Who is Collin Peters?
Collin Peters is a native of the town dubbed "most likely to be the title of a song in Family Guy," Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Wouldn't you be monumentally disappointed if every person in Sheboygan wasn't just absolutely delightful? Anyway, Collin Peters is delightful, and he's also 5'11'' and 160 lbs and is ranked #133 among North American skaters. His stats are below:
He played for the Sheboygan High Red Raiders and got over a goal a game. Then he moved up to the T1EHL where he put up point per game stats and was convincing enough to get drafted into the USHL to the Muskegon Lumberjacks who must not have been as in love with the Sheboyganite as they let on because they traded him almost immediately to the Sioux Falls Stampede where he ceased his point per game production, but continued his penalty minute per game productions. It appears I may have misjudged Sheboyganers. Based on those stats he seems quite bruting and not so delightful.
What Are Other Saying?
Katie Folan of the the Sheboygan High School Newspaper, The North Star quoting Coach Bartholomaus, which is exactly the type of name I would expect from a Sheboyganan.
[Peters] is very competitive and brings his best to every game and every practice," Coach Bartholomaus said. "It’s been fun coaching him and he’s a special kid around school. He’s a quiet leader, personable, nice young man and [he] will be missed."
That quote is as comlimentary as it is vague. But regardless it's nice to here the buzz word "leader" from a coach. You don't just throw that in to an interview question like you do "competitive" or "gives his best."
SheboyganPress.com once again quoting Coach Keith Bartholomaus
"He’s done everything, he plays a complete game. He sets an example, he’s a leader, works hard and he’s a game-changer. He’s the kid the team looks to when we need him, and he rises to the occasion no matter what the situation is."
Also worth noting is he says about himself " "I think I’m pretty honest, pretty straight-forward guy. ... I’m pretty likeable, I care about everybody, I’m not mean to other people" thus restoring my faith in the Sheboyganese.
Chris Dilks from SBN College Hockey had this to say:
I was always very impressed with forward Collin Peters(Northern MIchigan), he's a strong kid that skates hard and hits hard. Long-term, I don't see him as much of a scorer, but he's the definition of playing heavy hockey.
"Heavy hockey" is an interesting phrase to use to describe someone who would need to be holding a 25lb block of Wisconsin cheese just to weigh as much as Stephen Gionta. But regardless it does corroborate the testimony of Mr. Bartholomaus. And if he fills out, his most likely NHL spot would be on a 4th line so that physicality is exactly what you'd look for.
Some Video
One thing I will say is that, from this video, he clearly plays much bigger than a 160 lb game. Now, he'll need to bulk up for that to translate to the NHL, but he's clearly got the heart, head, and skill of an NHL fourth-liner.
At 0:33 he's got a nice deke. If you miss it just wait though cuz he does the exact same move at 1:58. Then at 5:25 he pulls some really fancy stickwork although it doesn't amount to much in that possession. The highlight at 6:45 isn't necessarily impressive, but it's the type of goal Devil's fans have been clamoring for. At 8:20 you see some of that competitiveness as he just out hustles the poor defender for a goal. There's more and if you're genuinely interested then watch the whole thing
An Opinion of Sorts
He's a 4th liner. The Projection Project lists him as 17% chance of being an NHL player. Among the 292 comparables, 50 were NHLers which were further split into 7 first-liners, 8 second-liners, 10 third-liners, 16 fourth-liners, and 9 depth players. The Devils will have some important net-crashing bottom six guys that were producers and agitators last year that have expiring contracts. Steve Bernier is a UFA and Jordin Tootoo and Tuomo Ruutu will be UFAs next season. Those are some spots that might be better-filled by younger, cheaper guys like Collin Peters. If his body grows into his game I think he could definitely be a useful player. And if not, it's a 6th rounder in all likelihood.
Your Take
Do you agree with the assessment of his skills? Do you agree he could slide into the 4th line roles that are likely to soon be vacated? What are your thoughts on Sheboygan as a destination wedding site? Leave your thoughts below!
Shout out to the other guys of the blog, particularly Brian, Mike, and Gerard who all helped me find some stuff on this guy. Couldn't have compiled this without them. The Sheboygan jokes were all me though.