I really enjoyed your post, however if there is one thing I would be mindful of is the above point. I think that in general, people really under estimate the jump from junior hockey, to AHL, then to NHL. Top AHL prospects struggle the first year or two in the NHL, so putting so much pressure on an OHL prospect right now to come to the big leagues and put up similar numbers is not realistic. There is no doubt in my mind that he will have an impact, but as you know Montreal hockey fans are quick to panic.
I can agree with this normally but in the case with Alex Galchenyuk, many top prospects go right into the NHL when they get drafted, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and Steven Stamkos to name a few. In Alex Galchenyuk's case he isn't going straight into the NHL of his draft year. This lockout actually is a blessing in disquise for Galchenyuk and is giving him another year to develop which you can see he is taking advantage of.
I think people can be very protective of a high draft pick and want the extra time for them to develop, especially after a serious injury. But if Galchenyuk who already is developing at a high rate by dominating the OHL as he is doing now, my theory is, is he really going to improve in a weak Hamilton team? In fact wouldn't it be better for his skill level to move up to the club level and start understanding the pace of the game and learning the demands so he can quickly build chemistry with the key players he will need to be playing with? We all know he is going to be our number one center for the foreseeable future, he knows this and understands the responsablilty, but giving him the chance to build chemistry with key players on the squad is also very helpful.
I'm not stating he has to take that number one center role immedietely, but he should be learning that role with the team and its a big role he will be filling, he should be given every chance to take that roll and given that responability if he is ready for it.
What is also intresting to note is that Alex Galchenyuk is the only junior player that can be recalled by Montreal if they want too, so as it stands it does look like Montreal is thinking long term about Galchenyuk and is why I think if we do have a season this year, Galchenyuk would be recalled so he gets some playing time to understand the game. And if this happens, then chances are he will with the club team next year full time.
). Thank-you Timmins and all Hab scouts, and thank-you also to Gauthier for collecting more than a few draft picks.
