Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,071
- 40,920
Gropp doesnt count in all of this he has been hot garbage and Reunanen was never stayin anyway. I think with the other two they believed their own hype and felt they were locks to make the big club this year and were upset when they didn't. Andersson and Kakko both should have went to Hartford to start the year. I'm a firm believer in making players earn their ice and in following a road map towards the nhl. So going to the AHL until you prove you are ready for the next step is the best way imo. This way there are no expectations of making the nhl out of junior, and if the kid starts in Hartford and tears it up he comes up, if he still isnt ready he goes back down, imo it's less of a shock.
Gropp counts when we are talking about this issue.
Europeans need the AHL to get seasoned, for the most part the CHL players are used to this style of play, size of rink, schedule and travel. There is a lot to get used to for euros on the team. There are gonna be missed picks anywhere but imo CHL players overall are more NHL ready.
And yet a lot of Canadians still need time in the AHL. And there are enough examples of Europeans who make the NHL without ever needing time in the AHL.
The difference isn't nationality. It's skill.