Canes Sign Haydn Fleury

[andyt]

Moreover, the difference in physical maturity between Juniors and the AHL gives the kids a chance to grow into their bodies before being thrown to the wolves. There are plenty of big bodies in their physical prime in the AHL who are looking to hang on to their careers by brutalizing the opponent's best players. If the Junior player isn't physically ready for the NHL, he really isn't ready for a full year of AHL abuse, either.

Yep. The PIM leaders in the OHL and QMJHL were at 165 and in the WHL, it was 182. That doesn't even sniff the top 10 in the AHL, populated by meatheads like Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond who was only 3rd in the league with 259 PIM in 69 games. That was 3 years after hitting 334 in 64 games in 10-11. He's also 29. The leader was 28 year old Zack Sortini with 299. All but 1 of the top 10 were older than 24 with 2 of them over 30 years old. The outlier was 22 year old Curt Gogol with 204 in 56 games. But that included 55 PIM in 16 games for the Iowa Wild.

 

[jeffbear]

Yeah ... there are some real meatheads in the A, and it's probably not a great idea to expose your tall, skinny 18 year old prize defense prospect to that level of rough stuff just yet. BIG difference in typical physical maturity between 18 years olds and 19 year olds. Especially those with with that kind of frame. Besides, defensemen take a beating in the pro game. IMO it's always a good idea to let them grow up a bit more either in junior or college.