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That’s a pretty accurate assessment of watching him play. You have to remember he’s playing in the NCAA, they don’t gap up like we see in the NHL. They’re a lot easier to back off the line when you can attack with speed. Blake drives the line hard and attacks. He can turn the puck over a lot doing that too.
I wouldn't blame him for going back either, UND was a strong team this year that very easily could if not should have gone farther in the tourney. Also I'm not aware of any super-Frosh this coming season like Celibrini was so good chance he wins the Hobey Baker if he comes back with the other two finalists almost certainly turning pro.
Yeah, he's one I won't feel bad about going back for a junior year. He might honestly get better development with another year hitting the weight room and using those crazy looking NoDak floating beds. Seriously their equipment and training facilities are better than the Canes. I hope he works on rounding out his game, or just playing heavier. If we partner with Chicago again, I bet his development will be better served playing in college another year.
I agree that he still has a lot to prove, but I also kind of agree there's not as much left to prove at the NCAA level. He was dominant this year IN SPITE of those shortcomings, so staying another year likely isn't going o help him develop in those areas if he can continue to "cheat" and get by on skill alone.
I think the getting stronger while not getting drilled at the AHL level is worth it. Being able to use his high skill level for another year just reinforces some of those skills, though of course bad habits can be formed as well.
It’s paywalled so I can’t read it. I forget he did a year before heading to UND. That creates an interesting issue that I hadn’t thought about you must be referencing. Can a player spend an extra year in the ushl, then head to the NCAA and become a ufa after his junior year or does he have to do the four years in NCAA to get there?
We talked about the graduation rules re: Morrow. Should be all about when the player is scheduled to graduate, which does not necessarily equate to four years.
Sounds like they wouldn’t lose his rights until after his senior year, as per the post of @Lempo right after yours. His situation is unusual with the extra year of ushl though.
Dammit, now I know where my hiccup with these has been: the deadline is actually the 2nd June 1 after the draft, but it is presented in different sub-section in the CBA for the technical reason that in that scenario the player he must have once received his piss-poor Bona Fide Offer prior to the next draft for the team to retain his rights until that point (after that as a college player he needs not be given one):
