And when does all of this become tampering?
- StLBravesFan

I bet no GM or actual team officials says one word to Vesey OR his representative....until the Aug. 15th date allows.

Now, would the Blackhawk chief scout a Boston native, who knows the family first hand, certainly could exchange pleasantries and jokingly say stuff.

If any team was accused of tampering by Nashville, the stuff would fly...when I keep hearing these in the know former agents/GM saying there will be FORMAL tampering charges or at very least a big investigation if he ends up with the Leafs anf his dad and his brother,Nolan Vesey, who Toronto selected in the 6th rd. 158th overall in 2014, after being PASSED over in 2013, and along those lines, while drafting Nolan Vesey during the sixth round in 2014 may have intrigued people, it was the hiring of Jim Vesey Sr. which really raised eyebrows. Pure and simple, he came on board as an amateur scout, despite little experience in the field.

Even if Vesey & company has known where is is going since the college season ended, they still have to give the impression they are undecided

You wonder what made Kevin Hayes pick the NY Rangers. I realize a big part WAS playing soon. (He had those Free Jeremy Morin tweets that suggestted that he was very sympathic with Morin's plight of having to wait & wait & wait before gettin pro ice time after being drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers and subsequently being the main return for Buff & Laddy. This certainly proved K. Hayes wasn't GM material).
A Boston kid, and he choose the Rangers, I just wonder what the thought process involved them over the Bruins...was he a big Bruins fan and felt he also could predict the Bruins farm teams pecking order at both wing and centre?
Did K Hayes want to be a RW? He wanted a chance to play for the famous offensive tactician Alain Vigneault? (cough). That their farm team,the Hartford Wolf Pack
was two hour close to his home drive?
I wish someone would show up here who knows him well enough that they were confided in and shared the thought process.

Why I feel like Vesey isn't wearing the Indianhead Sweater is he said he is going to stay in the NE...would you say something so contrary to Chicago? Unless there was some early tampering conversation so his true intention was being made to be covered up so that it(stay in the NE) provided the look of an open field of suitors when he was earmarked for Toronto or ?

again we will never know until the courtship talks open Aug. 15th.

I like to look at the Sox, on a 1-100 scale, as being at exactly 50. They could trade what little prospects they have to get Lucroy and AGon....and be at about 75 or 80. Or, they can deal Sale, Quintana, Abreu, Lawrie, Frazier, Eaton, Melky and Robertson...and get about 14 prospects. It will take them all the way down to zero...like the Cubs were about 3-4 years ago....and then these youngsters become good and the Sox go up to 90-95 in 3-4 years. My fear is they deal one or two of those guys mentioned above...and drop down to 30...but in the process not get many prospects back to ever get to 90-95. Knowing the Sox...that is what they will do. They will trade Robertson and Quintana and just be crappy forever.
- onehundredlevel

Good assessment. I'm ready for the Sale trade. I would prefer to move him over Quintana. I'm tired of distractions and weirdness. His buddy Eaton can go, too. Sure, he's been fantastic in RF, but he's another guy that talks too much. He was run out of AZ for the same stuff, I wonder if it will happen here.

I would be down with moving Lawrie and keeping Saladino at 2B. I like that combo of Anderson and Saladino down the middle. Or, if they're thinking about moving Frazier (even though he's been the first legit 3B the Sox have had in years) and putting Saladino there, I'm cool with that, too.

Abreu...what a bummer. I'll just leave it at that.

Melky has been great and I think he'll be moved for some good pieces.

Robertson should go as well.

Hey JJ, just wondering what your thoughts are on Motte to possibly play on L1 with Toews/Hoss? He's numbers were pretty damn good at Univ. of Michigan last year (38 games/56 points), he's a LW, AND in 5 games with the Hogs he got 2 goals and 3 assists for a point-per-game average. If they can't land Vesey, who seems to be the end-all-be-all for some reason, and are serious about giving one of the kids a shot...why can't Motte who they already have signed for the next 3 years be a viable alternative?
- Murph76

We all have our prejudices when it comes to the small guys and you just have to give it to Motte, because every time I ever saw him, he played BIG.
He is a tough / rugged soul who plays to win/score/set up.
You cannot deny those numbers but even more so you can't deny that so far the issue of size has not been a deterrent, due somewhat to the fact he uses his gifts all over the ice.
I think the biggest question with new young additions is how well they have prepared prior to the NHL shot, and how well they handle every part of their NHL ice time and prep.
We all uses to say, "yeah he looks good, but he's small...about even 5' 10" thin guys in the old paradign.
We saw last Fall, Mexico & others fawning over Dano, who wasn't just out of college, as he had pro experience in two leagues....and we saw that to play with top flight elite NHL talent (and believe me I feel most NHL players have elite qualities) requires these younger guys to have all the qualities in place, AND have the over all mental and on ice quickness to not even think about what happens when the slide in a sweet spot and have to react with a decision.

So it is really a tough question for JJ or even the Blackhawks to answer until they see these skilled kids in that context.

Yeah, you would hope that with a Harvard education Vesey can see Q and Stan in the stands and read between the lines.
- eagle50

Exactly!

He's clearly a smart young man.

I would try and have him in, and by chance meet some good friends who are fans and own a Chinese restaurant, and while they are talking away from the Bowman consortium, have them say, "If you come here maybe you (Jimmy) can do a commericai in Manadrin (which Jimmy speaks fluently) for our restaurant."

I would get his brain's neurons balsting in all directions so that even if he starts here and wants to RFA off to Boston or elsewhere, this is the best established starting point on the ice and financially off the ice.

Hey JJ, just wondering what your thoughts are on Motte to possibly play on L1 with Toews/Hoss? He's numbers were pretty damn good at Univ. of Michigan last year (38 games/56 points), he's a LW, AND in 5 games with the Hogs he got 2 goals and 3 assists for a point-per-game average. If they can't land Vesey, who seems to be the end-all-be-all for some reason, and are serious about giving one of the kids a shot...why can't Motte who they already have signed for the next 3 years be a viable alternative?
- Murph76

I dunno, the last kid who came out of college and really stepped in as a legit top line player in the NHL was Gaudreau. But it doesn't happen often at all.

There is a HUGE chasm between the NCAA and the NHL.

Vesey projects are more of a top 6 style player in the NHL and he's two years older than Motte.

I'm not sure (at all) Motte will ever be anything more than a lower line player. LOTS of guys put up big numbers in college and junior. I haven't seen him play much but what I do know of him tells me he is more of a two way/third line style player in the NHL—high end—probably not even right away.

This the conversation I wanted to load into yesterday and since most of us have had team meetings in PM and straightened things out, now…

SI.COM/TSN: US Senator Richard Blumenthal, a “ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, which overseas professional and amateur sports,” was appalled by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s denial of any proven link between head trauma and the brain damage condition CTE. As a result, “lawyers for former National Hockey League players who are suing the league over its handling of head injuries want to force commissioner Gary Bettman to provide more testimony.”

Ok - no comments but on this subject and again apologies if you view fall different than mine on that last debacle.

I totally understand that the players and their parents from when they STARTED football, or hockey knew that sports have injuries at every level. (My daughters have already said that not yet five boys are NOT ever playing organized football, and one of them is already totally buff long up the hill hiker with not fat and strong arms and legs to put the swim move on my fat tush…)

I also understand that if you choose to go into this career, just like police / fire you know it comes with risks

In Hockey, you get a hunk a money to play a game you love!

It seems a terrific trade off as a future IF you succeed.

And remember I have been sitting in that old Chicago Stadium since there were only 17 skaters X 6 which means many many of the old Western pro League & American call ups were not necessarily guys who were as good as those top 100 (except for the Montreal Canadiens farn teams that probably could have sweater up THREE pro teams) so many many of these call-ups were seasoned grizzly veterans who arrived and hacked and slashed and attacked to make up for their inability to be impact NHL scorers…
I can remember that Sunday night in 1970 or 71 when the Hawks defense not only had injuries but the team as pushed around the ice the game before, like it was going to be a pattern.

They called down to Portland in the Western league and brought both Gerry Korab AND Rick Foley up. I always showed up for the entire pre-skate and just could believe how big Foley (and Korab) were. Foley was already at least 25 where Korab skated well enough to be a long term prospect as a bottom end guy.

When they finally were allowed to hit the ice, there was a clear buzz of excitement. It didn’t take long before ONE of them (remember I can’t remember all this stuff!) started the first fight. And the another. Foley really didn’t move well enough to be an NHL defenseman, he was a huge slug. (REALLY slow!) He wasn't good enough on his pins to make the club next training camp and was sent to the best fit Flyers, where he continued to fight players sometimes two at once (Glen Sather and ?)...

Well when he finally dropped them, it was take no prisoner situation where he first introduced himself with stick hits to more than one opposing players unhelmeted noggins.
I was never impartial (Regge Fleming my fav during the one Cup years) but I sudden;y got a conscience when I saw this guy very purposefully almost complete forgetting it was an organized pro game where other stuff was suppose to come first.

Nowadays the foot speed helps use your body stick and arms to position to hurt with the same intentions as foley had in my humble opinion.

I have heard some say burden of the risk falls to the players, not the organizations / leagues, but you have to think that everything from equipment upgrades to standards on conduct must be examined and the culture of the in game competition has to become a bit more honorable as that playoff series handshake.

The obligation of the leagues is to make sure they are doing what they can to protect players.

Gary Bettman has to do something beside sidestep.
As soon as I saw the just returned Jonathan Toews get outwardly punched to the face by Joe Thornton w/o any call review later on, I knew that things seemed less safe than even in the non helmet days where most TRIED to keep sticks down, to avoid over the top bullying.
- wiz1901

You are right that the obligation of the league is to protect the players but I disagree that Bettman sidestepped the issue. IMO everyone (especially the media like TSN) is missing the point being made by Bettman. Bettman is not saying that head hits are not a serious issue. Rather, he is saying that the science on CTE is undeveloped and that nobody knows what causes it, why certain people to seem get CTE while others don't and what can be done to reduce the likelihood of CTE.

Bettman's letter responds to Blumenthal's questions about whether is a causal connection between concussions and CTE. Bettman's summation of the medical literature is spot on and correct. McKee and Cantu love playing up CTE to the media but when you read their research it becomes clear that they (and everyone else) know very little about it. The prime example is Todd Ewen who showed all the signs of CTE while alive but an autopsy revealed he did not have CTE.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...id-not-have-cte.html?_r=0

The question that everyone should be asking is why did Blumenthal question Bettman in the first instance. IMO Blumenthal appears to be shill for the plaintiff's attorney because his questions are the same that are the heart of the NHL concussion litigation.

You are right that the obligation of the league is to protect the players but I disagree that Bettman sidestepped the issue. IMO everyone (especially the media like TSN) is missing the point being made by Bettman. Bettman is not saying that head hits are not a serious issue. Rather, he is saying that the science on CTE is undeveloped and that nobody knows what causes it, why certain people to seem get CTE while others don't and what can be done to reduce the likelihood of CTE.

Bettman's letter responds to Blumenthal's questions about whether is a causal connection between concussions and CTE. Bettman's summation of the medical literature is spot on and correct. McKee and Cantu love playing up CTE to the media but when you read their research it becomes clear that they (and everyone else) know very little about it. The prime example is Todd Ewen who showed all the signs of CTE while alive but an autopsy revealed he did not have CTE.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...id-not-have-cte.html?_r=0

The question that everyone should be asking is why did Blumenthal question Bettman in the first instance. IMO Blumenthal appears to be shill for the plaintiff's attorney because his questions are the same that are the heart of the NHL concussion litigation.
- hankscorpio

The question should be - when will the NHL and the NFL get ahead of the curve on these things.

There seems to me to be substantial evidence of cause and effect - but like the tobacco industry, Bettman and Goodell and the owners and league attorneys will continue (forever) to whine about not enough evidence, no empirical evidence - it's all statistical, it's examining brains after death - until they can perform brain experiments on living players....

There will never be enough evidence for these guys - and they won't believe the evidence that is there.

Oh if I was Las Vegas I would too, probably over TvR, because they don't have the big three the hawks do playing infront of/with him.

I was really more trying to put a PRICE on TvR..and this Dumba deal scares me.

I love the kid (Dumba) because he is trash talking shaw type defender....I just think Minny has to feel they want to see more soon.
Yeah YOU are right...he is speedier total in short space first two steps AND and in many rushes...but he isn't as slick on his edges...
So you are probably right b/c the games are now so quick back and forth...but TvR is quick in other aspects.

I am glad we are again good!
- wiz1901

TVR with all his past injuries I think have inhibited him from reaching his full potential.
He will get bigger stronger and hopefully quicker. His hockey IQ appears to be high end and I think Q has not previously given him the rope to be a more dynamic player but I think that is changing as he gains experience and continues to make the right decisions
As for physicality, not sure where his game is in that regard since that is not something Q seems to encourage

It's all speculation. My "educated" guess? Bowman's angle of "you'll play with Toews and Hossa" becomes a lot more credible if Vesey sees that Q is "buying in."

So Q getting on a plane and going out there for a couple of days makes a lot of sense. It's salesmanship_and if the Hawks are serious about signing Vesey today, while someone else still holds his rights, it's pretty much ALL about optics at the point.

"See Jimmy, we're very seriously interested in you and in giving you a legit role on our team.
- John Jaeckel

Is it Q is "buying in" or is he not impressed with Motte/Schmaltz/Hinoztroza/Kero being in the top 6?

Is it Q is "buying in" or is he not impressed with Motte/Schmaltz/Hinoztroza/Kero being in the top 6?
- BearsnHawks

Let's not put too much into this Vesey game watch.
Like someone already stated, Q was there about horse racing and this side trip to a hockey game was just a little look see, like the ones the entire staff did to get better aquainted to the Rockford kids.

Maybe I can buy Q has an opinion on Kero & Hinoztroza since they brought them up for a cup of coffee.

But I doubt the evaluation camp could be final factor in seeing them plugged in with real NHL players.

I always liked the way the better NHL organizations handle call ups; they have the staff spend time with the call ups reviewing tape, and spend time relaxing but instructing these players, and even though many are simply injuring fills getting a look, they have extensive "exit" interviews so the youngsters understand they are going back, and that they likes this part of their game, work hard on thsi part, we liked what you did (it might even just be a specific, in the 2nd period against the Blues when you closed on so&so and got us the puck back, that was really strong heads up play, etc.

I dunno, the last kid who came out of college and really stepped in as a legit top line player in the NHL was Gaudreau. But it doesn't happen often at all.

There is a HUGE chasm between the NCAA and the NHL.

Vesey projects are more of a top 6 style player in the NHL and he's two years older than Motte.

I'm not sure (at all) Motte will ever be anything more than a lower line player. LOTS of guys put up big numbers in college and junior. I haven't seen him play much but what I do know of him tells me he is more of a two way/third line style player in the NHL—high end—probably not even right away.
- John Jaeckel

What about Larkin?

I have a good feeling about Vesey. Buffalo thought they were going to lock him up with their pitch. They failed. When he gets to August 15, Stan is going to pounce. His pitch of Vesey playing left wing on a perrenial Cup contender with guys like Toews, Kane, Panerin, Keith, Seabrook and others will get it done. Just a positive hunch.

What about Larkin?
- KMFDMLight

Or Hanifin, Krug, Bjugstad, Eichel, Grimaldi, Gostibehere, or Trouba? The Stanley cup champs have 17, of their players from last season, went to the NCAA... But hey, NCAA players don't do much in the NHL....

I have a good feeling about Vesey. Buffalo thought they were going to lock him up with their pitch. They failed. When he gets to August 15, Stan is going to pounce. His pitch of Vesey playing left wing on a perrenial Cup contender with guys like Toews, Kane, Panerin, Keith, Seabrook and others will get it done. Just a positive hunch.
- Omahawk

Keep the faith

I finished my Snickers and am wondering if the Hawks could use the Matt Dumba deal AGAINST TvR...he will earn $2.35 million in 2016-17 and $2.75 million in 2017-18.

I don't know if it fits as a comparable because I am prejudice towards TvR, and since his draft year I have known exacty what Minny was looking for in drafting Dumba over Trouba, and besides the toughness, he hasn't put it together.

Now I ask myself: has TvR?
(I sorta think so...in that he is what he is and I like what he is...)

Is Dumba equal to TvR in his handles judgement edging?

I am gonna (with prejudice and less views)say no.

But again the filthy upside word comes into the signing(s), and I gotta think Dumba may have the edge long term...
but is long term TWO years?

I lied.

I haven't had a Snickers since I took a group of young newly arrive Asians in a summer program to the Mars plant, in 1978.
- wiz1901

Stayed away from the political stuff, even though I do have a strong opinion on who was right and who was wrong in that discussion (I'll leave it for you to decide which one.............), but the bolded made me laugh, when's the last time you heard something say that!

I dunno, the last kid who came out of college and really stepped in as a legit top line player in the NHL was Gaudreau. But it doesn't happen often at all.

There is a HUGE chasm between the NCAA and the NHL.

Vesey projects are more of a top 6 style player in the NHL and he's two years older than Motte.

I'm not sure (at all) Motte will ever be anything more than a lower line player. LOTS of guys put up big numbers in college and junior. I haven't seen him play much but what I do know of him tells me he is more of a two way/third line style player in the NHL—high end—probably not even right away.
- John Jaeckel

Not arguing or debating this with you, more curious, is this from Hawks people, pro scouts, or your opinion?

I honestly have only seen Vesey play once, so I really don't have a strong opinion, for me its more about "the more assets you have, the better chance one of them will pan out to be very good player". I did see Motte play at least half dozen games at Michigan, and one or two national ones.

Have to say I was very impressed, motor, but also skill. As with all of these "predictions" time will tell.

I'm not a scout, and have certainly been wrong a bunch on different guys through the years, just in this one case, watching the two of them play, granted only once on Vesey, I didn't see a big gap as many are predicting.

I have a good feeling about Vesey. Buffalo thought they were going to lock him up with their pitch. They failed. When he gets to August 15, Stan is going to pounce. His pitch of Vesey playing left wing on a perrenial Cup contender with guys like Toews, Kane, Panerin, Keith, Seabrook and others will get it done. Just a positive hunch.
- Omahawk

I agree. The Bruins are a mess right now.

I dunno, the last kid who came out of college and really stepped in as a legit top line player in the NHL was Gaudreau. But it doesn't happen often at all.

There is a HUGE chasm between the NCAA and the NHL.

Vesey projects are more of a top 6 style player in the NHL and he's two years older than Motte.

I'm not sure (at all) Motte will ever be anything more than a lower line player. LOTS of guys put up big numbers in college and junior. I haven't seen him play much but what I do know of him tells me he is more of a two way/third line style player in the NHL—high end—probably not even right away.
- John Jaeckel

I agree JJ it doesn't happen too often where a kid goes right from the NCAA to the bigs but the same can be said for Major Junior as well. It's a big step from anywhere to the NHL without a stop in the AHL and then it's still a big step.

I don't think the chasm between NCAA and NHL is really any greater than Major Junior to the NHL, conversely NCAA players are older than kids right out of Major Junior. So if the talent is equal the kid out of the NCAA is actually more NHL ready because most times he's older (unless he's a freshman and depends at what age he went into the NCAA) and has competed against older competition (NCAA vs Major Junior).

NCAA kids straight to the NHL isn't unheard of but as you mention not a normal path to say the least, but again neither is Major Junior to the NHL either. Kids straight to the NHL from NCAA:

Kevin Hayes
Dylan Larkin (after his freshman year)
Dan Dekeyser
Jacob Trouba (after his freshman year)
Nick Bjugstad
Erik Johnson
Jack Johnson
Phil Kessel
Colin Wilson after 40 AHL games
Drew Stafford after 30 AHL games

These are some I found and almost all of these played junior for the NTDP (the top 60 16 and 17 yr olds out of a 330 million population) before NCAA as Motte did. Schmaltz was offered to play for NTDP be he declined.

I agree JJ it doesn't happen too often where a kid goes right from the NCAA to the bigs but the same can be said for Major Junior as well. It's a big step from anywhere to the NHL without a stop in the AHL and then it's still a big step.

I don't think the chasm between NCAA and NHL is really any greater than Major Junior to the NHL, conversely NCAA players are older than kids right out of Major Junior. So if the talent is equal the kid out of the NCAA is actually more NHL ready because most times he's older (unless he's a freshman and depends at what age he went into the NCAA) and has competed against older competition (NCAA vs Major Junior).

NCAA kids straight to the NHL isn't unheard of but as you mention not a normal path to say the least, but again neither is Major Junior to the NHL either. Kids straight to the NHL from NCAA:

Kevin Hayes
Dylan Larkin (after his freshman year)
Dan Dekeyser
Jacob Trouba (after his freshman year)
Nick Bjugstad
Erik Johnson
Jack Johnson
Phil Kessel
Colin Wilson after 40 AHL games
Drew Stafford after 30 AHL games

These are some I found and almost all of these played junior for the NTDP (the top 60 16 and 17 yr olds out of a 330 million population) before NCAA as Motte did. Schmaltz was offered to play for NTDP be he declined.
- Mr Ricochet

Jonathan Toews

Jonathan Toews
- pdx2ord

Justin Schultz

Or Hanifin, Krug, Bjugstad, Eichel, Grimaldi, Gostibehere, or Trouba? The Stanley cup champs have 17, of their players from last season, went to the NCAA... But hey, NCAA players don't do much in the NHL....
- BearsnHawks

Tbf the reply was mainly about whether a NCAA player step immediately into a top line, and JJ is right that it does not happen often. NCAA players make the NHL a decent amount, but the jump to a 1st line in the NHL is pretty big when they're either young and/or don't have any pro experience, like a lot of the NCAA kids the Hawks have (and Motte in particular for this discussion).

Of the players you mentioned plus Larkin, only 4 are forwards so they're the only one that matter to the 'legit top line player' debate. Only Bjugstad got top minutes on his team his first season, and even then, it was mostly because there was no one else, it was still less than a normal 1C, and he did not produce like a 1C. Larkin and Eichel were both 2C on their teams behind Datsyuk and O'Reilly in terms of both production/PPG and TOI. Larkin played with the 1LW and 1RW while still being the 2C the same way Anisimov did for the Hawks. Eichel's TOI was high, but not quite as high as O'Reilly, his PPG is a good .16 less than O'Reilly, and he did not get near the defensive zone percentage or face as high QOC. None of those 3 were in the top 60 for their position in terms of PPG their rookie year, either. Grimaldi is a bottom 6 forward - 11 min TOI, .25 PPG, only 20 games - and he spent two seasons in the AHL so he does not really belong in this particular discussion. A lot of other names in this thread like K.Hayes were also not top line players (not even top 6), so again, they don't count for what the specific reply was about.

For those reason, I can see why that would qualify that Gaudreau was the last undisputed 1st line player to come out of NCAA pretty much immediately since he was the clear top center on his team in TOI and PPG. He was almost 12th for his position for PPG his rookie league.

None of this does means a NCAA rookie couldn't fill in on the top line for the Hawks, just that people should temper their expectations of that being a possibility because it is not super common. Even if you do count Larkin, Eichel, and Bjudstad and some other names being thrown out are like Kessel as top line players (Kessel was a 3rd liner to start btw), that's still only 1 to 2 NCAA players a year who immediately make and are productive on a top line right out of college. I think we'd all love if the Hawks had one of the 1-2 kids that do this next year, but the assessment that it's doesn't happen often is fair. And you're definitely right that took the NCAA path to the NHL have as much a shot as other paths - just like with all players, it may take a little more time to reach the tops of the tops for their position.

Jonathan Toews
- pdx2ord

There you go. ..... There isn't a list I can find that shows players who went directly from the NCAA to the bigs so people will add to this list like you did I'm sure.

Guys like Toews, Bjugstad, Trouba, Kessel, Erik and Jack Johnson were very high picks (top 5 or 10) so you can guess they had a better shot of making that jump. Point is it ain't often kids make the jump to the NHL straight out of the NCAA or Major Junior but it does happen and as reason would have it the higher the pick the better the chance.

Kevin Hayes
Dylan Larkin (after his freshman year)
Dan Dekeyser
Jacob Trouba (after his freshman year)
Nick Bjugstad
Erik Johnson
Jack Johnson
Phil Kessel
Colin Wilson after 40 AHL games
Drew Stafford after 30 AHL games

These are some I found and almost all of these played junior for the NTDP (the top 60 16 and 17 yr olds out of a 330 million population) before NCAA as Motte did. Schmaltz was offered to play for NTDP be he declined.
- Mr Ricochet

This is just an observation and not an evaluation of any sort, but Larkin, Trouba, and Motte all went to Michigan. Plus, IIRC, the NTDP is in Ann Arbor. This could just be pure coincidence or a testament to the strength of hockey development in that particular city in the U.S.

There you go. ..... There isn't a list I can find that shows players who went directly from the NCAA to the bigs so people will add to this list like you did I'm sure.

Guys like Toews, Bjugstad, Trouba, Kessel, Erik and Jack Johnson were very high picks (top 5 or 10) so you can guess they had a better shot of making that jump. Point is it ain't often kids make the jump to the NHL straight out of the NCAA or Major Junior but it does happen and as reason would have it the higher the pick the better the chance.
- Mr Ricochet

Some on this board have stated something that supports your argument about the high draft picks (Top 5 or Top 10) are the ones who have the best chance at making the leap from draft to the NHL and be productive right away. The Hawks chances of having draft picks or prospects jump to the big club with little to no time in the AHL is pretty slim until we have a top pick again. And this won't happen again soon because of how strong the team has been since the matriculation of Toews and Kane and we either draft late in the 1st round or don't even have a 1st rounder because it was traded away.

Of course there are always diamonds in the rough. As hockey fans, it's always fun to guess who will be our diamonds in the rough this coming season. Motte seems to be that player for many. Schmaltz, too, but he's a 1st rounder while Motte was drafted in a later round.

>Q may also be part of the Hawks presentation to Vesey
>Said this awhile ago, Hawks cannot compete with the Bruins for "Vesey's heart"
>But, they do offer the best growth option for Vesey as a player and a person
>If I'm the Hawks, I hammer home the idea that you can always go back to Boston after your ELC with maybe a Cup or two and as an emerging elite player
>And being in Chicago will allow you the the space to learn how to be a pro
>And you will appreciate Boston a LOT more being away from it for awhile
- SnapitUpstairs

I believe that the biggest plus that the Hawks can offer Vesey is exposure. Recently they are broadcast nationally more than any other team, participate in more winter classics than any other team, and participate annually (successfully) in the playoffs.

Do you think Saad would have received his contract with the same stats on a team no one sees?