Last night New York Rangers prospect
Christian Thomas broke the 50 goal mark and I warned everyone not to get overly
excited about what he could do at the NHL level, and I meant that, but today I
want to look at whether or not he could be in the NHL as soon as next season. Jess Rubenstein of The
Prospect Park, the preeminent source for all things Rangers prospect
related, suggested today that he should at least get the chance to do so and I
cannot disagree.
Gordie Clark has preached that a prospect needs to dominate at the level he is at before advancement. That being said then the argument can be made that Christian Thomas has earned at the very least a long look at making the Rangers next season.
52 goals in 62 games this season which puts him tied not only for the goal scoring lead in the OHL but in the entire CHL. 18-14-32 not in the early season but when his team is making a push for playoff seeding also offers evidence that says Thomas merits the same consideration that Chris Kreider does.The Rangers want to make a case for Chris Kreider but allow us to make one for Christian Thomas. The Staal Standard measures how your play directly impacts how you team does.
I would argue that Thomas has
done more to earn that consideration this season than Kreider has in terms of
both dominating at his current level and meeting what Jess refers to as the
Staal Standard. For those unaware the
Staal standard came out of how Marc Staal excelled during the playoffs in
helping to carry Sudbury a few seasons ago and now Jess measures the impact,
not just points, but when points are scored in the most important time of the
season. Obviously the playoffs have not
come yet, but if Thomas plays in the playoffs how he has in the last two months
with 18 goals 14 assists in the last 17 games then he will be on his way to
racking up the same kind of acclaim.
Before anyone suggests it, the
AHL is not an option for Thomas next season because of his age and the fact he
was in the CHL at the time of him being drafted. I don’t know that Thomas is ready to be an
NHL player just yet, but with the lack of scoring ability on this team and the
fact he has little left to prove in the OHL he certainly has earned the right
to give it a shot. If he is not ready, then they just send him back to Juniors either in camp or before his 10th game and there is no harm done.
Be sure to check out Jess at The Prospect Park for the rest of his take on Thomas and all other Rangers prospects.
