|
Dynamite U21 seasons from Andersson and Kylington put them in good company |
|
|
|
Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington have garnered a lot of praise for the seasons they put together in 2017-18 – and rightfully so.
Both players recorded at least 35 points while playing big minutes for a solid Stockton team.
Good years, right? Not exactly.
After doing a little digging, it turns out Andersson and Kylington had
great years.
Since the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, a U21 defender has played in at least 25 games 172 times.
Only one of those defenders averaged more 5v5 points per 60 than Kylington, while Andersson is just a hair behind him slotting in 4th.
Here's a look at the top-20.
You'll notice 14 of the 20 are bolded, indicating the player is a) currently in the NHL or; b) had more than a cup of coffee in the NHL.
That means six guys have yet to establish themselves but three – Andersson, Kylington and Allard – seem like good bets to do so based on their placement on the list.
The Senators apparently once turned down Jonathan Drouin for Cody Ceci (they shouldn't have, but that's not the point). Adam Larsson fetched Taylor Hall in a trade. Justin Faulk is one of the better offensive defenders in the game. Travis Sanheim looks very promising. Shea Theodore is playing big minutes for a team one win away from making the Stanley Cup Final. Ethan Bear looks like he'll be a player. Vince Dunn just tallied 24 points as a rookie.
And Andersson + Kylington put together more efficient scoring seasons as U21 players than every single one of them.
That doesn't guarantee they'll enjoy success at the next level (see Adam Clendening) but it sure seems likely.
Note: data via prospect-stats.
Recent posts:
The Brodie - Hamonic pairing was a disaster in Year 1
The Flames should not trade Dougie Hamilton
Which pending free agents should the Flames re-sign?
The Flames should make a play for Ilya Kovalchuk
Notes on quotes from Bill Peters' introductory presser
Trading T.J. Brodie could make sense for the Flames