Claimed: Scheel Failing to Elevate Game [1/2]

[MD9 139]

Scheel Failing to Elevate Game

 

 

Jake Scheel can be viewed as a somewhat divisive player. Not due to off-ice drama or locker room troubles, but rather due to his up and down scouting reports and debates between managers and fans alike as to whether he can really capture his potential. Near the end of last season, his draft stock diminished largely due to the emergence of players who appeared to be safer bets than him. Over the course of this season, his value seems to have diminished even further. He's continued to develop at more or less the same pace he began with, putting in work at practice and sticking around the gym after hours -- but his on-ice performance simply hasn't risen to the point that some expected it to. After being one of Saskatoon's great surprises last season, his performance has... been just about the same.

 

That's really it. He's been consistent ever since his first game in the VHLM. He puts up around a point per game, sets up plays, and performs reliably in his own zone. As a player who made his name off of his two-way, risk-free play, going a point per game might seem 'good enough'. But after being selected in the first round, this year was supposed to be different for Scheel. Even those who doubted his ability to succeed at the VHL level expected him to factor in to the team's offense in a more notable way -- joining the VHLM's many players who far exceed a point per game and showcase the kind of flashy offense that the VHL and its affiliates are known for. In any other league, 49 points in 46 games would be superb. But for a sophomore VHLM forward, it's really nothing to write home about.

 

Perhaps this is a sign of what's to come for Scheel -- perhaps he really is destined to be a 'good', but not 'great' player, bound to float in and out of Calgary's top six once he eventually makes the jump. Anything can happen, and at this early stage of his career it's too early to write off his potential to emerge as one of Calgary's franchise players -- but there's simply been an air of disappointment around him. When compared to a player like Gabriel McAllister on his own team, whose draft year is coming up this season, he simply falls short. Perhaps a few more seasons of conditioning will help turn him into a more complete player, but as it stands, there is little reason to believe Scheel can hold up as anything close to a point per game player in the VHL. If this season is really the best he can do when he's got a year on most of his competition, there isn't much reason to be optimistic about when he faces down players who have numerous years on him.

 

Perhaps what Scheel is really missing is that 'star quality' that some other players have. The ability to step up in a big game and elevate his team to a win. That would explain not just his failure to rise to the top of the VHLM in the first half of this season, but his struggles throughout the playoffs last year. The question really becomes -- is that quality something that a player can gain through hard work, or is this a matter of born talent alone?

[eaglesfan036 4,605]

Not every player can be a star, but a good top sixer is still an excellent core piece to have!

Depth > stars anyway

[Higgins 3,618]

Screw thst be a star don't be depth, eagles just doesn't want cap hell and to pay you the big bucks

[eaglesfan036 4,605]

36 minutes ago, Higgins said:

Screw thst be a star don't be depth, eagles just doesn't want cap hell and to pay you the big bucks

i am cheap good point

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

Review:

I'm sure you'll turn it around. Nobody judges a player on their VHLM career. The VHL will be where you make your name.