Fair, but he's physically dominant at that level. He goes straight through players in transition and bounces guys without even imposing himself. When he does impose himself, you see sequences like last night's game where he trucks players and steals pucks at will. He's not challenged physically whatsoever.
To be PPG as a D+1 and as physically ahead of his peers as he is, as a rookie in the NCAA, he is ready for pro. He's an older birthday for his draft year and although you can never go wrong with the patient approach for a 19 year old, he's also looked like a difference maker on an Olympic US team.
The Marlies are purely a development farm, more so than other AHL affiliates. The team prioritizes rookie development over wins it seems, which is partly due to an incompetent coach but also a directive from Gillman/Dubas. He'll be playing with a combination of Robertson/Steeves/Ho-Sang/Anderson/Holmberg/etc. and potentially his linemate Ben Meyers if the Leafs can lure him. The Leafs have had success with teenagers in the AHL (Sandin, Liljegren, Robertson).
The only case of "rushing" him would be if they burn a year off his ELC down the stretch and play him on the 4th line as a role player.
