F Chaz Lucius - USNTDP, USHL (2021, 18th, WPG)

FlappyGiraffe

Go Jets Go
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Jul 3, 2015
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Winnipeg
Pleasantly surprised by his start with portland, had a hard time getting a read on him after all the injuries and playing in the AHL.

Hopefully he can work out as a top 6 player in the nhl
 

Herby

How could Blake have known?
Feb 27, 2002
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Great Lakes Area
The WHL should have been the move from the get-go if he was leaving Minnesota and didn't want to transfer to another NCAA program. I don't know why so many NHL teams insist on trying to force teenagers who didn't dominate as NCAA freshman into the AHL. The results are almost always bad.

At least the Jets figured it out relatively quickly that a lost year in the AHL was not going to be good for his development.
 
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Herby

How could Blake have known?
Feb 27, 2002
26,807
17,040
Great Lakes Area
It's more about going from D1 to WHL being waaaay easier to put up points cuz you play kids instead of men.
Yup. He went from competing against 18-24 year old amateurs, to competing against professionals mostly in the beginnings or primes of their careers (20 to 28 with a few older career AHL'ers mixed in) to competing against 16-19 year old junior players, and his production at each level has shown the differences between those levels.

I think many CHL fans don't realize the big difference in play between the NCAA and CHL, and it's not a talent issue, the CHL in most cases has more talented players, but the age difference just more than makes up for it. I went to the Michigan/PSU series last weekend in Ann Arbor and stopped on my way back up north to see Barrie play Saginaw (to see Brandt Clarke and Michael Misa). The players are just bigger and faster and the structure of the game lags behind in the CHL.

Doing what Lucius is doing going from the NCAA to CHL has kind of had mixed bag results historically, but it certainly has had better results than a 19 year old going from the NCAA to AHL has. And good on the Jets for not being stubborn and making the change before more damage was done to his development, I wish the Kings had done the same with Turcotte. Lucius will at least enter camp next year with some offensive confidence.
 

Goon42

Registered User
Apr 12, 2013
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What are the thoughts on him now? I remember him being a fairly touted prospect
I believe he could be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL. His injury history is crazy. The guy can't go more than 20 games without getting a season ending injury.

If he plays a full season I am confident he can reach his potential. Unfortunately I don't see him going a full season without a major injury.
 

MrHeiskanen

Registered User
Nov 12, 2017
12,626
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I believe he could be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL. His injury history is crazy. The guy can't go more than 20 games without getting a season ending injury.

If he plays a full season I am confident he can reach his potential. Unfortunately I don't see him going a full season without a major injury.

Go look at his interview he did today, guy is a stick. I think he will continue to get injured playing in men's leagues because of his frail frame.
 

DuklaNation

Registered User
Aug 26, 2004
5,938
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Looks impressive as a prospect, good hockey sense, passing, scoring patience, sounds mature. Not sure about quickness/skating and has to play C. Obviously the injury history is a massive concern. Frame needs 10 lbs more but the time missed due to injury may have been a factor in limiting physical development.
 

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