lol seeing who wins this things mostly are average NHL players or they don't even make it there.
Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part XXIV
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SteveCangialosi123
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Oneiro
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Tao Jersey Jones
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Cheddabombs
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Too bad Holtz is coming up to a barren wasteland of injuries and sickness, there's like no one left for him to play with lol
That's because the people who win it tend to be seniors. The players who win it as freshmen have been superstars (Kariya, Eichel).
Better Call Sal
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Give me Bratt-Boqvist-Holtz for that Swede connection.
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I believe the correct term is Swedish Mafia.
Better Call Sal
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I know but what are the criteria? The best player? Was Vesey the best player when he won it in college? That would be just awfull.
SteveCangialosi123
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I don't think Luke could've possibly done anything more to make himself a more promising and exciting prospect. His year went as well as anyone could've hoped.
I'm not sure he was the best player that year, it might've been a makeup award for his huge season in 2014-15 when he lost to Jack Eichel. But he was certainly one of the best players and scored 24 goals in 33 games.
I agree and wasn't meant to say something about him just that being a finalist or even winner of Hobey Baker doesn't mean anything.
AfroThunder396
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Vesey had 56 goals and 104 points in 70 games his junior + senior year combined, he was a legitimately great college player.
Ok, but he is/was never beside 1 year even NHL average player. How many great NHL players stay all 4 years there? Adam Fox I think stayed 4 years because he didn't want to sign in Canada and then Carolina.
OmNomNom
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You know this place well! I'm WELL ready for the "bust" talk if he doesn't get a goal in those 2 games lol.
Eggtimer
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I’m sure we will be upset with Holtz’s linemates and Icetime . I can’t wait for Recchi to use him as the net front guy on PP 2
Sure, if Hughes was a 24 year old senior scoring against 21 year old sophomores I'd get it and agree with you. In this case, you are talking about an 18 year old true Freshman. If he's a week younger he's in this year's draft. This past season was arguably equivalent to a draft minus one year. It's oversimplification to just say the Hobey Baker is meaningless because it typically goes to an older guy who is not a great NHL prospect. Again, show me something to suggest Hughes was not a good pick at four on his own merits. I'm open to anything on the issue. As an aside, I never saw Hughes as a risky pick. I posted several times before the draft (amazing how the contrarians typically can't point to their pre-draft posts making a point until after they get to use their 20/20 hindsight) where I suggested Hughes was likely a conservative safe pick. He had two very successful NHL bothers and he was bigger and stronger and possessed many of the same skills as the other two. I expected Hughes to go high because it was easy for an NHL GM to look at him and see at a minimum an NHL player. I expressed no real opinion on his upside, I leave it to @StevenToddIves or @Guadana to offer that since they spend hours researching and backing their opinions with video evidence, but their track records are valid in my view, and they both suggested he was an excellent prospect in his own right. Look, I get it, the team struggled this season and it's easy to be frustrated. That said, just saying it's all terrible and everything is bad is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Luke Hughes did nothing to downgrade his potential this season and if anything he probably exceeded expectations. Nobody has shown me anything that suggests otherwise. Now, I've watched him in college and my criticism is that he cheats towards offense because he can get away with it, he is that skilled and transcendent a skater. He will have to pick his spots against NHL competition. If that's the worst thing you can say about him he's doing pretty well as a teenager where he's playing against guys usually 2-5 years older than he is.
Hobey tends to get simplified as "best player in college hockey" but there are some subjective components to it: Hobey Baker Award: History, winners, selection process
As mentioned, the Hobey voters seemingly like to vote for an upperclassman if they can unless there's just somebody who puts up a ridiculous season.
Here's a blip from when Will Butcher won it:
Voting for a graduating senior seems like a consideration even though most fans wouldn't care. It's funny, Vesey had a better statistical season as a junior but won Hobey as a senior.
Average fan maybe gets the Hobey Baker muddled with the award for "best NHL prospect." But nobody considered Will Butcher a better prospect than say Clayton Keller who wasn't a Hobey finalist as a freshman in 2017.
I've probably spent a little too much time recently trying to temper some posters' expectations for recent Hobey winner Dryden McKay on the main boards. Some thought he'd get fast tracked to an NHL spot but it's looking more likely that he'll have to work his way up from the ECHL next season.
Tim Tebow won the Heisman. These awards have zero to do with potential as a professional sports prospect. To me that makes the Hughes accomplishment more impressive not less impressive. He impressed enough voters as one of the best players - right now - in all of men's college hockey. He did not get any bump for track record or profile or anything beyond his play this season as a teenager and a young one for the NCAA.
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