It seems that the draft status of Tanner Pearson is a hot topic in Winnipeg as of late. With that in mind, here's Matt Eichel of the Jets All Out Blog as he offers his take on whether or not the Winnipeg Jets should draft Pearson in the 2012 NHL Draft.
"What makes Pearson interesting on the surface is his connection to Scheifele - who finished fourth on Barrie in scoring with 63 points in 47 games at a 1.34 points per game pace - and Ivan Telegin, another Jets (former Atlanta Thrasher) draft pick.
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Pearson, who was ranked by Central Scouting at 22nd in their mid-way rankings, slipped to 25th overall in their rankings - still a first round player. (Caveat: Pearson is ranked 25th out of North American skaters, almost assuring he should be around with the Jets second round pick).
With the ninth overall pick, however, the Jets are faced with a problem if they do indeed show interest in another Barrie Colt prospect.
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Despite the attractiveness of another Colt - especially one who has played with two other Jets picks - there could be the advantage that teams may be wary of his season ending injury limiting his progress into this next OHL season.
If not, the Jets will need to trade up to acquire the pick to grab Pearson in the late first round or perhaps he would drop down into the early second round for the Jets second round pick."
Most know where I stand on the topic of Pearson, so I won't beat a dead horse. But to reinterate, I'm just a tad leery of a gritty overaged player breaking out against 17 and 18 year olds being selected with a first or second round pick.
What say you? Agree? Disagree? Hit us up in the comments below!
