scribe

It’s been humbling looking back at some of the advice I’ve given. While some of it has been good – especially in Part I last week – this week I’m noticing more misses.

Looking back and re-assessing your judgment of players is a great exercise because it helps you adjust your evaluation skills. You see signs that you missed that would have told you a player was better than you thought, and you see which traits attracted you to a player like a moth to the light.

Here’s a look back (chronologically) at some more players I’ve written about in the last year, and how good my assessment was.

If you like following the story of a long shot, hitch your wagon to Brendan Ranford.

One of the things you’ll sometimes hear scouts say is that a player has “good bloodlines.”

It means that a prospect is the son of a former NHLer or pro hockey player and the phrase implies that hockey talent is hereditary and passed on genetically.

The Buffalo Sabres lack size – especially in their top six – and have been looking to fix that problem through the draft and waiting patiently for some draft picks to develop.

I tried unsuccessfully this summer to get Kyle Palmieri in my keeper league. He was available cheaply, but I didn’t act quickly enough and he got tossed back into our pool of free agents and re-drafted. I was just a little disappointed that I missed out, but that disappointment has grown as he’s got off to an excellent start to his pro career. Palmieri scored his first goal in the NHL against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, November 3.

There will never be another Stratford Streak to rival Howie Morenz  -- known in his heyday as the Babe Ruth of hockey.

But there’s this kid from Stratford -- Joey Hishon -- whose playing style makes you want to call him the Stratford Streak, even though his talent does not rival that of Morenz.

Taking Brett Connolly with the 6^th overall selection was a bold pick for a new general manager.

There’s no disputing Connolly’s talent, but a pair of hip injuries last season that limited him to just 16 WHL games had teams concerned. That didn’t bother new Tampa Bay Lightning general Steve Yzerman, but it scared off a few other teams.

Got cap issues? Need to replenish the farm? No worries, just do what the Chicago Blackhawks did this past summer.