Claude Giroux Emerging As Elite Player

Good things take time; that’s just the way it is. As much as it might pains them to do it, coaches of the National Hockey League have to resist the urge of sending in boys to do the work of men–this is a reference to experience and readiness, not their manhood. Rushing prospects into a club is risky because it throws instant pressure on them and there is the very real possibility that they are not properly prepared. While the process might be a little slow, development is the top priority to keep the interests of these players at heart. After all, the image of a highly tuned star in three to four years beats seeing someone become damaged goods because he was utilized prematurely.

With Claude Giroux, the Philadelphia Flyers chose the patient approach. Selected in the 2006 Entry Draft, his progression was as follows: two more years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a two-game NHL stint squeezed in there, a rookie season in which he kept his composure adamantly and a sophomore year that can hardly be constituted as a slump, but he was nowhere close to his potential. While he wasn’t quite spectacular in the regular season, his magical play really shone through in the playoffs.

Top 20 Break-Out Performances Of The 2010-2011 NHL Season

Surprises aren’t appreciated by everyone; these people are insistent on being told if something is in the works behind their back. With the National Hockey League’s latest campaign coming upon us, it’s a chance to pour over the players who shattered their expectations—if they had some to begin with—and whose presence graced an organization. For someone to be included in this list, it had to be their career-year to date; that goes without saying.

Next, the leap in their maturation must be a significant one—we’re not exactly going to cram in individuals who raised their highest production by ten points. And the key words are the ‘regular season’, as the playoffs are not why we’re gathered here today. No disrespect is intended for Sean Bergenheim or Joel Ward, who fired all calibers of bullets round for round during the postseason.

If surprises aren’t to your liking, do not read past this point.