SKYO wrote: ↑Tue May 29, 2018 11:05 am
Like Tyler Johnson and other smaller players, Petrus Palmu will likely need a solid two years of AHL development to properly prepare for the NHL.
Never drafted Tyler Johnson needed an extra year in junior just to earn a free agent ELC.
To be sure, 18 year olds typically haven't reached physical maturity when it comes to body development and strength. Those who have are the exception. It isn't a surprise that top NHL draft picks are full of these exceptions -- I am sure there is a correlation between development and athleticism and success at young ages (getting them attention, thus getting them more early advanced development training, therefore widening the already existing gap between those players as pee wees and bantams and juniors as compared with their peers). It also isn't a surprise that those same top picks are most NHL ready.
Of course there are exceptions. Some pencil neck kids (Gretzky, anyone) can be NHL players and succeed as pencil necks. Most (e.g., the Sedins) need to add strength to have a good NHL game. (The Sedins could have been sticks and had an okay NHL career, but it was when they added the strength that they made the jump to excellent players).
My point is not to disagree with you, Skyo, but to note that whether a player needs time in the AHL is mostly a function of how good are they. Palmu doesn't need AHL time because he is small (he is never going to be big and will always have a strength disadvantage); he needs it because he is a 6th round draft pick who has done well and hit all reasonable positive expectations for a player of his standing when he was drafted, but hasn't exceeded a reasonably optimistic development curve. That Palmu will be in the AHL at all and has potential still to possibly make the NHL makes the pick a pretty good one. Some 2017 6th rounders from last year's draft could probably already be considered written off.