His amazing performance in the recent exibition game against Slovakia has made him the talk of hockey town.
Where have you been the last three years?
John Tavares took the NHL to court last year for the right to be drafted in the 2008 draft (he was too young by 5 days).
Tavares has been pegged as the first overall draft in the 2009 draft since 2005. He was granted exceptional status which allowed him to join the OHL at 15 years of age.
He’s been the talk of the hockey world since 2006.
As for the game against Slovakia, most NHL scouts are still very disappointed in his skating. He still ranks behind Sweden’s Victor Hedman on a lot of team lists (and Brent Sutter of New Jersey isn’t impressed with him at all).
His point totals in the OHL have NOT set the world on fire. he has never averaged more than 2 points a game in the OHL (something that Patrick Kane did as an OHL rookie 2 years ago averaging 2.5 points a game). Taylor Hall and Cory Hodgson are both averaging more points/game this year in the OHL than Tavares
There’s a lot to like about Tavares, but there’s a lot of room to improve. He’s a very good player, but not a great player. You need to wipe out your competition to be considered great. I’m still waiting for him to wipe them out.
He’s a lock basically. Even before this wk.
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…Well, he IS The Next Next Next One. :b
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In case you’re wondering:
The Great One – Wayne Gretzky
The Next One – Sidney Crosby
The Next Next One – Steven Stamkos
I don’t know if he’ll be a #1 pick, but he’s definitely got potential. One amazing goal doesn’t make you the best player in the world.
Better yet, you can read NHL.com’s article. A few scouts compare him to Jason Spezza and Brendan Shannahan.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
References :
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=399760&navid=DL|NHL|home
Where have you been the last three years?
John Tavares took the NHL to court last year for the right to be drafted in the 2008 draft (he was too young by 5 days).
Tavares has been pegged as the first overall draft in the 2009 draft since 2005. He was granted exceptional status which allowed him to join the OHL at 15 years of age.
He’s been the talk of the hockey world since 2006.
As for the game against Slovakia, most NHL scouts are still very disappointed in his skating. He still ranks behind Sweden’s Victor Hedman on a lot of team lists (and Brent Sutter of New Jersey isn’t impressed with him at all).
His point totals in the OHL have NOT set the world on fire. he has never averaged more than 2 points a game in the OHL (something that Patrick Kane did as an OHL rookie 2 years ago averaging 2.5 points a game). Taylor Hall and Cory Hodgson are both averaging more points/game this year in the OHL than Tavares
There’s a lot to like about Tavares, but there’s a lot of room to improve. He’s a very good player, but not a great player. You need to wipe out your competition to be considered great. I’m still waiting for him to wipe them out.
References :
Retired NHL scout
One goal in an exhibition game against a second-tier country does not equal NHL stardom.
LITY has a good history of Tavares’ background. You would do well to read it.
Further…there’s been a lot of rumbling from those smarter than I that his skating is not really where it should be. In addition, he’s been playing in the OHL a year early; for being in the league as long as he has, he should be dominating to this point to where he can take over a game.
Will he be a top-5 pick? Probably. Guaranteed NHL super-star? Hard to say. Will he come into the league and start putting up 100 point seasons his first year? Doubtful.
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One word: Hype.
I’m more interested in Hedman.
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Yeah, I think he’ll be either first or second pick overall.
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