Kyle Connor is probably NHL-ready, but…

Opinion

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This article was published 28/03/2016 (3480 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s nothing subtle about Kyle Connor’s offensive numbers. They speak loudly and they speak clearly, so much so that most are already pencilling him in to a top-six spot with the Winnipeg Jets next fall.

The Jets’ first-round draft pick crashed through his first year of college hockey like a battering ram, piling up 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists) — including a 27-game point streak — in 38 games with the Michigan Wolverines. And with the Jets’ playoff hopes long since deep-sixed, the 19-year-old’s handiwork has been a timely distraction for a club hoping to fast-forward to the end of this season and crank up the sales pitch on a youth movement next fall.

Funny thing about all that…

The Jets won’t speak at all about Connor right now, choosing to let one of their prized prospects breathe for a bit after his Wolverines had their season ended on the weekend by North Dakota. But that hasn’t stopped anyone who has seen him play over the last few years from speculating on his future. To some it’s a foregone conclusion he will turn pro within weeks.

Yet some who have watched him closely over the last six months are also suggesting Connor might still benefit from one more year at Michigan.

“I wouldn’t say he’s NHL-ready, but he’s at a level where he could be the best player in college hockey,” said Jason Rubinstein, who covers the Wolverines for the Michigan Daily. “That might not sound like it makes a lot of sense, but if you look at how he played before the NCAA tournament this past weekend it was quite different.

“The Big 10 was a weaker conference this year and he exposed them. He’s also playing on a line with two future NHLers in J.T. Compher and Tyler Motte. He had a lot of good chances last weekend (against Notre Dame and North Dakota), but didn’t score any goals. And he looked, for the first time this season, like he wasn’t quite as strong as the competition. Against North Dakota he was just bulldozed off the puck.

“Another thing to consider,” added Rubinstein. “Kyle had 71 points this season, same as Jack Eichel last year. No one questioned Jack Eichel winning the Hobey Baker, but people are still having the debate about whether Kyle Connor should win the Hobey Baker Award. A lot of people have pinned his success on the Big Ten having an off year… Wisconsin was dismal, Michigan State was awful, Penn State wasn’t at its best, Minnesota was on a down year. Plus, with his linemates finishing one, two, three in points per game, that has an impact.

“But if he gains a little more weight, absolutely he’ll be able to contribute at the NHL level next season.”

Added Al Randall, the radio voice of the Wolverines and a veteran hockey broadcaster, in an email to the Free Press:

“Kyle is one of the Top 10 most gifted scorers I’ve seen in 40 years calling games, 21 of those for Michigan. He also is great at finding open areas of ice for his quick release. He skates well. He could use a little more strength and weight and Michigan has an excellent strength and conditioning coach working with Kyle.

“My opinion, I think he needs to stay at Michigan for another year and let (coach) Red (Berenson) work with him.”

Of course, the Jets have strength and conditioning coaches, too. And they could help pack some muscle on Connor’s 6-1, 175-pound frame. But as hockey fans are seeing with Jets rookie Nikolaj Ehlers, blazing speed kills.

So, Connor and the Jets have options:

1. Sign him now. His numbers as a freshman suggest there’s little room for him to grow further at the NCAA level. If he plays in a game for the Jets, he’d have one year of his entry-level deal burned and the team would possibly use up a spot to protect him if there is a second expansion draft in 2018. But there is a precedent here, as the Jets did the same thing with another Michigan product, Andrew Copp, just a year ago.

2. Sign him after the season, which would mean he wouldn’t have to be protected in a 2017 or a 2018 expansion draft because he would have less than two years of pro experience (if those parameters are put in place). In either 1 or 2, there is also the option of sending him to the Manitoba Moose should he not make the Jets out of training camp.

3. Have him return to the Wolverines for another year to grow both physically and mentally.

“Kyle’s a very, very impressive player,” said Justin Hicks, who covers the Wolverines for the Ann Arbor News. “He’s a dangerous scorer who can find the back of the net in many different ways. It definitely helped with him being on a line with two future NHLers in J.T. Compher and Tyler Motte, because they’re both fantastic players as well. He’s fast, he’s got a knack for knowing where to be. But we also saw a little bit of where he needs to grow at the regionals… he got bodied off the puck here and there.

“I wonder if another year at Michigan wouldn’t help him, but the AHL could also be a middle ground to help him continue to get bigger and grow. The Wolverines haven’t said much on this but, if I had a guess, I’d say I don’t expect him back.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait