Clearly Jack Hughes was ruined by it. One size does not fit all . . . in anything . . . and never has . . . or will.
And you're being disingenuous as usual because that's never been my point.
The point isn't that rushing players in the NHL before they're ready will or won't ruin them. Some, like Jack Hughes, will make it regardless even if they looked beyond terrible at 18. But then you have some who do come into the NHL and never pan out because their skills never develop such as Kotkaniemi.
The point has always been: An organization chooses a player, especially those in the lottery, in hopes that they become a 10+ year investment, so why would they jeopardize that player's potential simply so that he can play in the NHL at 18?
And since we're on the topic, why not bring every single first round pick into the roster at 18 and just let them figure it out then? Why limit it to lottery picks? Just use it as a publicity stunt:
Most recent first round pick playing every other game, who cares if he sucks? Buy your tickets here! (Maybe word it in a more PC-friendly manner).
Slafkovsky was the first overall pick in the weakest draft in years. I don't even think he'd be a top-5 pick this year. If we had picked Slaf at 5-6th overall, there'd be almost no chance that he'd be in the NHL right now.
There are tons of examples of players who were forced into the NHL at 18, clearly weren't ready for it and stagnated. There's no player in the history of hockey that saw his career go to shit because he spent a little too much time in junior or the minors.
It is a risk that, for the majority of players, I am not willing to take. Personal philosophy: If a player is in the NHL at 18, he needs to be absolutely gifted or one of the smartest players in the world even at 18, see Bergeron or O'Reilly. Anything short of that, I pass.
