Over the past few years, I have made the argument that a winning Stockton Heat team is good not only for the fans but also for the players. Most of the comments I receive are “Stockton is for player development” and winning is a secondary focus. While I still think winning should be included, let’s talk about the development side of the Stockton Heat.
In researching this topic starting at the 2014 draft, I found that most first round draft picks spend a year or less in the AHL. There are players that take longer like Julian Honka (three years), Kasperi Kapanen (two years), or Alexander Nylander (three years).