The Kids' Table: Exceeding Expectations

As a former kid (duh) as well as formerly budding young athlete, I can tell you there's no greater feeling than exceeding your parents' expectations. When I was younger, I was gifted with the ability to throw a baseball faster than most kids my age. Now, let's get one thing straight, I wasn't the second coming of Steve Nebraska or something. Think Henry Rowengartner in Rookie of the Year, but without the freak accident and about 30 mph slower. My time at the top was short-lived, but that doesn't mean it didn't provide one of the best feelings my parents had while raising me. I exceeded a lot of expectations for your average 10-year-old (which says a lot about where I'm at now, right?).

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that when NHL GMs go out and grab guys in the later rounds of the draft, their expectations for those particularly players are generally pretty low. With the success rate of hockey prospects overall, it's hard to predict which players will blossom into serviceable NHLers. A good barometer for telling which prospects will make it at the next level is whether they've exceeded the expectations of their draft position. This week, we'll take a look at a handful of prospects who were afterthoughts in the draft, but have managed to jump into the NHL conversation through their play this season.

Tyler Motte, LW, Michigan Wolverines (NCAA)
Draft Position: Blackhawks' 2013 fourth-round pick (No. 121)
2015-16 Stats: 27 goals, 42 points in 27 games

It may be that Motte is playing on one of the most lethal lines in college hockey or it could just be the fact that the Blackhawks drafted him. Either way, Motte has surely been much more than GM Stan Bowman could have imagined back when he selected the youngster out of St. Clair a few years back. He's the only player in the NCAA this season scoring at a goal-per-game clip, and his line with J.T. Compher and Kyle Connor accounts for three of the top four scorers in all of Division I men's hockey. Thought Motte is a bit undersized -- which likely led to his drop in the draft -- he should have no problem finding success when placed around Chicago's current core of players.

Spencer Watson, RW, Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Draft Position: Kings' 2014 seventh-round pick (No. 209)
2015-16 Stats: 29 goals, 66 points in 51 games

Watson was another player who saw his draft stock drop significantly due to his lack of size and strength. This is becoming a recurring theme in hockey that I think will start to wither away as GMs and scouts realize that the NHL game has changed. The game isn't about size and physicality so much as it's about speed and skill, two traits that Watson surely possesses. As I mentioned last week, Watson has benefited from the acquisition of Michael Dal Colle, but he was already putting together another solid junior season. Like the Blackhawks, the Kings are lined up with a nice core of veterans and youngsters to help ease Watson into his role as an NHL sniper.

Brayden Point, C, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Draft Position: Lightning's 2014 third-round pick (No. 79)
2015-16 Stats: 28 goals, 67 points in 34 games

Considering Point produced more than 90 points before being drafted back in 2013, it's hard to imagine that he's exceeded any expectations Lightning GM Steve Yzerman put in place. The thing about Point is that he's blossomed into a great leader while maintaining that point production. He had a short stint in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch in which he notched four points during a nine-game stretch, then followed that up with a great showing at the recent World Junior Championship. If you were to make a checklist for a first-round prospect, pretty much everything I listed above would be on it. A nice late growth spurt has done wonders for his potential at the next level, and with the Tampa Bay roster likely in store for some flux this offseason, look for Point to get a legit shot at making the squad next year.

Nicolas Roy, C/RW, Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
Draft Position: Hurricanes' 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 96)
2015-16 Stats: 35 goals, 71 points in 49 games

Roy entered the 2015 draft with a lot more potential than his position would typically warrant. Scouts were clearly worried that he was just another big body who would never put it all together. Well, he's responded with a campaign in which he holds a top-15 position on the QMJHL points leaderboard, which may not be the end-all, be-all of omens, but is certainly more than the Hurricanes thought he was capable of. His combination of skill and size should translate well at the next level, and it helps that Carolina is rebuilding. The Hurricanes will likely part ways with a number of free agents this offseason, clearly up plenty of room on the roster. Roy's size makes him an obvious candidate to make the jump right away, and Carolina could really use a big winger on the outside of Elias Lindholm.

Some Names You May Have Heard Of

Colton Parayko, D, St. Louis Blues
Draft Position: Blues' 2012 third-round pick (No. 86)
2015-16 Stats: Seven goals, 23 points in 56 games

I'm leaving my comfort zone of non-NHL players here, but figured I'd touch on a few names that have exceeded expectations coming into this season. Parayko has been arguably the most surprising rookie defenseman in the NHL this season and has even made Kevin Shattenkirk expendable in the Blues' eyes (at least until Alex Pietrangelo's injury). Obviously, he won't be available off the waiver wire, but if you're going through a rebuild of your own in a keeper/dynasty league, Parayko is a nice young blue-line stud to target in a potential trade.

Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Philadelphia Flyers
Draft Position: Flyers' 2012 third-round pick (No. 78)
2015-16 Stats: 11 goals, 32 points in 38 games; two goals, 10 points in 14 AHL games

All the Ghost Bear has done in his limited action with Philly is set NHL records. He's currently on the longest point streak by a rookie defenseman ever and is looking like an absolute steal after being drafted out of Union College. It may be hard to pry Gostisbehere from his current owners, but if you can, you've got yourself a very nice building block, considering he'll eventually be surrounded by more young talent like Travis Sanheim, Samuel Morin and Travis Konecny.

Joe Blandisi, C/LW, New Jersey Devils
Draft Position: Avalanche's 2012 sixth-round pick (No. 162)
2015-16 Stats: Five goals, 12 points in 19 NHL games; seven goals, 21 points in 24 AHL games

My Devils have exceeded expectations as a franchise this season, so it isn't that surprising to see a name like Blandisi's on this list. An over-ager from last season with OHL Barrie, Blandisi signed an entry-level deal with New Jersey this past offseason after failing to impress both the Avalanche and Sabres (mostly due to size concerns and injury issues). Blandisi has since become a spark plug for the feisty Devils, who are contending for a playoff spot. He hasn't done enough to prove he's worth building around in dynasty formats, but with New Jersey's roster turning over a bit this offseason, Blandisi could be lined up for a future top-six role on a team that will likely improve in the goal-scoring department over the course of the next few seasons.