For me, the choice is not that hard. Image below is best PPG in the OHL since 2010. Byfield ranks 6th. Of the 17 players on this list that have made it to the NHL, 8 are considered top players in the NHL and only 3 failed to really make the NHL. And he is on the higher end of this list.
On top of that, Byfield only played 5 games in the last 1/3rd of his season (5 games since feb 7), and is the youngest player on this list. So his 1.82 PPG represents former part of his development, rather than the latter. He is doing this in a league with deep history of developing players. All of this screams top tier talent.
I don't know how but Byfield' shot is somehow underrated. He had a
27% shooting percentage. He doesn't have a good shot, he has a GREAT shot. Only can think of Holtz and Quinn who clearly have a better shot.
Every single player in the top 10,
except Quinton Byfield, had at least 1 other 1st or 2nd round talent on their team. Byfield played with 1 drafted player, 6th round pick Blake Murray (they played on 2 separate lines).
All the data analytics look great for Byfield. In Scouching's analytics, Byfield has the highest NHLes score (yes higher than Lafreniere), which adjusts a player's league, age, and raw production to make a comparable analysis. When Byfield on the ice, his team is scoring 35% more goals and allowing 27% less goals than when he is not on the ice. Stats from Pick224 and HockeyPC on twitter showed that Byfield was 1st in the OHL in G per 60 minutes played and primary assists per 60 minutes played.
People who point out Byfield's production mainly comes from transition plays forget that the OHL is a transition league and a majority of goals are scored on either the rush or PP. Odds are, you heard someone hear from Draft Dynasty about his concerns, and made now its a major argument point. Yet, that argument was never brought up for Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, DeBrincat, Yakupov, Svechnikov, etc despite them doing the same thing. Don't believe me. Here is a bunch of player highlights from their ohl seasons:
McDavid
Marner
Strome
Tkachuk
Svechnikov
Must I go on?
The way I see it, this debate is like the Svechnikov/Zadina debate. It was so obvious that Svechnikov was the #2 pick, yet there was so much debate about who should go at #2. I like Stutzle, he has potential to be a PP quarterback and be an elite winger, but Byfield has the potential to be a #1 franchise center. Stutzle does not attack the center of the ice enough to play center in the NHL. The majority of his production comes from playing perimeter on the power play. He takes advantage of the extra ice in the international rinks, where he can skate his way into a gorgeous passing play. He won't have the space like he does in the DEL.
Also these are opinions, I'm not trying to say you're wrong. I'm just trying to say how I feel.
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