The Plight of a Phenom Part 2: Two Things to Consider About John Tavares
Concerns about Tavares’ development will be all for naught if he comes in next year and tears it up like Sidney Crosby did as a rookie. If he stumbles, however, you’ll start to hear some skepticism about how his situation was handled. Crosby didn’t play major junior hockey at 15. Instead, he spent a year at a private school in Minnesota renowned for developing young hockey talents. After two years in Rimouski, Crosby was definitely ready to move on to bigger and better things, but it never felt like he was wasting his time there. Obviously, the jump from junior hockey to the NHL is a massive one, even if you are an elite prospect. Tavares may suffer from his extensive time in the OHL if he’s too accustomed to playing against that level of competition. Undoubtedly an “exceptional player,” his key development years may have arrived sooner than other players his age, and if he wasn’t challenged enough during this time, will he reach his full potential at the NHL level? Only time will tell. (more…)
