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bu off-season - #1

Re: bu off-season - #1

defkit said:
And then there is John Cullen, who was drafted by Buffalo, but they didn't sign him, despite 241 career points, so he went to the IHL, won the MVP as a rookie, and played for Pittsburgh and Hartford (anyone else?).
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Do you mean other teams? He also played for Toronto, which his father played for and wore #19, his father's number, as well as the Tampa Bay Lighting.

Sean
 
Re: bu off-season - #1

It's disappointing but certainly not surprising. When someone comes in with high expectations and those don't pan out, I can't blame them for considering other options - see Sam Kurker, and to a lesser extent Wesley Myron. I hope Bellows ends up in a better place than they did.

Bellows' primary skill was always advertised as being his shot. He stood out in the USHL and seemed to complement Keller well in Ann Arbor. But playing against bigger and older competition in the NCAA exposed his weaknesses. Playing in the WHL will get him back to playing against kids closer to his age group, and perhaps that will help his development more than being at BU would have.
 
Re: bu off-season - #1

defkit said:
It's disappointing but certainly not surprising. When someone comes in with high expectations and those don't pan out, I can't blame them for considering other options - see Sam Kurker, and to a lesser extent Wesley Myron. I hope Bellows ends up in a better place than they did.

Bellows' primary skill was always advertised as being his shot. He stood out in the USHL and seemed to complement Keller well in Ann Arbor. But playing against bigger and older competition in the NCAA exposed his weaknesses. Playing in the WHL will get him back to playing against kids closer to his age group, and perhaps that will help his development more than being at BU would have.
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Good points, though there's something to be said for the development of a player that he chooses to go the route of continuing to work on the weaknesses of his game while playing against that better competition rather than moving to a league (I'm assuming he goes major junior) where his weaknesses won't be exposed by weaker and younger defense and where there won't be nearly as much practice time in development. He can't run and hide from the fact that his skating is below average, he has some trouble establishing position, and he was prone to taking awful penalties. I hope he develops well and becomes successful but at the same time it's disappointing that he chose not to continue to work towards being successful at this level, which likely would serve him better in his professional career.
 
Re: bu off-season - #1

brassbonanza said:
Good points, though there's something to be said for the development of a player that he chooses to go the route of continuing to work on the weaknesses of his game while playing against that better competition rather than moving to a league (I'm assuming he goes major junior) where his weaknesses won't be exposed by weaker and younger defense and where there won't be nearly as much practice time in development. He can't run and hide from the fact that his skating is below average, he has some trouble establishing position, and he was prone to taking awful penalties. I hope he develops well and becomes successful but at the same time it's disappointing that he chose not to continue to work towards being successful at this level, which likely would serve him better in his professional career.
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Agreed. There could also be an issue of a lack of confidence that geeing to a weaker league might help. Maybe not the best thing for him long-term, but might give him a jolt in the short term.

I mentioned when someone else was leaving, if I was a parent, and my kid was supposed to make the NHL someday, and all of a sudden that may not be the case - wouldn't that be the time to be thankful that you went the NCAA route and are getting a free degree from a good school? I know that isn't how someone like the Bellows' family is likely to think since he was a first-rounder, but I felt that way for Kurker for sure, and even more so for Myron, who was a late rounder I believe. Now Kurker at least stuck with the NCAA route and got his degree (I assume).
 
Re: bu off-season - #1

defkit said:
Agreed. There could also be an issue of a lack of confidence that geeing to a weaker league might help. Maybe not the best thing for him long-term, but might give him a jolt in the short term.

I mentioned when someone else was leaving, if I was a parent, and my kid was supposed to make the NHL someday, and all of a sudden that may not be the case - wouldn't that be the time to be thankful that you went the NCAA route and are getting a free degree from a good school? I know that isn't how someone like the Bellows' family is likely to think since he was a first-rounder, but I felt that way for Kurker for sure, and even more so for Myron, who was a late rounder I believe. Now Kurker at least stuck with the NCAA route and got his degree (I assume).
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one can always go back at age 24 or 27 or 30 and finish their degree.
 
Re: bu off-season - #1

It was pretty obvious all season that Quinn and Bellows were not on same page
I was somewhat baffled that on a team that was still juggling the top two lines into the NCAA tourney
that Bellows was not paired with Keller where there had been obvious chemistry the previous year
Although not outstanding Bellows was on world junior team
Think a comparison with AJ Greer is more appropriate that one with Kurker or Byron
Time will tell
 
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