World Juniors are a crap shoot as far as success translating. I can think of a dozen guys from the Canucks alone that looked like world beaters at the WJC that simply didn't find away to use their talent and work ethic to do anything except be a middling talent, at best. AHL success is more promising, but is once again not a guarantee of any kind of success or likelihood of developing to their potential. Juolevi and Hutton were playing top four minutes convincingly for us for brief periods. Otherwise we have Rathbone, with the same kind of pedigree and success playing in a top four NHL role, albeit for a shorter period given our team make up, is he considered "spectacular"? We have him stashed in the minors because we can't get him enough ice time with Hughes and Ekman-Larsson running up the TOI stats. Maybe I've just been spoiled having he and Hughes developing at the same time. To use the scoring per game argument from Robertson, Rathbone is scoring .85 PPG in the AHL in two seasons, and Sandin had 0.65 (I'm assuming Sandin's sticking in the bigs).
Scoring like a monster in junior is fantastic, and entertaining as hell. Halbgewachs played 143 games and scored 120 goals in his final two seasons. He is also a smaller player that scored amazing goals in juniors. He's 24 and has played 5 games. Yes, development isn't linear. But Matt Cooke scored 45 in 65 for Windsor, so that isn't an excuse either. 97 in 168 is spectacular, but there is no way of projecting that as NHL production. For every Sakic, or Lindros or Lemieux you also have a Azevedo, Riendeau, Vey, Leipsic, Shinnimin or Kozun. A lot of the players broke out in their second or third year in the CHL too, and had a season or two of scoring at at a similar rate. I think every iteration of every team has had a prospect or two that have lit the CHL on fire (or KHL or SHL or NCAA or another league) and left the team and fans wanting more. 16 points in 21 games for the Marlies is promising, but again, that isn't any more of a guarantee his game will translate to the NHL.
Injuries are one thing, but also size is troubling with Robertson. We've seen how injuries and health concerns and size all work against promising prospects. Nolan Patrick comes to mind as one of the most recent high visibility cases, but every team has a long line of prospects picked later because of injury and size issues that show every signal they'll develop and just can't. We've dumped a number of them lately. These kind of factors make Robertson a lot more hit-or-miss, and for all the prospect rating sites having him in their top 20, it removes a lot of his luster. A broken leg essentially takes a years development away from him at a critical time. Can he over come this? Hell yes he can, and I hope he does, but not everyone can (Juolevi is my recent Canucks example).
I'm not here to say that there is no chance for either of them, or they're worthless, but neither are what I'd call spectacular. Most teams have a high risk, high reward forward and an offensive LHD that shows promise and that's why I don't think they're spectacular.
