His hockey season is over and done, but Shane McColgan has just started making noise.
Finally.
The once highly touted right winger eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft took one of the more dramatic tumbles down the charts after a lack of offensive progress plagued the five-foot-nine, 160-pound forward.
Originally ranked 20th in Future Considerations’ preliminary ranking for the draft in September, fell out of first round consideration by November and was almost an afterthought by the time December’s analysis rolled out. The Manhattan Beach, CA. native didn’t register in any rankings in the new year.
And after a season that saw McColgan score four fewer goals and three less points than his rookie season in the WHL, expectations were lowered for the potential third round pick.
Then the 2011 WHL playoffs hit.
After a disappointing playoff a season ago that saw the then 16-year-old record just one goal and four points in 12 games, McColgan turned up the heat on postseason foes with eight goals and 19 points in 10 games before his Rockets bowed out to the Portland Winterhawks in game six of the Western Conference semifinal.
McColgan notes he hopes his performance garners some attention.
“You always want to prove those guys wrong,” McColgan told Dub Nation two weeks ago.
“Those guys have to do their job, but I don’t really look at the scouting services and the rankings that come out. It can bother most guys, but I try not to worry about it and just play my game and have fun with it. Obviously, it’s in the back of your head that I’ve dropped a little bit, but if we go far in the playoffs and the team does well and I have a good playoffs, then there is hope for that first or second round (pick).”
And all McColgan can do is wonder if he made enough noise with his playoff performance to do just that.
Aaron Vickers is the managing editor of Future Considerations and can be found on Twitter. For all the latest Future Considerations news and posts, follow FC’s Official Twitter Feed, on YouTube and on Facebook!