I actually really like Quinn.
The thing that makes him really intriguing to me is that he used to split his time between golf and hockey and didn't start focusing on hockey until like 2-3 years ago. So he was way behind his peers developmentally and as he's caught up to them, he's shot up from a secondary Canadian junior league to the OHL and then from a mediocre OHL player to a star. He got better over the course of the season too, and ended the year with 45 points in his last 25 games. If that process isn't done, watch out. Drake Batherson, who also used to split time between golf and hockey, followed a similar trajectory and ended up being one of the biggest steals of the 2017 draft and Quinn is far better than Batherson was in his draft year.
Quinn strikes me as really talented. Between his stride, slick hands, and a really good shot, I actually get Zibanejad vibes from watching him. I think this condensed shift-by-shift gives you a pretty good sense of how skilled he is, despite one really brutal turnover.
Plays like these also show a lot of skill and you'll notice he drives play by himself and isn't just riding his linemates coattails:
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If you watch the shift-by-shift, you'll notice that he doesn't just have a lot of offensive skill. He also competes for pucks really hard, is involved defensively, and is an effective PK'er. His game strikes me as pretty well-rounded.
If you watch the shift-by-shift, you'll also notice that he's not out there with Rossi that much, except for on the power play. I think the narrative of him benefiting from playing with Rossi is overblown. My understanding is that Rossi normally played with Gareffa (1.73 ppg / 7th in the OHL in scoring) and Keating (1.53 ppg / 9th in the OHL in scoring) while Quinn normally played with Hoelscher (1.23 ppg / 22nd in the OHL in scoring) and Beck (0.34 ppg / 237th in the OHL in scoring). To be fair, Quinn was on the power play with Rossi, but I actually there's actually a case that Rossi benefited from playing with strong linemates more than Quinn did.
I think there's a solid argument that there's more risk with Quinn than with the guys in the top 8 because Quinn has come out of nowhere while other players have been established as really good hockey players for a while. But I think Quinn might have a higher ceiling than anyone else outside the top 8 and as someone who values upside a lot, that's really intriguing to me.
I also really like players who improve at a fast rate because I think it shows the ability to get better and for guys that generally aren't good enough to play in the NHL when they're drafted, their ability to improve is such a big part of how good they end up becoming.
The narrative that Quinn is a guy who, before this year, was a pretty mediocre hockey player and that all of his appeal is based on one breakout season as an older player surrounded by a ton of talent is definitely true, but I think there's also a lot evidence supporting the narrative that 1) he's a late bloomer because he didn't start focusing on hockey until later than his peers and 2) because of the way the 67's set up their lines, his breakout wasn't a function of being surrounded by talent but was driven by his own play. I also think that, if you watch him play, it's clear that he's a guy with a ton of talent.
I don't have any illusions of being a real scout or anything, I just do this stuff for fun, so I could definitely be wrong. But I do have a different viewpoint on him from what I've seen here so far and thought it was worth expressing for conversation's sake.
