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Flames First Round Targets 2015: David Jankowski
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Christian Roatis
Jun 23, 2015, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Invalid DateTime
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photo via stansteadcollege.com
The National Hockey League Entry Draft is an opportunity for teams to acquire elite talent at the cost of a free draft pick and if, as a team, you’re not trying to draft the best player in the draft in ten years, you’re doing it wrong. 
Thankfully, we in Calgary can sleep at night knowing the Flames have a track record of seeking out just that.
In 2012, then-general manager Jay Feaster and his right hand man, John Weisbrod, outsmarted 29 other multi-million dollar National Hockey League scouting departments full of the best hockey evaluators on the planet, by selecting a player almost no one had every heard of (except for Craig Button), from a league no one had ever heard of, who would indubitably be the best player to come out of that draft, in 10 years time. No sooner. No later.
Mark Jankowski. 
After being drafted, Jankowski went to college, and has 70 points there through three seasons.
Now it doesn’t happen often, but if you throw a good enough Cowboy themed party every July, the hockey gods may allow you to double-dip in the Fountain of Destiny. One Jankowski is incredible. Two Jankowskis is magic.
Well, when Brad Treliving and Brian Burke (and Daryl Katz’s son, unless he only goes up for Oilers picks) walk up to the podium to make the 15th overall selection, they will have the chance – unless someone outwitted them – to secure the younger half of the Jankowski Power Duo, David Jankowski. 
Jankowski is highly regarded in Quebec boarding school hockey circles, and a highly regarded anonymous  source told me he “could be the best player in this draft in 10 years.” Another trusted anonymous scout told me Jankowski has “great intangibles and tools that you just can’t teach”. 
Golly. Sounds delectably irresistible, no? Let’s dig a little deeper. 

Rankings

FutureConsiderations: NR
HockeyProspect: NR
Hockey Prospectus: NR
Craig Button: NR
ISS: NR
Bob McKenzie: NR
Damien Cox: NR
McKeens Hockey: NR
Corey Pronman: NR
The Hockey News: NR
NHL Central Scouting Final NA: NR
As you can see, due to relatively mild weather in Quebec this winter, there were no flash blizzards that caused scouts to have to stay the night near Stanstead College and stumble upon the next Mario Lemieux, like John Weisbrod did with Mark Jankowski. As a result, likely few made the trip to Stanstead. Their loss. 

Scouting Reports

(Editor’s Note: These are all totally legit, we swear.)
“Good skater, good vision, good passing, good shot, good hockey IQ, good intangibles, good potential” 
Notes: Sounds good. 
“At 6’1, 154 pounds, Jankowski has a lot of room to grow into his body as he matures” 
Notes: That just screams potential.
“His great uncle is Red Kelly, and recent studies have shown that nephews have nearly the exact same hockey make up has their great uncles, and tend to develop into clones of them”
Notes: I’m not one to disagree with science.
Two draft steals for the Flames in 3 years isn’t really fair, but who cares about fair when you’re just 7 years away from Mark becoming a superstar and 10 from David joining him? Add in supporting players like Monahan, Bennett and Gaudreau and you might have yourself a Cup contender.

In All Seriousness

It’s not really fair to the kid in any sense to dedicate an entire article to make fun of him, just because Flames management overvalued his brother. All the jokes and frustrations focused on his brother’s play and development should have nothing to do with how the younger Jankowski is evaluated and treated. Unfortunately, the name Jankowski will likely always be greeted with jeers in this city (at least for a little while) and it’s, unfairly, up to his brother to change that. Mark Jankowski didn’t ask to be drafted 21st overall, ahead of a bunch of really promising prospects. He didn’t ask to get berated by Flames fans from the very second his name was called, but life – and certainly hockey – isn’t always fair. 
David Jankowski is listed as a notable prospect for the 2015 NHL Draft by Elite Prospects and was an honourable mention in Central Scouting’s North American final rankings for this draft, after being ranked 188th in the midterm rankings. This all means there’s a real possibility David Jankowski gets drafted. Not in the first round obviously, but in one of the seven. (Editor’s Note: If he gets picked, it’ll be late.)
He scored at a higher pace than his brother did in his draft year – go figure – at Stanstead College with 110 points in 53 league games. Makes you wonder how Mark was even in the discussion for the 1st round?
David is tall like his brother, standing 6’1″ right now, but is listed at 154 pounds. Brother Mark was around 6’2″, 170 when drafted, and has grown to around 6’3″, 190. David Jankowski’s increase in weight will probably be the most substantial change from where he is now, as the majority of Midget AA and AAA players in the province of Alberta weigh more than he does, let alone NHL draft eligibles.
He’ll fill into his frame and be a good-sized hockey player when fully mature. I, however, say that without specifying if he’ll be a good hockey player or not. He’ll just have good size, and the Flames love good size. He certainly won’t be the best player in this draft in 10 years, I can guarantee you that, but what’s to say he doesn’t develop into a useful NHLer? Same logic can be applied to every player eligible for the draft, I suppose. 
Back to the facts, Jankowski led his team in scoring by quite a wide margin this season and that, especially at his size, most likely means he out skilled opponents rather than out muscled them. That bodes well for Jankowski, as scouts love players that can find success while still waiting on strength, which is acquired with age. He’s definitely gifted with good skill and at very least, there’s some extremely raw potential there.
He’s definitely not worth any of the Flames’ 6 Top 90 picks, but they’ll be making hollers in the 6th and 7th rounds, and why not take a shot at David Jankowski? If anything, for the Twitter firestorm. If he is taken by the Flames, I hope he’s given a fair shake by the fan-base rather than being subject to same ridicule his brother has been.
If this all does come to fruition, just remember you heard it here first, folks. 

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