james sheppard

so i was bored i decided to dig up the scouting report on shepp just to see what was said about him this is what The Hockey News said

Quote :

Sheppard projects to become a quality power forward in the pro ranks, but needs to work on his skating in order to fully maximize his vast potential... in his second QMJHL campaign in Cape Breton, he finished second on the club with 84 points, but led the Screaming Eagles with 54 assists... is capable of playing all three forward positions, but is expected to play left wing when he reaches the NHL... does a lot of little things to help a hockey team win, which adds to his overall stock...owns two-way and leadership qualities that endear him to his teammates...

now i didn't follow the wild draft back then like i do now, but can someone tell me any more as to why we picked him.

this is Pouls

Quote :

A natural left wing, Pouliot is considered the best prospect at his position available in the draft; burst onto the scene to tie for the team scoring lead with the Wolves this season, after failing to make the club in 2003-04; also led all OHL rookies in scoring in 2004-05; has very good size and a projectable frame for the NHL level; owns excellent hockey sense and offensive flair, which should lead to plenty of points at the highest level; is willing to play a physical game; may become a franchise winger if he fills out his frame and proves that 2004-05 was not a fluke.

did we fuck up on these two or did the author of this smoke some good shit.

Both of these guys were extremely highly rated. As you can see why with Pouls, he shows flashes of being extremely dynamic...

Sheppard has never shown anything close to what the scouts said he should bring... ESPECIALLY when it came to his character.

Pouliot never got his fair chance here and our old regime used him in all the wrong ways. He showed his talent in MTL this year and I have a hunch he will continue to do well out there.

Shep is one of those "what could have been" players. Development time in the minors would have kept his character in check and allowed his skills to develop. If you are 18 years old and told by a NHL team that you are going to play with them right away of course you are going to get a big head about it.

00Xtremeninja wrote:

Pouliot never got his fair chance here and our old regime used him in all the wrong ways. He showed his talent in MTL this year and I have a hunch he will continue to do well out there.

Shep is one of those "what could have been" players. Development time in the minors would have kept his character in check and allowed his skills to develop. If you are 18 years old and told by a NHL team that you are going to play with them right away of course you are going to get a big head about it.

guys really have to earn their way to the bigs, even if they are good enough to be put on the team, i say put em in the AHL and show them the trenches.

i'm so happy that from the sounds of it the new regime is going to let guys develop. You look at our roster now, and shepp will really have to earn his spot, he'll have to beat out Almond,Wellman,Gillies if he wants a spot, first time in his NHL career he's had to do that.

If a guy deserves to be with the big club, I have no problem with him being there. You can do as much damage to a players development by holding a player back, just as you can by forcing them ahead before they are ready.