What To Expect Down The Line
June 22nd, 2008 by Steve
The 2008 Draft has come and gone, and the Leafs did well as far as most analysts are concerned. Little can actually be told at this stage beyond the “potential” for all the picks. What the Leafs got was a lot of size, a fair amount of skill, a good dose of toughness, and in the process addressed some needs in their system.
All of that being said, Leafs fans shouldn’t really be expecting the players taken in this year’s draft to make an impact next season. Luke Schenn is likely the only player of those taken that will be making a serious run at a spot on the Leafs for the ‘08-’09 season, 2 of their picks will almost certainly return to their junior teams, 1 is likely to continue playing in the DEL or perhaps make the move to the CHL as a foreign import, and beyond that many of the players drafted by the Leafs will be making their initial forays into the college ranks.
Mikhail Stefanovich and Joel Champagne will renew their rivalry in the Telus division of the QMJHL, where Stefanovich lines up at Centre for the Quebec Remparts, and Champagne lines up at the same position for the Chicoutimi Saugeneens. Stefanovich finished 2nd in the league for rookie scoring last year, and was awarded the Mike Bossy trophy as the best professional prospect in the QMJHL. Champagne played for the QMJHL in the 2007 Canada-Russia Challenge series, and also played in the CHL top prospects game in January of 2008. Both are expected to contribute solidly to their junior clubs in the fall.
Whether or not Jerome Flaake remains in Germany is open to debate, but at this point Leafs fans should not despair if the club decides to leave him overseas. The idea that playing hockey in North America will better acclimatize a player to the rigors of NHL play is not entirely off base, but at the same time, during key stages of a player’s development, it often benefits them to remain in a comfortable environment where focusing on their play can be their main concern. Considering Flaake only suited up for slightly more than half of the Cologne Shark’s games last season after completely dominating the Junior league there by leading it in scoring with 80 points in 36 games, the fact that he only had 1 assist in the mens pro-league should temper people’s opinions a tad.
It should also be noted that Cologne is the most successful team in the DEL’s history, having won more championships than any team in the league, as well as being the 2nd most popular team in Europe from an attendance perspective. Should Flaake continue to play with the Sharks (Cologne’s not San Jose) he will be suiting up alongside former NHLers including Ivan Ciernik, John Slaney, Bryan Adams, and ex-Leafs Dave McLlwain, and Todd Warriner. The fact that he was on
e of two 18 year olds to play with the team, and he did so with limited ice-time, should be taken into consideration. If the Leafs can assume he will get more ice time next season, and will progress appropriately as a player, then I think they should consider letting him play in the DEL, which is actually one of the more physical leagues in Europe, and also has a strong contingent of North American players and ex-NHLers.
Jimmy Hayes will be playing at Boston College, while Grant Rollheiser will be picking up the occasional start in net for cross town rivals Boston University. Greg Pateryn and Andrew MacWilliam will be playing in the midwest for Michigan University and the University of North Dakota respectively. The fact that all 4 of the players just mentioned will be picking up minutes at top division-I schools is a huge boost for the Leafs developmentally. It should be noted that all 4 of the schools I just mentioned are regular contenders for the NCAA Frozen Four championships - the schools have been in the final four a combined 82 times, and have won the national title a combined 23 times in the tournament’s 60 year history. They have also produced many NHL regulars over the years, so the Leafs can trust those guys are being left in good hands.
Posted in Prospects