Quinton Howden

[Thieving Giraffe]

Anyone here know anything about Quinton Howden? Kid\'s already 6\'2\" at fifteen years old, which probably helps explain his 121-76-197 for the Ice Hawks last season... just curious if anybody here has seen him play.

[Dobber]

Not much - I\'m waiting for Bugg to see this post :P

[mrbugg]

Before anyone has a heart attack, it\'s important to know that Howden was playing Bantam AA, which is a level below where the best kids play. It\'s not all that unusual to see 200-point performances there- the 31st overall selection at the 2003 Bantam Draft, Justin Bernhardt, actually had more points (102-104-206) in his draft year and was the exact same size.

Playing AA isn\'t all that unusual, however. Sometimes these kids want to stay closer to home, and the highest team around is only AA (or even A). The best kids dominate their home leagues as well as AAA showcases and tournaments, while the average ones don\'t.

At this year\'s Director\'s Cup, one such AAA showcase for the best Manitoba Bantams, Howden only scored five points in four games. However, on the other hand, he was a weekly MVP last year at another tournament and has done well elsewhere.

I personally feel he\'s somewhere in the middle, in terms of being a superstar or a Justin Bernhardt (who is a useful WHL player but nothing more). One of the major reasons the Moose Jaw Warriors selected Howden first overall at this year\'s Bantam Draft is because he\'s a hometown boy. The franchise has been flagging as of late, posting sub-0.500 records two out of the last three years. They\'ve got a new arena on the way, and so a boom-or-bust kid like Howden pays off extra-nice if he booms because he\'s from the area.

Howden has all the tools to be a very good player. He\'s one of the most competitive kids you\'ll ever meet, and then he\'s also one of the fastest and best shooting. The universal comparison for him is Getzlaf, which is pretty accurate.

I\'m not sure about his hockey sense, though. To be fair, he hasn\'t had to rely on his mental game when his physical gifts are so ahead of the other AAs. I think he\'s also going to be a very good WHL player for the same reason. But in terms of pro success, I want to see him actually think the game more before I can really gauge where he\'s at. Right now I\'d project him more to be a Gary Roberts type than a Cam Neely. He\'s absolutely going to be a useful player, but one of the best in the NHL? I don\'t know yet.

Something else scouts love about him is his genes. His dad is an absolute bear at 6\'5, 230 lbs. With Howden being as tall as he is right now, he could easily grow to be that big or even bigger. But again, that\'s something we won\'t know until he gets to age 18 or thereabouts.

Post edited by: mrbugg, at: 2007/05/09 08:56

[Thieving Giraffe]

Thanks Bugg.