What Causes A Junior Star To Bust In The NHL?
Posted 7:25 AM ET | Comments 1
When it comes right down to it, the NHL draft is always a crapshoot. Always. For every Sidney Crosby there is an Alexandre Daigle. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan. With respect to Daigle and Stefan, both carved out a decent little hockey career that most 18 year old players would be lucky to get, however it's not the expected return on a first overall pick. While some like Crosby and Kane could reach the pinnacle of hockey, why could others like Daigle and Stefan stumble so badly? Why is it just so hard to predict how a junior age player's success will translate and evolve as he becomes a pro? Let's take a look at a few case studies and try to find some answers.rnrnrnMost recently is the news, as highlighted in an excellent article from The Province's Tony Gallagher, is the story of Gilbert Brule. Brule was, as you may recall, a scoring machine for the Vancouver Giants in the WHL and was drafted 6th overall by Columbus in 2005. However Brule struggled with life at the pro level, bounced around between a few teams, and now finds himself as a 26 year old free agent just hoping to find a job next season. In Brule's case, it was a matter of a sour relationship with his father (who also served as his agent), which led to depression, medication and misappropriation of funds. It's an excellent read and I suggest you give it a look. But it points to a larger issue that affects these young stars: too much, too young. Players that are superstars before they are even adults and have no concept of how to deal with it can easily be seduced and ruined. It's happened to Brule and countless others. While some players can be groomed and prepared for stardom (such as Crosby) many other young players cannot and find their careers struggling as a result.rnrnHowever, even for those who have a level head about such things, other factors can affect their development. One is the way that desperate organizations feel the need to "rush" their young players into the lineup before they are ready. The most recent and high profile case might be Alexander Burmistrov. The Russian center was instantly inserted into the Thrashers lineup after being drafted 8th overall in 2010, with very poor results. By all accounts Burmistrov is a very talented player, who was brilliant with Ak Bars Kazan in Russia, and managed more than a point per game in the OHL after coming over to play junior in Canada. However, he managed just 6 goals as an NHL rookie and followed that up with two more relatively disappointing seasons before defecting to the KHL this summer. It's fairly obvious that Burmistrov needed more seasoning at the junior or AHL level, however the Thrashers (and afterwards Jets) were desperate for offense and kept playing him, even though he wasn't ready. Now he's gone back to Russia, and they have nobody but themselves to blame.rnrnFinally, the last thing to consider, is that some players simply can't match the toughness and rigors of a full NHL season. In junior hockey, it's very easy to get by on skill, but it takes much more than that to excel as a professional NHL player. Take for example Rob Schremp. He had a brilliant career with the London Knights in the OHL, culminating in a dominant 145 points in only 57 games during the 2005-06 season. Schremp is simply a wizard with the puck, a quick search of Youtube is enough to assure anyone of that. However, he struggled in the NHL, with only 20 goals in 114 career games, and has been playing overseas for the last three seasons. Schremp found himself unable (or perhaps unwilling) to adjust his offense-only game to the NHL style and quickly found himself out of the league as a result. The fact of the matter is, if you're not prepared to learn two-way hockey, and if you don't have the size to battle with other NHL players, you won't be able to become a true professional.rnrnThis is why interviewing draft eligible players (usually multiple times) has become so crucial for NHL teams in recent years. They need players that have a good head on their shoulders, that understand what it means to be a professional, that are willing and able to work as hard as they can, year after year, in hopes of being the best. It's also why you see a supposedly "high-end skill player" tumble down the draft every year, some teams obviously have misgivings about the character of the player despite his skill set. rnrnSo if you're a fan of an NHL team and you have a top prospect waiting in the wings that you're a little worried about, ask yourself a few questions. Does he display the maturity needed to become a professional? Has he displayed a willingness to grow his game, to adapt to new situations, and to learn how to become a more well-rounded player? Has the organization taken the proper steps to put him into situations where he can learn how to be successful and gain experience before stepping into an NHL lineup? If you answered no to any of those questions, no matter how high the draft pick or how good the pedigree, you might just have a bust on your hands.
I heard that the young star was in a teen treatment program. The player had frequent nervous breakdowns after unsuccessful games. And it was decided to undergo treatment for depression. At the moment he is healthy and playing games.