Below is a longer than usual excerpt from SI.com Allan Muir’s great article about the different development paths of Matt D’Agostini and Guillaume Latendresse:
Good ol’ Axl was right: Sometimes all we need is just a little patience.
Rock scholars believe that Axl Rose, the lead throat and deep thinker behind Guns N’ Roses, was warbling about the sweet mysteries of love moreso than NHL player development theory back in the Appetite for Destruction days, but the lesson behind the words still applies. Avoid the temptations of instant gratification and the long-term payoff will be so much sweeter.
Easier said than done in the penny-pinching post-lockout period, sure. But for a cautionary glimpse into the value of Axl’s approach, take a look at the Montreal Canadiens. In particular, the career momentum of Guillaume Latendresse and Matt D’Agostini.
Both wingers were tabbed by the Habs in the lucrative 2005 draft that also produced Carey Price and Sergei Kostitsyn. Latendresse, a burgeoning power forward with soft hands and Frankenstein feet, was taken 45th. D’Agostini, an undersized stinger with a penchant for making things happen, was selected 190th. Both were invited to camp that fall, but that’s where their fates diverged.
Just 18, Latendresse was on the fast track. He made an immediate impression in camp, silencing those who criticized his skating with courage in the corners and a deft touch around the net. And though he eventually was returned for one more injury-shortened season of junior hockey in Drummondville, he would eventually skip an apprenticeship in the AHL, graduating directly to the Canadiens roster the following year.
Why the rush? There was pressure to fill a particular role, for one. A team that relied on too many undersized forwards — or too many who played as those they were — the Habs were desperate for a big body, someone who could assert his authority in the offensive zone. Coming in at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Latendresse certainly looked the part.
And as a francophone, he became a rallying point for the fans who wanted to see one of their own in the bleu, blanc et rouge. It’s wrong to suggest his heritage earned him the job … but fair to say it didn’t exactly work against him, either.
Still, from the very beginning, there were signs that Latendresse was being rushed. Even as he scored 16 goals that season, the unrefined state of his game was apparent. No, that’s being too nice. The kid was, and is, raw. Not just in his understanding of how to play as a pro, but his inability to maintain consistency. The talent is there, but the reliability of his effort is missing. As a result, the offense has dried up and with it, his confidence.
Now, at 21, he’s become a spare part. He played briefly, and inconsequentially, in Thursday’s loss to Tampa Bay after having spent the previous four games sampling the Bell Centre’s press box popcorn. He has just two goals on the year but worse his development has stalled. At 21, Latendresse isn’t much more than what he was at 18.
The Habs painted themselves into this corner. At this point, he can’t be sent down to the minors to work out his problems because he’s subject to waivers and, cold hands aside, there are probably a few teams who believe they could be the ones to get the best out of him. But they can’t wait for him when there are players ready to contribute now. The concern is that if he’s ever to move his game forward, it might have to be somewhere else.
While Latendresse is struggling to contribute to the team, the slow roasted D’Agostini has emerged from a two-year stint in the minors to play a key role in Montreal’s recent surge.
Assigned to Hamilton of the AHL after his final junior season, D’Agostini didn’t just take the opportunity to improve on his game. He acquired the skills to re-invent himself, to become whatever Montreal needed him to be.
Back in his junior days with the Guelph Storm, D’Agostini’s skill level allowed him to lurk around the perimeter, to wait for offensive opportunities to present themselves. It was a clean way to make a living — and the most direct path to a life in sales rather than hockey. But under the tutelage of Don Lever — be sure to keep his name in mind for coaching vacancies next season — D’Agostini learned how to get his hands dirty. The skill level remains, but now he’s able to dress it up with a hard hat. When the Habs needed a mucker who was willing to pay the price, he was ready to answer the call.
Since joining the team on Nov. 29 — not coincidentally, the last game before Latendresse began his exile — D’Agostini has four goals in six games and his energetic play has revitalized linemates Saku Koivu and Andrei Kostitsyn. It’s folly to think he can maintain this offensive pace, but 20 pounds heavier and two years smarter, he’s equipped to do all the little things that turn a prospect into a pro. At this point, a job is his to lose.
The same can’t be said for Latendresse, who seems ill prepared to handle his struggles. His confidence shot and his opportunities limited, he’s likely to remain on the outside looking in.
Could Latendresse have benefited from a more cautious route to the pros? Watching D’Agostini make the argument nightly, it’s hard to think otherwise.
That’s nonsense. Gui came up when he did because he was physically ready for the NHL. D’Agostini was not. Their offensive production at the junior level was similar, so it is no great surprise that Matt is scoring as well at the NHL level 3 years later. But Latendresse has more upside. He is 8 months younger 2 inches taller, and about 40 pounds heavier. This hack conveniently forgets that both Latendresse and Sergei Kostitsyn who were both in the press box recently were also as hot as firecrackers in their first few games in the league. D’Agostini will cool off and the other two will move back ahead of him on the depth chart. This stuff happens all the time.
Rob,
A player’s physical stature shouldn’t be the only determining factor in his making it to the NHL.
Gui’s total skill set (especially his skating) wasn’t NHL caliber when he joined the Canadiens in 2006 as a 19 year old regardless of his physical maturity.
By all accounts, Gui had some baby fat and wasn’t in the best of shape when he arrived at the 2006-07 training camp which is bothersome in itself!!
I will take a young player who has a higher skill set and is 2″ shorter/40lb lighter (8 months older is irrelevant!!) over a player who has size but has an inferior skill set.
D’Agostini has as good, if not better shot, is a far superior skater and drives to the net with a purpose. He also is better in the defensive zone than Latendresse who has struggled with clearing the puck along the boards.
I agree that D’Ags’ play will level off but it will still be more consistent than Gui’s play.
We can both agree that Gui’s play would have been better served if the Canadiens had sent him back to the Q in 2006 where he would have dominated play and also played on the U-20 team at the WJC (if he made the team!!). He would have also been better off playing 40-80 games in Hamilton last year to get valuable ice time, something he isn’t getting right now.
Rob, I think you said it best when you stated:
“Their offensive production at the junior level was similar, so it is no great surprise that Matt is scoring as well at the NHL level 3 years later.”
To paraphrase your statement:
D’Agostini is being productive at the NHL level because he was able to develop and become a better pro at the AHL level for 2 1/2seasons….Latendresse hasn’t paid his dues and been able to further his development at a lower level.
If they had similar stats at the junior level, then I guess they BOTH should have played at the AHL level regardless of their size or training camp performances.
Look at a player like Blake Wheeler who is bigger and more skilled than Gui yet still played 127 NCAA games at Minnesota where he developed his game and is currently playing great two way hockey for the Bruins.
Rob,
I also forgot to mention that Guillaume benefitted from a great playmaking center like Derrick Brassard to put the puck on his stick in the Q where defense is non-existent compared to the WHL or OHL.
Unfortunately, there were reasons why Gui was selected in the 2nd round (45th overall) in 2005.
Before and during his second junior season (his draft eligible year), he was ranked as a mid to late first round selection, but slowly and surely, teams started to be concerned about his skating, conditioning and work ethic.
Look, Gui could eventually be a solid third line player if he decides to work at improving his game….time will tell.
rob, my frig is about 6’2″, and Im sure it is heavier than 220. Does that mean the Habs should be printing a jersey with Amana on the back?
Habster is absolutely right. Size alone means nothing. Did you see the one game that Manute Bol laced up the skates? By the way, Bol is about 220lbs. (and 7’7″)
How can you say that Latendresse was physically ready to play in the NHL? His skating was awful…still is. Don’t you think that his footspeed could have improved in the AHL? (and if he had been willing to do off-season training as the team requested) But more importantly Gui would have learned that a NHL roster spot requires hard work and commitment. Instead it was just handed to him…possibly the worst mistake the Canadiens could have made given Gui’s history of poor work ethic and attitude.
D’Agostini’s goal production may level off but I don’t think that we will see a change in effort. He works hard every shift, and right now that’s the biggest difference between D’Ags and Lats.
I really don’t understand the hate for Latendresse here. He is playing like you would expect a 21 year old in my eyes. Ups and downs. No different from the other young players on the team. I recall similar things being said about Komisarek at the same age. Few thought he could become a top two defenseman, much less an All Star. If you look at the first two rounds of the 2005 draft, less than half the players have even made it to the NHL yet. Gui is way ahead of the curve in terms of his development.
As for size being insignificant, I don’t think that Bob Gainey and the team management agree with that. At least based on the player moves they made this past off season. Adding size was clearly the overriding agenda of most of the moves they made.
Rob, read what I wrote: “Size alone means nothing.” The key word is ‘alone’. Neither Habster nor I said that size is insignificant. But neither is it the be all and end all that you are suggesting.
Rick Nash was not the first overall pick in 2002 because he is 6’4″, 215 lbs. It is because he is a good skater, has soft hands, has exceptional skill, great vision and hockey sense and a commitment to a rigorous off-ice fitness regime AND he is 6’4″ and 215.
Rob, you speak about size as if it is the only consideration.
Also, there is absolutely NO hate for Latendresse. I would love to see him live up to his potential. Habster and I (and Pierre McGuire) are just injecting a drop of reality in a sea of outrageous hype concerning Lats.
You say that at least Latendresse has made it to the NHL ahead of others…as if it is the ultimate goal. It’s not an end, but a beginning. And unfortunately Latendresse’s development has not progressed since his arrival to the NHL. I would rather that he hadn’t entered the NHL yet if it meant that he was making significant improvement in his skills, work ethic and attitude year to year in the AHL.
Well, big players are ready to compete with pros at a younger age by virtue of their size, but they also take longer to reach their full potential. I think Gui’s first two and a half seasons are very comparable to Todd Bertuzzi at the same age. As for Nash, he was not near his present size when he came in. I think he was around 6-3, 185 pounds. But the expectations for a #1 overall pick are considerably different than they are for a player taken in the middle of the second round.
Lats has the same amount of points as Chris Higgins with less playing time, and certainly less power play time. Do you think that Higgins is scarred for life by virtue of the fact that he came into the NHL at 22? Everyone knows that Chris Higgins is a legitimate 30-40 goal scorer in any given year. I think the same will be said about Latendresse soon enough.
In the pre-draft rankings, Latendresse was expected to go in the first round, with some respected organizations having him as high as #6. The passage of time + size will not automatically transform Latendresse into a 30-40 goal guy. The point is that now in his 3rd NHL season, Latendresse’s development is not progressing.
The stats do not support your comparison with Higgins. Their numbers this season including games played are similar. Career numbers put Latendresse at 50% of Higgins’ goals, assists and points, yet Latendresse has played 72% as many games.
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