My premise is that if Wisconsin were such a toxic situation why didn't more players leave and why are things better this year with the same coaching staff? Why have there been no rumblings about it being a bad situation other than the results on the ice? They more than likely just had a bad year, Caufield and Turcotte were expected to be impact players and they were not, especially at ES. Miller was not as good as he was the year before and they couldn't keep the puck out of their own net (sound familiar?). But it was just a bad year, just like BU had in 2014, North Dakota had in 2018, Michigan had in 2016. I think it was another reach made up excuse from certain people as to why a prized prospect didn't live up to expectation while playing there and why it was better to go against historical precedent and pull a player out of school early before he was ready to have him play minor league hockey?
I guess it just depends on what you think is the better development path for a 19 year old player who didn't really shine the year before. Plenty of people here think that it's riding the bus in the AHL while under guidance of the team. I just think that the past returns of similar players pretty clearly shows that returning for the 2nd year results in the player becoming a better long-term player at the NHL level, and I don't think it's very close to be honest. Maybe the Kings development system is just better than everyone else's and they will buck the trend, but it's a big gamble/risk to make on a player you spent a very high pick on. I want Alex Turcotte to be successful for the Kings, I don't necessarily think the Kings have made it as easy for him with the situation they have put him in this year by signing him, Turcotte was physically dominated a lot of nights in the defensive zone last year playing in the Big Ten and really needed to add 15 pounds or so, something that is harder to do when you are playing 68 games a year and on the road a lot. A year of experience (hopefully dominating), playing in all situations against guys who aren't fully grown professionals is invaluable and the Kings caused him to miss out on that, and I still don't really know why.
I don't think the AHL is a good place for U-20 players to be honest, except in situations where it's European players who are going to struggle to see ice-time overseas and have their development stagnated because of it (Voynov, Kupari).
