From: golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy)
Subject: Re: WJHC: Stats
Organization: University of Toronto Chemistry Department
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 01:29:40 GMT

In article <1992Dec25.223412.27497@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> nlu@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:
>In article <1992Dec25.192113.29517@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca> golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy) writes:
>
>>There aren't that many players in the NHL who are 22 and under...pretty
>>much only the exceptional talent makes it before age 22.  If you
>
>How few?  I see at least these (and I am sure this is not a full list):
>(These are players taken in the past 4 drafts (for '89 and '90, only the first
>2 rounds, since that is all I have :-), who have played at least one game in
>the NHL, whose age is known to me and not over 26)
>
>Roman Hamrlik, Eric Lindros, Pat Falloon, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Lachance,
>Richard Matvichuk, Patrick Poulin, Martin Lapointe, Tyler Wright, Phillippe
>Boucher, Alexei Kovalev, Glen Murray, Martin Rucinsky, Dean McAmmond,

Tryouts don't count...

Lapointe, Wright, McAmmond, Boucher, and Murray have not made the NHL...

>Ray Whitney, Sandis Ozolinsh, Josef Stumpel, Steve Konowalchuk,

Steve Konawalchuk has not made the NHL...

>Mikael Nylander, Darius Kasparaitus, Robert Petrovicky, Steve King, Dave Karpa,

Karpa and King aren't permanent yet...

>Igor Kravchuk, Vladimir Vujtek, Alexei Zhitnik, Bill Lindsay,

Kravchuk is in his mid-twenties, Vujtek is not a regular yet..

>Dimitri Yushkevich, Oleg Petrov, Andrei Lomakin, Dimitri Mironov,

Mironov and Lomakin are mid-twenties...unfortunately, I don't have
Yushkevich's or Zhitnik's ages on hand but they both may be 22 already.

>Dale Craigwell, Mikhail Kravets, Andrei Trefilov, Owen Nolan, Petr Nedved,

Kravets and Trefilov have hardly played.

>Keith Primeau, Mike Ricci, Jaromir Jagr, Darryl Sydor, Derian Hatcher,

>Drake Berehowsky, Trevor Kidd, Brady May, Mark Greig, Karl Dykhuis,

This last line of names is all in the minors I think.

>Shawn Antoski, Keith Tkachuk, Martin Brodeur, Jiri Slegr, Felix Potvin,

Except for Tkachuk, all the rest are likely to spend more time in the
minors this year than in the big leagues.

>Doug Weight, Geoff Sanderson, Mats Sundin, Dave Chyzowski, Scott Thornton,

Chyzowski and Thornton are in the minors

>Stu Barnes, Bill Guerin, Adam Bennett, Doug Zmolek, Robert Holik, Rob Pearson,

The first three are in the minors.

>Kevin Haller, Steven Rice, Adam Foote, Kent Manderville, Jarrod Skalde,

Rice and Manderville are in the minors and Skalde might have just been
recently called up for a tryout.

>Mike Craig, Patrice Brisebois, Byron Dafoe, Brent Thompson.

Dafoe hasn't played and Thompson hasn't played much.

>
>And other than Hamrlik, Lindros, Falloon, Niedermayer, Nolan, Nedved, Jagr,
>and Potvin, I don't see a lot of "exceptional talent" in there.  There is
>a lot of talent, but exceptional?

Well, you dramatically overstated the list by including players who
may have played a few games...and most of the remainder are 21.

There are very few 19 and 20 year olds who contribute in the NHL...
the better younger players begin contributing at 21...

...the list of full time contributing regular hockey players in 
the NHL under 22 is small.

>
>>A 22 or 23 year age-limit will also allow for at least one-kick
>>at the cat for any potential superstar from any country when they
>>are 18-20...and NHL teams, having such a tournament, might be content
>>to let some of their younger players develop in their home countries
>>in preparation for such an Olympic program.  The Canadian players
>
>Why?  The players are already allowed to play in the WC and the WJHC, so why
>aren't we seeing this phenomenon?  Why would the NHL suddenly change its
>mind if the players are suddenly going to be able to play ~15 (exceptional,
>for sure, but still just ~15) games extra?
>

You do...Forsberg and Naslund are still in Europe aren't they...they
aren't going to be here till they are at least 21...and it's not just
15 games...the Canadian Olympic team plays a lot more than 15 games 
a year...and so do European players in their national leagues.

The NHL is planning to leave Russian players over longer anyway
once they sign an agreement with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

Gerald
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey