Quote Originally Posted by patsdude114 View Post
Just saying with LA's depth of young prospects & the way LA has been so cautious with there player development Weal's size will play a factor in him making the AHL as a 20 yr old or being sent back to junior for 1 more season. Also 100pts as a 17 year old is impressive but when playing with the CHL player of the year as his set up man he was bound to be tooth & nails in the point race with Eberle.

Weal is still putting up points but wont come close to his 100 point season as of last year, mainly due to not enough elite talent around him. Weal has proven he can play with elite guys as didnt he have 1g1a in the WHL Russia game (1g i know he got but was pretty sure he got an assist as well)

Also lets face it alot can happen from now til then as well, Weal could get his NHL rights traded, he could sustain a injury at camp during his 20yr old year that would send him back to junior for his rehab. I just dont think Weal is a lock in the AHL at age 20 due to his size, he still needs to get alot stronger he loses too many faceoffs to stronger guys. His compete level is thru the roof, that alone could make him crack a AHL roster i will give him that. His only knock is his size & at 5'9 that will definately play a role as 5'9 is still even small for today's pro game.
Weal could quit hockey and join the circus at the end of the season for all we know, but its all unlikely. History with skilled players suggests that he wont be here at 20 years old. He could technically end up here due to strange circumstances, but we cannot bank on that. And no, I dont expect 100 this year from him either, since the team isnt as strong, the talent isnt as high, and we have already entered rebuild mode.

The way I see it, LA drafted Kozun from the hitmen as well. If Kozun can make it to pro at 20, Weal probably should too, especially since he was even smaller than Weal, and did not play as gritty and tenacious.