I think he create pretty well for himself. The issue I'd say is that the other teams can focus on him because there's fewer other threats on the team.
BTW, while I think he goes after the season, I just looked it up and Anthony Wyse -- the "will he be a big free agent after his junior year" -- is still unsigned.
So, does the team like the 2-1 win or the 7-6 win better? Do they see themselves as a grind it out sort of club, or do they realize they need a bit more offense and try to open it up a bit more?
Crookshank should have a legit shot with Ottawa next season, so I expect him to go. Whether he's good enough to make it into their top six forwards, and if not, whether he can fill a checking line role while his game develops, those are the big Q's. That's the problem Poturalski faced in the Carolina organization, which we can now see (with the benefit of hindsight) was chock full of talented (and younger) guys up front. He didn't have role player capability in the interim, so his game wasn't rounded enough for him to get his big break there. Now he's a few years older, starting over in Anaheim, which is another struggling organization (a little better, not by much, than Ottawa), and still stuck with their AHL affiliate.
There is definitely a "right place/right time" element of luck involved in getting your break, but once you get it, you've got to take advantage of it. And sometimes the break(s) can be extremely brief windows, and folks in the organization can make quick judgments if they deem you're not up for it. That's what happened to Haydar, and is happening now to Poturalski. Players like Mark Mowers and Jason Krog could fill checking line roles, so they stuck around in the NHL longer without being top six guys. The best example there is Dan Winnik, who hung around forever with a string of teams as a role player type.
Crookshank looks like he can kill a penalty, and if he can do a decent job playing a defensive role, all the better. He's a better skater than Haydar and Poturalski, so that bodes well for his chances.
Wyse is a big kid who really wasn't a great skater or puck carrier. I consider him a step below Eric Knodel of recent vintage, and Knodel has spent most of his post-UNH time playing in the 'Coast (ECHL) with a few short stretches in the AHL. I don't think we can expect Wyse to be much different - he can probably play regularly in the 'Coast, but the AHL seems a stretch.
Gildon presumably will be starting the AHL season in Syracuse for the Florida organization. He and Crookshank should get some NHL time relatively early in their careers with their respective organizations, but early impressions could hold the key on whether they stick around long-term or not.
I'm going to bail on your last question - only because it's good to see they are capable of winning a close tight-checking game and a high scoring affair as well. The first game also showed the necessary discipline to make a one goal lead stick, while the second one showed an ability to climb out from a deep deficit in a short time. Suspect the latter is more to do with the level of their competition - again, the concept of Bazin-coached team gacking up a 3 goal lead in the 3rd period is a fresh one - but you can only play who is in front of you. And overcoming 3 goal deficits late in games is still a rare thing, regardless of whom the opposition might be. If pressed to pick one, I like the 2-1 win better, because that's a post-season type game they won.
Are there more games coming up this weekend?
