs
Michael Swift

2008-09
John Tavares

2009-10
Tyler Seguin
Taylor Hall

2010-11 and 2011-12
I'm not going to include these, as they are still developing and expecting NHL production from these guys at this points would be a fair comparison.

So it is clear, that being an 100+ point OHL player does not translate into being an NHL regular let alone an NHL star. Of the guys listed above, the only guys who you could consider a star are:

Corey Perry, Pat Kane, John Tavares, Bobby Ryan, Steven Stamkos, Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall. The odds are clearly stacked against these guys. Am I saying there is something in STrome's game that will keep him from making the transition? Nope... i don't watch him play so I have nothing to base that on. But I can say that based on the stats above, OHL production is not a definitive indicator of future NHL production.

[vandalay]

So it is clear, that being an 100+ point OHL player does not translate into being an NHL regular let alone an NHL star.

When did I say this or even intimate it? Not only did I not say that any 100+ OHL player will become an NHL regular, I most certainly did not say that any 100+ OHL player will become an NHL star. That was a strawman of your own creation.

What I was pointing out is that putting up 100+ points in their draft eligible season is significant. When a player can at the age of 17/18 put up 100+ points this is a very significant indicator that they will succeed at the NHL level. As you point out, putting up 100+ at age 19 or 20 really isn't all that significant, but I thought we all knew that already...

[arctic_rogue]

When did I say this or even intimate it? Not only did I not say that any 100+ OHL player will become an NHL regular, I most certainly did not say that any 100+ OHL player will become an NHL star. That was a strawman of your own creation.

What I was pointing out is that putting up 100+ points in their draft eligible season is significant. When a player can at the age of 17/18 put up 100+ points this is a very significant indicator that they will succeed at the NHL level. As you point out, putting up 100+ at age 19 or 20 really isn't all that significant, but I thought we all knew that already...

My bad, totally missed the draft eligible year part.

Either way, no need for that tone.

[vandalay]

My apologies for the tone if it was too much. I was just surprised you didn't see my argument when I thought it was clear I was talking about draft eligible seasons. Cheers.