[OT: Opinions on Ballard]

Just looking for some unbiased and knowledgable opinions on Keith Ballard. The Coyotes got him in a trade with Colorado. I think I've heard all the negatives today; he can't carry Paul Martin or Leo's jock, he's too small for the NHL, not consistent - takes shifts off, and a defensive liability. Our GM knows little about players not in the NHL, spewed this out:

I first saw him play two years ago and our scouts also rated Keith as one of the top two or three defensemen in all of collegiate hockey.  He is a little like a young Bryan Berrard in the sense that he loves to jump up into the play and lead the rush.  He shoots the puck very well and he is willing to take a hit to get the shot away.  On the power play, he gets his shots on the net and through traffic.  We are not going to rush him, he has a year left with the University of Minnesota, but we would welcome any decision he wants to make.  They have a great program at the University of Minnesota, he has been part of back-to-back National Championship teams and we feel he has a great future in pro hockey.

Hope you ladies and gents don't mind the thread, thanks for any responses.

[Drew Stafford]

Drew is an awesome player, and he has already accomplished a lot his freshmen year. I agree that he has lots of potential. I say give him some time and he'll fall back into place.

Sheesh, four point game is a nice start

[Drew Stafford]

From the comments I read in the ROTY thread, sounds like he has been an inconsistent freshman. That's not unusual. I just read a quote about Stafford in THN, Stafford is "fried a bit from the whole thing (WJC). He's just starting to come around" said Dean Blais. You guys know your teams situation, what do you think Dean means? Also, I saw the scouting rag Red Line report has Stafford rated #7 for the upcoming NHL draft. Obviously, he's rated so high because of the potential people see in him. But if I'm reading right, some of you guys think he's the fourth best rookie on your team? Also, looking at collegehockeystats.com, they show Stafford all over the place. Playing with Parise and Brandon earlier in the year and playing some fourth line duty lately. Has he had trouble finding his spot (ie- the freshman inconsistency)? Thanks for any Stafford talk.

[#3 Matt Jones development]

Thanks for the comments, keep them coming. I would be interested to hear more opinions. Good luck the rest of the way!

[#3 Matt Jones development]

NHL scouts have said that Matt Jones does not garner much attention because he does not shine in one particular area. Solid, steady, and consistent. Looking at the numbers, his offensive game has improved this year. How do Sioux fans see his progression at the collegiate level? In your opinion, what are his best assets and what will he need to work on for the jump to the next level? Comments appreciated.

         GP   G  A  PTS  PIM

2003-04  29   7  9  16   20

2002-03  39   1  5  6    26

2001-02  37   2  5  7    20