The top prospect of the past three years?
It’s not Aaron Ekblad. It’s not Nail Yakupov. It’s not even Nathan MacKinnon. That’s according to ESPN’s prospect guru Corey Pronman, anyway. In his mind, it’s Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jonathan Drouin.
In his Insider piece dated May 27th, Pronman had this to say about the Lightning’s most electric youngster:
Drouin was the best prospect since John Tavares (although Tavares was a level above) and had an extraordinary draft season. He broke out in a giant way, dominating the QMJHL with 109 points in 49 games. His skill and offensive IQ are as elite as they come, but he was sent back to his junior team in 2013-14 so he could improve physically; the Lightning also lacked an available lineup spot. Based on 2013-14 play, Nathan MacKinnon and Drouin would be flipped in my rankings.
While the rankings don’t take post-draft performance into account, as noted by the final sentence in that paragraph, Tampa Bay Lightning fans should know that they have something special in Jonathan Drouin. While he didn’t make the Bolts out of camp last year, he returned to Junior and had yet another spectacular season. Any questions about his need for MacKinnon were quickly put to rest, as Drouin was one of the QMJHL’s best players all year long.
This all begs the question: Where does Drouin fit with Tampa next season?
Anyone who thinks that he will be sent back to Junior needs to give his or her head a shake. Not only would it send the wrong message to a player who would have made the NHL on most teams last season, but it would also be the wrong move for his development. Simply put, Drouin has exactly nothing left to prove in Junior.
Given that he’s too young to suit up in the American Hockey League, some quick detective work should tell you that he will be in the NHL, ready for his rookie season.
Despite the fact the Bolts tested him at center during last year’s training camp, something tells me that he’ll be on the wing come next regular season. With Steven Stamkos, Valtteri Filppula, Tyler Johnson, and Nate Thompson up the middle, there really isn’t room for another center.
That is unless you’re going to tell me that Drouin is slated for third line minutes. No. My brain is telling me that Drouin will take the spot formerly occupied by one Martin St. Louis. A natural winger, Drouin is the kind of player needs and deserves to play in offensive situations; he bleeds goals and assists. As good as Steven Stamkos looked with Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson, I think we can all agree that he would benefit from having a passer as creative as Drouin suiting up next to him.
The vision and skill that define Jonathan Drouin aren’t fit for a third line role. Maybe he starts the season there for shelter, but there’s no way he’s stuck there come the middle of the season.
For context, consider just how dominant Drouin was compared to other Lightning prospects playing in the CHL. HockeyBuzz’s own Todd Cordell forwarded this to me:
Even strength numbers for Lightning CHL prospects in 13-14. Drouin with dominant numbers, as you'd expect. pic.twitter.com/2IwOWmjOhj
— Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) June 10, 2014It’s always prudent to say ‘keep your expectations reasonable’ when it comes to discussing young players, but it’s hard not to believe that superb is reasonable for Drouin. When the Bolts passed over Seth Jones in last year’s draft, they did it for a reason. They did it because they believe that Drouin can and will be a superstar. This blogger does too.
Get excited, Bolts Nation. We’re in for a treat.
As always, thanks for reading.