Dee Lux DX7's World of Hockey

NHL prospect development is at an all-time low. Yes, I said it, and I mean it. Never before has the NHL been so youth-obsessed, never before have the expectations of top 10 drafted players been so high, In these days of guys walking straight out of Junior and into the elite ranks of NHL scoring, GM's seem to have forgotten that there is a whole lot of middle ground between a prodigy savior (Connor McDavid) and, (prematurely labeled), BUSTS (Micheal Dal Colle) In the eyes of the fans, and it would seem league proffesionals, you fall into either one of the two categories. Look no further than the A.H.L to observe a curious makeup of minor league journeymen and NHL disappointments, where are the "Developing" picks we hear so much about? NOT in the A.H.L, that's for sure, what is supposed to be a development league is now a place to park emergency call up 4th line "Warm bodies" and a "Naughty room" punishment zone for players who failed in ...

 Jake Virtanen is DOOMED No fan should be able to say that about a prospect as recently drafted and as brimming with potential as the young man from Abbotsford. Stranger still to say it about a player   who has ascended to the rarefied air of the NHL, but in the case of this mismanaged youngster not only can fans say it, but they can point out the egregious mistakes that have pushed the young power forward onto hockey's death row. More inexplicable still is the inexcusable stubbornness that keeps him locked on a fatal crash course with the worst label a kid not yet 20 with NHL potential can be tagged with: Draft Bust.   Two key factors have led the 6th overall 2014 pick into a position where he is already feeling the need to demand ice time through the media. Two factors that were ignored by Canucks management as they whistled past the graveyard of another sure season without playoff revenues, on their way to destroying a promising career in the NHL.There are plenty o...