CrashingTheGoalie

Phil Kessel has been dominating the news for the past week or so.

I came across an article which should be of interest to ‘nucks fans.

It’s a comparison of Phil Kessel, Jonathan Toews and Jordan Schroeder – when they were rookie college players.

The comparisons were written part way through Jordan’s rookie season – December 8, 2008 – so I had to search out his final stats – plus I excluded Colin Wilson because he just signed a professional contract and isn’t known to most ‘nucks readers. However, the Wilson info is available at:

“Over the past three NHL drafts, three different players have gone in the top 10 of the first round of the draft after playing in the NCAA during their draft year–Jonathan Toews, 3rd overall in 2006, Phil Kessel, 6th overall in 2006, and Colin Wilson, 7th overall in 2008. This year Minnesota’s Jordan Schroeder seems poised to make it four in four years (Actually, Schroeder wasn’t selected until the 22nd overall pick.).

So how is Schroeder’s season comparing to the freshman seasons of these other top draft picks? Here’s a comparison based on a variety of different factors.

MINNESOTA’S PHIL KESSEL

courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Points (Through first 14 games)

Toews: 6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points (Finished with 42 games played, 22-17-39)

Kessel: 8 goals, 13 assists, 21 points (Finished with 39 games played, 18-33-51)

Schroeder: 7 goals, 12 assists, 19 points (Finished with 32 games played, 13-32-45)

Comparison: Toews got off to a slower start. Schroeder didn’t come with the same hype Kessel did, but his production out of the gate is just as impressive.

(Crashingthegoalie: Schroeder didn’t score during his first five games. Kessel finished his first college season with 1.31 points per game. Schroeder finished his rookie campaign with 1.41 points per game.).

Games without Points (Through first 14 games)

A little bit more of a measure of consistency than just raw points.

Toews: 7 games (16 total)

Kessel: 4 games (11 total)

Schroeder: 5 games

(The Schroeder information wasn’t completed here, but the writer noted:  ”Schroeder has been more consistent–minus one scoreless weekend at Wisconsin–than his peers. It’s interesting to note that the others seemed to pick things up later in the season, while the curve may not be as steep for Schroeder.”).

(Crashingthegoalie: Schroeder scored points in 28 of 35 games, including 15 multiple point contests.)

NORTH DAKOTA’S JONATHAN TOEWS

courtesy of sedins.xanga.com

Linemates

Toews: T.J. Oshie and Chris Porter

Kessel: Blake Wheeler and Ben Gordon(For the second half of the season, the first half was a melange of Ryan Stoa, Danny Irmen, Mike Howe, and a few others)

Wilson: Nick Bonino and Brandon Yip

Schroeder: Ryan Stoa and Jay Barriball

Comparison: In terms of raw talent, Schroeder may have less to work with than Toews and Kessel did, but Schroeder is playing with two veterans, whereas the other two were playing with talented youngsters. That may be a reason Schroeder got off to such a fast start.

Playing Styles

Toews: A gifted and creative player in the offensive zone that also plays good defense and shows great leadership abilities

Kessel: A pure scorer.

MINNESOTA’S JORDAN SCHROEDER

compliments of gophersports.com

Schroeder: (This section wasn’t completed, so we copied the following from NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards:

He has outstanding puck skill and passing abilities. He moved the puck through traffic with great passes. He sees the ice very well, very good hands. He has 11 points in five games, so I would say he has performed well…Jordan has an excellent shot and high-end playmaking abilities. He’s performed just fine.”

This was written after the 2009 World Juniors, a series in which Jordan Schroeder didn’t play his best hockey.

“He’s got a good all-round game,” added Red Wings Assistant General Manager Jim Nill. “He sees the ice well, he shoots well, passes well. He’s just a good player.”