Quote Originally Posted by First Round Pick View Post
Wait.......... whaaaaaaaat??? Everyone knew he would score nearly 80 combined goals, be a WJC all-star forward, CHL leading goal scorer all while being picked at #20??? What does that mean to everyone else picked ahead of him then? Sorry but I disagree 100% with this statement. If everyone knew that, I wouldn't have been able to get him 15th in my draft, and most others on the forum probably had similar drafts.

You can't discount the stars if they score a ton and receive a ton of ice-time. We aren't doing it with Drouin for example. We didn't do it with other junior players in the past. That's what the stars should get - monster ice-time. They also play all the toughest minutes. And to anyone who plays hockey, playing half the game at that level is going to limit your overall offensive effectiveness to some small degree, as you are being put out there without the same linemates. You're expected to be the guy when your linemates are third and fourth liners who aren't anywhere near your same level. And if Babcock has said he wants to see him as a top-6 forward in camp... the evidence is too overwhelming for me to say that he hasn't exceeded his draft expectations.
Yes, everyone knew he would have a great season because he was older, bigger, than everyone else and he was expected to put up those kinds of points. You'd be surprised how little NHL people actual care about what kind of numbers guys put up in junior. The only time it's a concern is when the numbers dip heavily. It's hilarious if you believe otherwise. This was a guy who scored 50 goals the year before, and with being one y ear older and getting much more ice time, he was obviously going to increase his production. I don't care about where he was drafted in your fantasy league or this and that, that's not my point. I'm talking about actual NHL people. Nobody who didn't pick Mantha is shocked at what he accomplished in his 4th year of QMJHL hockey.

I am discounting his production given all the information and how I see him developing as a pro. Personally I don't see him living up to the hype (which frankly doesn't exist in NHL circles IMO).

Everyone should be valuing him the same as they did last summer.