The Blues are probably a little concerned but not much really. Not yet, and it may have even been expected, to an extent. If he’s still struggling at the end of the season, then concern will grow.
The concern isn’t even that he’s struggling in the SHL. There’s an adjustment period. The concern is, every time he ever “plays up” he struggles real badly. Usually that’s because of strength mostly. That’s not the case here.
He looks like he might have a problem with processing the speed of the game. That’s a concern, but usually not with the final product. Just takes longer to develop. Sometimes…
It’s not Hockey IQ like many will say. He’s a smart player. It’s that he’s not reacting to what’s coming next. You’ll hear NHL people call it “thinking the game” or they’ll say “let’s see how a kid thinks the game.” That’s what they mean. Can he process what’s happening quickly enough to respond?
It’s why Benson and Danielson did so well in camps. They never looked a step behind. They think the game really well. At NHL levels. So they will play in the NHL at a young age. Great on them.
So what does it mean? Nothing yet. This is why sometimes it takes players longer to develop. You will see kids like Korchinski, Benson, Danielson, Minton all play in the NHL at 20, and maybe the rest of their draft classes NOT until they’re 21-22-23. Some kids have to dominate at every level before they can play in the NHL. Sometimes those players end up just as good as the kids who are ready sooner. It all just depends. Too many fans think if a player plays in the NHL earlier, that means he’s much better. That’s only the case sometimes.
There are however a lot of kids who never make it because of this exact reason. They can be super skilled too, but they just can’t process what’s going on “fast enough” to play in the NHL. They could be the fastest skater out there too. Means nothing if you can’t play on the same page as the best players in the world. That’s the ultimate concern. That’s the concern that will start popping up with him, if he’s still struggling this much come February. Doesn’t even mean he has to start scoring. Just that he can play with those guys. His natural talent will come out at some point, and the scoring will come. First things first though. He’s gotta be able to process and react to what’s going on first..
