Scouting Report: Isak Rosén

Photo Credit: Leksands IF

Electric. That is the word that comes to mind when you see Isak Rosén play. There are not too many 18 year olds who incite a palpable sense of anticipation when the puck finds their stick. While his name may be unfamiliar to many across the pond, the Stockholm youngster has been on the radars and lips of many in Sweden for several years.

At 14 years old he was already one of the best players on the Swedish u-16 circuit, on a Leksands team that had very little in terms of scoring support for him, as evidenced by year-on-year of “goal-heavy” stat lines despite being a good play-maker himself. By the time he was 15 he dazzled in the TV-Pucken tournament – where all the best u-16 year olds in Sweden compete for their region – top-scoring with 21 points in just 11 games. He has also represented his nation with aplomb at both u-16 and u-17 level, albeit mainly in a depth role.

Player Profile

D.O.B – March 15, 2003
Nationality – Sweden
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –5’11
Weight –161 lbs
Position – Left Wing/Right Wing
Handedness – Left

Rosén’s Style Of Play

So what is it about Rosén’s game that makes him a first round pick in 2021? As would be expected from a man whose father and uncle were high-end players in the Swedish leagues, young Isak’s years spent around rinks and the pro game have gave him an intuitive understanding of the sport, as well as a mature playing style. His hockey IQ shines, especially against players his own age. He is rarely out of position in any of the three zones, and is excellent at getting space in the offensive zone to unleash a shot.

His shot itself is quick and accurate, and a measure of his technical proficiency is the ability he has to shoot while in full stride. Many NHLers struggle to unleash high-end wristers while moving at speed, but it comes to Rosén naturally. His shiftiness and puck-handling ability mean he can be extremely deceptive with his shot as well, leaving goalies guessing where and when he will let it go until it nestles in the net behind them.


But none of these things are what the Leksands forward does best. Simply put, when he is in a game his team-mates want the puck on his stick no matter what zone he is in. Rosén may well be the best transitional player in the draft. The ease in which he scythes up ice is mesmeric to watch. He often picks the puck up in the neutral zone, evades the first forechecker, and is then off to the races. Once in stride the only way to stop him usually involves the potential of giving away a penalty.

With ice to skate into Rosén seems to see the game in slow motion. His decision making process through the neutral zone is exemplary, to the point it is rare to see him not get into the offensive zone with possession. There are also very few players in the draft with better skating ability. Not only agile, Rosén can burn past opponents on the wing.



Once in the offensive zone, especially when against the pros in the SHL, Rosén does not quite have the same confidence or impact. He can be overly prone to making the “safe” plays, and as a result simply drift out of the game. In turn simply being “solid” but rarely getting opportunities to shoot or looks for team-mates. However, this was never a problem for him when in juniors, and it seems likely that, quite frankly, the physically under-developed winger is not quite ready for the SHL yet. However, he is effectively “forced” to play there due to COVID, as the junior leagues were closed down.

In the offensive zone at the junior level, Rosén is a dual threat. He can use his high-end shot to score, but also dissect defenses with his plus-passing. For a smaller player he also drives to the net hard, and does not mind mixing it up in the tougher areas of ice, despite not being very physical.

As would be expected from a defensively sound winger with lightning in his skates, Rosén is dangerous on the penalty-kill, and in 4v4 or 3v3 phases of play simply owns the ice. His forechecking is also relentless, and he crowds lanes using his skating, IQ and active stick.

Going forward he needs to fill out and get stronger, as while a diligent two-way player who always takes care of his duties in the defensive zone, he can often get muscled of the puck, beaten easily in a board battle, or lose position to becoming engaged in a battle of bulk and not brains. This would also enable him to be less tentative offensively at the pro level, as right now he seems scared of making mistakes in his limited ice-time, as opposed to using his game-breaking talent to actually break games.


Next year it seems likely that with another summer of growth, as well as more acclimatization to the pro game, Rosén can really start to bring what makes him special vs his peers to both the SHL and international arena. It would be no great shock to see him break-out and become a good middle six SHL forward as soon as next season.

As for the draft? The young Swede has the talent to be taken inside the top 15. However, his relative lack of production this season and inability to stand out against men at this venture may well mean he falls into the late first round. If he is available in such a spot teams will be hard-pressed to find a player with more upside after he is gone. Down the line he has the skill-set to be a high-end top six winger who can put up close to 70 points a season over his prime. His “floor” is also higher than many potential first rounders due to the combination of skating, tenacity, and two-way play he possesses.

Comparison

Nikolaj Ehlers, Left Wing, Winnipeg Jets

It may be a lofty comparable. However, while it is unlikely that the young Swede will reach the level of his Danish counter-part, their games are not dissimilar. Relentless two-way play combined with IQ are the foundations, but game-breaking speed and skill are what stand out. Both transition the puck at an elite level, and have the vision and shooting ability to be a real threat in the offensive zone.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Alexander Appleyard. If you would like to follow Alex on Twitter, his handle is @alexappleyard.

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Scouting Report: Nikita Chibrikov

Photo Credit: SKA St. Petersburg

Nikita Chibrikov is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect. Chibrikov hails from Moscow, Russia and plays in the SKA St. Petersburg system. Previously, Chibrikov played youth hockey for both CSKA Moscow and Dynamo Moscow. Prior to the 2020-2021 season, Chibrikov was dealt alongside Daniil Lazutin (2021 NHL Draft eligible) and Pavel Mintyukov (2022 NHL Draft eligible) in exchange for Dmitry Kagarlitsky.

The SKA St. Petersburg farm system is one of the best in Russia. Their system consists of many NHL prospects including Marat Khusnutdinov (Minnesota Wild), Vasily Podkolzin (Vancouver Canucks), Maxim Groshev (Tampa Bay Lightning), Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets), Yaroslav Askarov (Nashville Predators), Alexander Gordin (Montréal Canadiens), Ivan Morozov (Vegas Golden Knights) and Yegor Spiridonov (San Jose Sharks). In addition, they have quite a few 2021 NHL Draft prospects such as Lazutin, Kirill Kirsanov, Kirill Gerasimyuk, Vladimir Sychyov and Dmitri Buchelnikov. Plus, 2023 NHL Draft eligible prospect Matvei Michkov is part of their system and will rival Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Brayden Yager for the first overall pick in 2023. With all of that being said, it is safe to say that Chibrikov is in great hands from a development standpoint.

Chibrikov has spent most of this season in the VHL and KHL, but most recently played at the MHL level with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg and appeared in five playoff games for them.

He was also named to the Russian U18 preliminary roster for the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championship in Frisco, Texas. As I mentioned in the below tweet, the Russian forward group is very explosive. Lot of talent. If Chibrikov makes the final cut, he will likely play top six minutes for Russia at the tournament.

Player Profile

D.O.B – February 16, 2003
Nationality – Russia
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –5’10
Weight –161 lbs
Position – Right Wing
Handedness – Left

Chibrikov’s Style Of Play

Right off the bat, if you loved Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov in his draft year (2020), there is a strong chance that you will fall head over heels for Chibrikov. In EliteProspects initial draft rankings for the 2021 NHL Draft, their Editor In Chief, J.D. Burke said “I spoke to one scout who likened Chibrikov’s game to that of Rodion Amirov. It’s a pretty apt comparison, too. Chibrikov is a highly-skilled playmaking winger with a drive for the centre-lane and sound defensive details.”

If you want to take a look at just how dominant Chibrikov from a numbers perspective, we have some data for you to check out. Dylan Griffing of DobberProspects, who does extensive Russian hockey scouting, tracks players across the KHL, VHL and MHL. In the two charts below, you will see how Chibrikov stacks up against other 2021 NHL Draft eligibles from Russia. The first chart shows DSATA/60 (Dangerous Shot Attempts Against Player’s Team per 60) and DSAT/60 (Dangerous Shot Attempts For Player’s Team per 60). The second chart looks at Corsi and compares Corsi Against/60 versus Corsi For/60.

Give Dylan a follow on Twitter and you won’t regret it. Lot of good work and he can be quite humorous too.

Screenshots from Dylan Griffing’s Tableau

Offense

Chibrikov loves to drive to net-front. He will consistently look to drive to net-front with or without the puck. It doesn’t matter if it’s mid-cycle or off the rush, Chibrikov skates hard to the net. When it comes to getting to the net, Chibrikov has shown at all three Russian hockey levels (KHL, VHL and MHL) that he is more than capable of pushing off attackers, standing his ground and driving to the net without possession of the puck. When doing so, he keeps his stick blade facing parallel to the puck carrier incase the puck carrier passes to him as he charging the net.

While Chibrikov thrives at the pushing attackers when he doesn’t have possession of the puck there are instances especially when facing defenders on the rush, in which he struggles to exert his strength and maneuver the puck around the defender. But, he also struggles to get around attackers when he is playing the puck along the boards. He has difficulty stick-handling and pivoting out of danger.

Chibrikov’s forechecking ability is where he really shines in the offensive zone. When he is in the defensive zone and looks to put pressure on the puck carrier in the other defensive zone, he will quickly get in gear. He will complete two lengthy extensions in the defensive zone. Then in the neutral zone, he will shorten up his skate extensions as he generated quite a bit of acceleration off the first two extensions in the defensive zone. Once he gets to the blue-line, he will once again go into power stride mode to catch up to the defender who has the puck. When Chibrikov is in the offensive zone on the forecheck, he uses his lengthy skate extensions to muster up the appropriate speed to chase after the puck carrier and implements strong pressure once he has arrived at the carrier.

From a passing perspective, Chibrikov has sequences where he doesn’t take the time to identify a passing lane and randomly makes ill-advised passes. He will complete a no look random pass from one half-wall to the other half-wall without identifying a target. Chibrikov will complete no look passes behind his back and the puck will end up on the opposition’s stick blade. While he does struggle with his decision making, there are sequences where he utilizes good puck manipulation skills to draw attackers to him, thus creating open space for his teammates and will then feather a pass to the teammate. Even if the teammate draws in one attacker, it will still take a couple of seconds for the defender to shift off of Chibrikov. If that teammate can generate quick speed right off the bat, Chibrikov’s pass could lead to scoring chances down low. But, not only will he draw attackers in when looking to complete a pass, he will also find targets down low at the doorstep from the blue-line and deliver soft swift passes to get the puck into high danger.

When getting in position to take a shot, Chibrikov more often than not will look to stay close to his teammate who is in possession of the puck especially in high danger situations. Chibrikov gives his teammate the ability to deliver a quick short pass and strike on a dime as soon as he receives the pass. His placement down low in high danger when waiting for a pass has led to quite a few one-timer goals. Chibrikov has a smooth delivery on his shot. He will keep the stick blade open and generate height to get the puck top shelf.

Defense

When most junior hockey analysts, draft analysts and scouts talk about a 2021 NHL Draft eligible Russian prospect that is well-versed defensively, they often are drooling over Fyodor Svechkov and rightfully so. Svechkov is dynamic in his own zone. But, don’t forget that Chibrikov is strong in the defensive zone as well.

Chibrikov loves playing tight man-on-man defense and will start to exert dominance in the neutral zone. He will track his attacker’s movements before the blue-line and will implement a power stride as soon as he spots the attacker starting to move the puck over the line. Chibrikov will follow him, stay close and look to push into the attacker to try to drive the puck carrier off course. This allows Chibrikov to have a quick jump on the puck if and when the puck carrier chooses to pass the puck in an attempt to get the puck away from Chibrikov.

He will also dart up from the defensive zone to the neutral zone in instances where his opponent is looking to complete a controlled zone entry. Chibrikov gets quality acceleration off of his first two skate extensions to acquire the appropriate speed to shut down an opportunity for the attacker to rush into the zone. Instead, the attacker has no choice but to dump the puck when Chibrikov gets in his face.

As you can see, Chibrikov is quite quick on his feet when it comes to defensive decision making. He will quickly jump in front of an attacker when he sees that the attacker is about to accept a one-timer pass. By jumping in front of the attacker, he is able to change direction of the one-timer shot by deflecting the shot.

Generally, Chibrikov possesses strong defensive positioning and will often line up at the perimeter. Sometimes, he will look to implement some physicality and grit especially along the boards, but he doesn’t have the necessary strength and timing to follow through on his checks. So, he prefers to lift his stick and poke check at open ice.

We will touch on Chibrikov’s physicality and grit later on.

Transitional Play

From a transitional perspective, Chibrikov tends to skate up the middle of the ice surface, but sometimes will deviate to the boards when completing a controlled zone entry. After crossing into the offensive zone, he might widen his stance especially when facing a 2 on 1 as it makes his attackers perceive that he is slowing down. But, at the drop of a hat, he will flip a pass to a teammate, drawing one defender to the winger and one on him. That allows Chibrikov to create more open ice for himself and his teammate.

While there are plenty of sequences where Chibrikov will carry the puck from zone to zone or collect the puck in the neutral zone and drive it into the offensive zone himself, there are instances in which he will look to pass instead. You can expect him to utilize the boards and pass the puck off of the boards to a teammate when Chibrikov has a man on him.

In addition, given Chibrikov’s passing range, he will often look to deploy a stretch pass zone exit in transition.

Physicality/Grit

When it comes to Chibrikov’s physicality, it’s there. Trust me it’s there. I see the grit. He can get under your skin. Given his compete level, he’s puck hungry and will push players for the puck. Often times especially at the KHL level, his opponents get annoyed by Chibrikov’s aggressiveness. He needs to continue to use that. When he gets to the NHL level, that will be extremely useful. If you don’t believe me, watch Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk and/or Brad Marchand.

But, when it comes to following through on a check, that is where Chibrikov runs into the some issues. Like his struggles when maneuvering pucks around defenders on the rush, it’s evident that his upper body strength needs a spurt. When going in for a check, there are instances where he isn’t forceful enough, he falls or he mistimes the check completely. If Chibrikov wants to be Brad Marchand at the NHL level, his physical game will need to take shape.

Skating

I raved earlier about Chibrikov’s ability to accelerate, but I’m not quite done yet. His two leg extensions when gaining momentum and acceleration are well-timed. They are quick and well placed. As mentioned above, if he looks to generate top speed, he will thin up his extensions in the neutral zone and then go back into a power stride once he crosses the blue-line into the offensive zone. It’s all about strategical speed for Chibrikov and he’s mastered it.

When it comes to his edges and crossovers, he is general quite strong. He has good use of inside edges and complete a hard stop on a dime. His crossovers are tight and can also be used to generate acceleration as a stepping stone off of a turn. But, sometimes, he will struggle with outside edge deployment. There are times where his skates are too far apart when utilizing his outside edges. At those moments, he sometimes will play the puck too far out in front of him, which he generally doesn’t do often. But, in those moments, he will lose control of his balance and sometimes instead of recovering, he will fall to the ice. Even though his outside edges aren’t as well-developed as his inside edges are, I’m confident in his ability to get there.

Comparison

Brad Marchand, Left Wing, Boston Bruins

While Brad Marchand’s production might a little high when it comes to comparing him to Chibrikov, the transitional play and the grittiness of Chibrikov truly remind me of Marchand. Marchand loves to push forwards in the center of the zone to give his teammates options in high and medium danger.

Projection

Top Six NHL Winger

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Cole Huckins

Photo Credit: Tyson Gray Photography

Cole Huckins is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible forward prospect, who plays for the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Huckins grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick and holds dual citizenship from the United States and Canada.

Prior to the QMJHL, Huckins played bantam hockey for the Fredericton Blues and prep school hockey for Stanstead College in Stanstead, Quebec. Huckins’ father, Phil Huckins had played for Stanstead when he was a youngster and was captain of the team.

Huckins was drafted 16th overall in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft by Acadie-Bathurst. Since joining the Titan, he has recorded 21 goals and 41 assists in a combined 87 games (Over the course of two seasons of play. Data as of March 29, 2021).

Hockey is in his DNA. We mentioned his father, Phil earlier, but Huckins has more family members who have played competitive hockey. Both of his uncles, Greg Malone and Jim Malone were drafted. Greg played several seasons in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques. In addition, his cousins have also played professionally and/or in the junior ranks. Brad Malone is in the Edmonton Oilers system, Brett Malone played for Moncton and Saint John in the QMJHL, Mark Malone played in the ECHL and collegiate hockey, Ryan Malone played eleven seasons in the NHL (Pittsburgh, Tampa and the New York Rangers) and Justin Moir played a few seasons in the AJHL and most recently played in the NCHL-AB.

Player Profile

D.O.B – May 14, 2003
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’3
Weight –201 lbs
Position – Center/Right Wing/Left Wing
Handedness – Left

Huckins’ Style Of Play

Throughout the season, Huckins has been playing on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Often, he has been paired with fellow 2021 NHL Draft eligible forward David Doucet. The third forward on the line seems to change rather consistently due to injuries. With that being said, there have been a few games where Titan head coach Mario Durocher has bumped Huckins up to his second line alongside another 2021 NHL Draft eligible forward Riley Kidney.

Aside from line placement, we have seen Huckins switch from center to wing and he’s been quite versatile with his wing placement. There are games where he lines up on the left side and games where he is on the right side. If you’ve watched quite a bit of QMJHL hockey this year, you’ll notice that his versatility is very similar to that of Robert Orr of the Halifax Mooseheads.

Offense

Huckins has power forward instincts and is often seen aggressively hunting after the puck on the forecheck. When going after loose pucks in the offensive zone, Huckins deploys a lengthy stride to gather speed and uses it to hustle after the puck. Given his size, if he loses the initial chase to the puck, he can put up a solid battle immediately after to trap the defender.

While I wouldn’t say that Huckins’ puck manipulation is one of the best in the 2021 class, it is important to note that he is good at drawing attackers in. He will tempt them into coming closer to him and will use that to his advantage. In a game against the Saint John Sea Dogs, I noticed Huckins playing the puck out towards Sea Dogs defenseman Charlie DesRoches. He drew DesRoches in and thus opened up ice for Huckins’ winger. Huckins fed a backhand pass to the winger. DesRoches moved over to the wing and that allowed Huckins to free up and move towards the net without pressure. At this point, the winger feeds a pass back to Huckins and now Huckins is net front with absolutely no pressure. DesRoches is tied up with the winger and it’s just Huckins and the opposing goaltender. Not only does Huckins use puck manipulation to key up a give-and-go, but he will also sell the opposition on him moving the puck through the slot, but instead he buys himself room and skates up the boards to the net. By using puck manipulation, he buys himself time and space from the defender.

From an offensive production perspective, Huckins isn’t a playmaker. Given his power forward tendencies, he fights hard for the puck, but isn’t someone who will thread the needle with intricate passes in tight lanes. However, his passing ability is strong and if need be can fire a saucer diagonal pass from perimeter/point to the other side of the zone. On the power play, he tends to push play closer to the net and will often be seen passing the puck up the boards. In his eight primary assists this season, only two of them have been tape-to-tape feeds. Below is an example of one of Huckins’ primary assists, which led to a rebound goal for Ben Allison.

On the rush in the offensive zone, Huckins will occasionally struggle with over-powering the last defender. But, he does have good use of the body to outmuscle attackers to gain puck possession. Ultimately, he needs to work on his upper body strength and hone in on how he needs to exert his strength to push past defenders.

When it comes to his shot, he is most successful at net-front. You will see Huckins try shooting from distance, but a decent percentage of his shots from medium danger and low danger tend to miss the mark. Given his power forward playing style, it makes a lot of sense that Huckins likes to attack the net. The majority of his goals have been deflection/tip-in and rebound goals.

Below is a screenshot from InStat Hockey of Cole Huckins’ goal map. As we mentioned above, his success his come at net-front and he has only scored one goal outside of high danger this season.

Screenshot from InStat Hockey

Defense

Defensively, Huckins’ strongest attribute is his grit. He plays a strong physical game along the boards and in the corners. He doesn’t shy away from open ice hits to generate turnovers/defensive recoveries. While he is quite physical, it should be noted that his poke-checking ability is strong too. Huckins has good reach with his stick and can catch you off guard by coming behind the puck carrier and stealing the puck from him. He will also use his poke-checking and good reach to his advantage in the neutral zone by stealing pucks off the rush.

Even though Huckins, is quite sound from a turnover perspective, when you watch Titans games, you will notice that due to the versatility of Huckins that he sometimes tries to be all over the defensive zone. Also, he has a tendency to the be the last forward back into the defensive zone. Given some of his defensive struggles and his physical style of play, I would highly recommend using him at wing in the future. If you plug him in at wing, he has far less to concern himself with in the defensive zone. He has to patrol the boards and keep pucks in low danger using his physicality. If you overcomplicate where you want him to be, that will cause his defensive development to slow down a tad.

Transitional Play

From a transitional perspective, Huckins prefers to pass the puck to complete zone entries/exits. He is not someone who completes a lot of controlled zone-to-zone entries. Instead, as mentioned above, he loves passing the puck in transition and will lean on his backhand passing especially when facing pressure from an attacker. Huckins will shift the puck from forehand to backhand and find an open teammate. He will also use stretch passing to drive the transition, but sometimes he’s a little inconsistent when completing a stretch pass. When Huckins has control of the puck right at the blue-line, don’t be surprised if he dumps the puck in. He has an affinity for dumping the puck in and then chasing after the puck against the opposing defender.

Stick-Handling

Huckins’ stick-handling is an area that needs further development. There are moments where he struggles to hold onto the puck and will play the puck too far in front of him. Huckins just needs to be mindful of how far out he plays the puck as it could lead to vulnerable situations if it pops up in the defensive or neutral zone.

His puck control will improve when he shortens the distance of the puck from his body and when he rounds out development on his reach when carrying the puck. I like his reachability when he doesn’t have control of the puck, but with it, he will struggle at times.

Skating

Huckins’ skating can be strong at times. When chasing after the puck in the offensive zone, you will see him use a lengthier stride initially to accelerate. But, his skating stride length isn’t always consistent. There are times where Huckins won’t complete a full stride. It’s somewhere between Huckins coasting and a stride. If you want to compare it another prospect, his skating reminds me of New Jersey Devils prospect Dawson Mercer. Both, Mercer and Huckins have shown inconsistency in stride length. There are moments where they start off with two lengthy strides to generate speed and shorten up on the stride once they have the necessary acceleration. But, there are moments, where they don’t complete a full stride and extend their skate a little bit outwards when on the hunt.

The other skating issue for Huckins is that he has a bit of a heavy foot. This means that he is less agile on his feet and edges/crossovers can be challenging at times. For instance, sometimes, you will see Huckins use his edges and/or crossovers to complete a turn, but once he has completed the turn and wants to come to a full stop, he will sometimes use the boards to push off of to keep him upright.

While there are some areas to work on with his skating, with proper development, I’m not concerned about his ability to improve his stride. We have seen instances where he can light up his skates and skate fast to the puck. It’s just consistency that is an issue.

Comparison

Jason Chimera, Left Wing, Retired (Played for the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks)

Like Jason Chimera, Huckins is a strong power forward with good physicality and someone who can can generate speed easily when hunting for the puck. Also, a lot of Chimera’s offensive production came at net-front. From 2015 to 2018, all but one of Chimera’s goals came in high danger situations.

Projection

Bottom Six NHL Forward

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Brent Johnson

Photo Credit: Jasen Robbennolt/Sioux Falls Stampede

Sioux Falls Stampede defenseman Brent Johnson is a prospect eligible for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, the 18-year old defenseman is making quite the name for himself in his draft year. Johnson has amassed 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 43 games this season. Although the 2021 Draft seems to have a few talented defensemen at the top of the board, there’s no doubt that Johnson should be in the conversation near the top of the list. NHL Central Scouting did not list Johnson on their annual “Players to Watch” preseason list, he’s arguably had one of the biggest rises in 2020/21, especially as of late.

Johnson won USHL Defenseman of the Week in the beginning of January, which really seemed to spark his excellent play. Since winning the award, Johnson has tallied 15 of his 31 points on the season. Perhaps the most impressive part of his game is the fact he is useful and trustworthy in every zone on the ice. He’s as good clearing passing lanes in his own zone with an active stick as he is quarterbacking the powerplay.

This month, Johnson announced that he’s committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2022-23 season, becoming the first player from Texas to suit up for the Fighting Hawks. He’ll join fellow USHL alumni and future UND teammates Jason Blake and Tyler Dunbar in Grand Forks. Johnson will continue his development under the watchful eye of Head Coach Brad Berry, who has had success since taking over Head Coaching duties in 2015. Berry will no doubt be excited to coach such a young, talented defensive core in the seasons to come, that should include names such as Johnson, Scott Morrow, Jake Sanderson, Tyler Kleven and Cooper Moore.

Player Profile

D.O.B – March 20th, 2003
Nationality – USA
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height – 5’11”
Weight – 165 lbs.
Position – Defense
Handedness – Right

Johnson’s Style Of Play

Johnson really is a do-it-all defenseman. He can play with skill and confidence in every single zone. In Johnson, you’re getting a player who is excellent in transition, who can quarterback a power-play, and who isn’t afraid to jump into the rush at any given opportunity.

In transition, Johnson prefers to hit teammates with a breakout pass as opposed to carrying the puck into the offensive zone by himself, or dumping the puck in. He can hit teammates in stride with short and medium-range passes, but could definitely brush up on his passing at long distances, as he tends to struggle a little bit with accuracy.

Check out this beautiful feed from Johnson to set up Luke Toporowski for a sweet goal:

As mentioned above, Johnson definitely isn’t afraid to jump into the rush, but perhaps more impressive, he can also backcheck with effectiveness and ease. It’s an uncommon occurrence to see him caught way out of position after charging up ice, as he’s usually made up the gap between the attacker and himself with his explosive backchecking speed.

One of my favourite traits of Johnson’s is his ability to quarterback Sioux Falls’ powerplay. Johnson has the perfect amount of discipline, patience and skill to create an effective breakout and zone entry, whether it comes off of his stick, or a teammate’s. Sioux Falls definitely trusts him with the man-advantage, as he sees a shade over three minutes of powerplay time a game, on average.

Johnson’s effectiveness on the powerplay is quite noticeable, from executing a breakout, right down to his ability to scope out a teammate down low with a pass, or send a wrist shot on net.

Skating

Arguably one of Johnson’s best traits is his skating, as he can accelerate in a phone booth, and he has one of the nicer strides among 2021 draft eligible defensemen. He does have more of an upright stride than most, but that doesn’t seem to hinder him much at all. Johnson also seems to have somewhat of a more narrow stance, both while accelerating as well as coasting.

When it comes to edgework, Johnson has some of the best when it comes to defenseman in the USHL. He’s able to escape pressure when pressing on in the offensive zone and elude defenders with great success. To add, Johnson can use his combination of excellent edges and his cat-like agility to navigate through all zones of the ice, which very few rookie defenders in the USHL can do.

Johnson’s most notable skating attribute just may be his ability to go “coast to coast” and still not look out of position. He can use his speed and stride to catch up to opponents on the counter attack after an offensive rush, and usually manage to get back and make a play on them in time. For his age, Johnson is an exceptional skater, and should only see this skill increase as he moves on to the next level in the seasons to come.

Offense

Johnson’s offensive ability is remarkable to say the least, as far as rookie defenseman in the USHL go. As previously mentioned, he loves to hop into the rush at any given chance, and can create some dangerous offensive chances for the Stampeders.

The way that Johnson can find open ice in the offensive zone and attempt a shot on goal is simply amazing. He can utilize his above average stickhandling skills to elude defenders and create new shooting lanes, or he can dish the puck off to a teammate across the zone. Johnson does have a tiny issue with a lot of his shots not reaching the goal, but that definitely can be cured with experience.

Johnson’s wrist shot is a thing of beauty, as he’s able to pick corners with a moderate amount of success. He also as a pretty quick shot release for a defenseman, which catches goalies off guard. His slapshot, however, could use a little work. That’s not to say it isn’t adequate, but it would be nice to see him utilize it more.

Johnson’s passing is another aspect of his offensive game that NHL teams will be sure to catch. He’s a very talented passer of the puck, especially when it comes to those crucial short/mid-range passes. As mentioned above, his long range passing could use some TLC, as he sometimes struggles with accuracy the longer the pass gets. We’ll cover more on that later on in the report.

Defense

Johnson, of course, is a pretty talented defender in every sense of the word. He can disrupt passing lanes and block shots with ease, and seems to have a knack for knocking the puck loose from attackers with his hyperactive stick. Johnson has no issue sacrificing the body to block a puck, or to force a turnover in the defensive zone.

One aspect of Johnson’s game that’s extremely underrated is his level of physicality. For his size (5’11, 165), he’s quite dominant, and can easily flatten attackers both in open ice and along the boards. He’s also not afraid to give net front attackers a difficult time, if they choose to stand in the slot.

Johnson is also very talented at defending the rush. He can force attackers out wide towards the boards, and can close them off with success. More often than not, he’s also able to force a turnover off that ability.

Improvements

While there are copious amounts of things to love in Johnson’s game, he is still young and developing, meaning there is a few items he could benefit greatly from working on. Defensively, Johnson sometimes struggles with his board game when under pressure from attackers, which can lead to sloppy passes and turnovers. Other times, it seems as if he second guesses himself and gets caught flat-footed when trying to decide on chasing down an attacker, or standing guard in front of the net. Luckily, experience and some patience can play a huge role in correcting this, which should come with more ice time, both in the USHL and the NCAA.

Also, while Johnson is exceptionally good at finding open ice in the offensive zone, he does seem to have quite a few of his point shots deflected or blocked. He should look to find those weak zones in coverage when in open ice and exploiting them, which again comes with experience and ice time. On top of his shooting, Johnson could also use some work when it comes to his long distance passing. He has little to no issues at short and medium range, but he can have some difficulty with accuracy at longer ranges, i.e stretch breakout passes. Not to sound repetitive, but this issue should get better with experience and ice time.

Lastly, Johnson will most likely be looking to add some size to his 5’11, 165 lbs frame in the seasons to come, as he’ll more than likely need it, especially when he takes the ice for UND in 2022. As he’s only 18 and still growing, odds are he will add 15-20 lbs and maybe a couple inches to his frame by the time he’s ready for college hockey.

Overall Outlook

Overall, Brent Johnson definitely has “diamond in the rough” potential when it comes to 2021 Draft Eligible defenseman. He possesses a lot of the more desirable traits teams look for in an all-around defenseman. Johnson can be counted on in the defensive zone to make smart decisions, he is amazing in transition, and he’s above average at creating space and generating scoring chances in the offensive zone.

Only time will tell as to how successful Brent Johnson is at the next level, but as he progresses through the USHL ranks to the NCAA and beyond, it’s hard to see a path that doesn’t lead him to being an NHL-cailber defenseman someday. If he can continue to develop the skills that show so much promise, as well as work on a couple minor flaws in his game, he can truly become an effective, all situations-type defenseman in the NHL.
Based off of his attributes, look for Johnson to be selected somewhere in the early to middle second round of the draft. However, he has a strong chance to end up being selected at the tail end of the first round, if he can continue his lights-out play as of late.

Comparison

Samuel Girard, D, Colorado Avalanche (NHL)

When I look at Brent Johnson as a defenseman, he strikes me in a similar mold as the 2016 2nd round pick of the Nashville Predators, Samuel Girard. Both Johnson and Girard play the position in a similar fashion, as each player is talented in all three zones of the ice. Johnson and Girard also both possess exceptional skating ability, quick releases on their shot, and a good eye for open lanes in the offensive zone.

Perhaps the most striking abilities that both defenders have is their offensive zone prowess and their effectiveness in transition. Johnson and Girard both jump into the rush when possible and can produce offensively, especially Girard, who is having a career year with the Avalanche.

If the team that selects Johnson in the 2021 NHL Draft can manage to have him develop into the type of player that Samuel Girard has developed into, it’s hard to imagine they would be anything but over the moon with their selection.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Paul Zuk. If you would like to follow Paul on Twitter, his handle is @paulzuk_81.

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Scouting Report: Oscar Plandowski

Photo Credit – Darrell Theriault/Charlottetown Islanders

Oscar Plandowski is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible defenseman and he plays for the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. Plandowski was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and spent a decent amount of his youth in Halifax. After 2017, he spent two seasons playing outside of Nova Scotia. For his 2017-2018 season, he played prep school hockey for Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 in Edmonton, Alberta alongside quite a few 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospects including Sean Tschigerl, Colton Dach (Kirby Dach’s brother), Olen Zellweger, Corson Ceulemans and Kyle Masters. The following season, Plandowski played prep school hockey at the South Kent School in South Kent, Connecticut (north of Danbury, CT and east of Poughkeepsie, NY) and played with Cameron MacDonald (2021 NHL Draft prospect) and Ryan Greene (2022 NHL Draft prospect).

Following the conclusion of his 2018-2019 season with the South Kent Selects Academy, he joined the Charlottetown Islanders. Initially, the Chicoutimi Saguenéens had Plandowski’s QMJHL rights. Chicoutimi selected him at 18th overall in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft. But, in August of 2019, the Islanders made a trade with Chicoutimi for Plandowski.

In Plandowski’s two seasons with Charlottetown, he has tallied a combined 24 points in 90 games played. He didn’t record his first QMJHL goal till this season, but he nows has three goals under his belt. Two came against the Halifax Mooseheads and one against the Cape Breton Eagles. Aside from total points, it is worth noting that his EV GF% (Even Strength Goals For Percentage) is the fifth highest in the QMJHL amongst 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospects. Per Pick224, he owns a 71.43 percentage and is around 9% short of the leader, William Trudeau (his teammate).

Let’s shift to Plandowski’s family. Hockey is in his bloodlines. Plandowski’s mother, Jill Plandowski is a power skating coach in the Halifax area. She has worked with many NHLers and NHL prospects including Egor Sokolov (Ottawa), Drake Batherson (Ottawa), Ethan Phillips (Detroit), Jared McIssac (Detroit) and Luke Henman (Carolina).

His father, Darryl Plandowski is the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Arizona Coyotes and was hired shortly before the 2020 NHL Draft. Previously, he worked as an amateur scout for the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before his scouting career, he played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Lloydminster Lancers (now known as the Bobcats) and played NCAA hockey at Northern Michigan University.

Oscar’s brothers, Marshall and Jack also play competitively. His older brother, Marshall plays in the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League for the East Hants Penguins. Oscar’s younger brother, Jack plays 15U AAA hockey with Bishop Kearney Selects. Jack is eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.

In addition, Oscar’s cousin, Freddie Halyk is a goaltender for the Alberta Elite Hockey League U18 AAA’s Calgary Flames.

Player Profile

D.O.B – May 18, 2003
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’0
Weight –190 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Right

Plandowski’s Style Of Play

Offense

Right off the bat, I want to mention that Plandowski didn’t always play defense. He shifted from forward to defense in his bantam days. When Plandowski was previously committed to Quinnipiac University, an independent Quinnipiac hockey blog site spoke to him about his transition to defense. In the interview, Plandowski mentioned “I feel my biggest strength is my skating. I believe my skating is why I could make the transition from forward to defense like I did.” While we are not addressing his skating in this portion of the report, I wanted to share with my readers that Plandowski does come from more of an offensive role and that certainly shows in his play.

When you queue up some footage of Plandowski, you will notice that he pinches quite a bit. Loves to jump to the hashmarks when pucks are in deep. If there is a loose puck along the boards, he likes to pinch up, play the puck and dump it to the corners. With that being said, there are instances where he pinches way too far up and his teammates fail to communicate with him. If you pinch up, you need a forward to fall back. Otherwise, you are leaving your defensive partner in a vulnerable spot. While there are instances where Plandowski jumps up too far, he is generally strong at identifying the best moments to jump up. But, given his offensive background, he is puck hungry and it shows when he is observing a puck battle down low and he pinches too far in.

Plandowski gets a lot of ice-time especially on the power play. While he is right handed, he will on occasion line up on the left side on the power play. The reasoning behind Plandowski lining up on the left side versus the right side is because some right handed defensemen are stronger with their one-timers on the other side. Plandowski has recorded two one-timer goals on the left side of the ice since September. One came in a pre-season matchup against Halifax and the other happened on March 17th against Cape Breton.

While he has had success with his one-timer shots from medium danger and outwards, Plandowski does struggle at times with getting puck on net from beyond the perimeter. His shots tend to go wide from long-range.

Moving aside from his shot, Plandowski can be very deceptive with his puck movement. If a pass comes to him on when he has pinched up to the hashmarks, he knows that he can fool his opposition into thinking that he is going to fire a one-timer to the net. But, he will sometimes fake out the attackers and fire a quick pass to the slot instead to catch them off guard. In addition to deceptive passing, Plandowski has shown that he can manipulate and draw in attackers with ease. His puck movement will bring attackers too far in and that opens up plenty of space for the Halifax native.

Defense

Plandowski is very strong defensively in his own zone and in the neutral zone. In the neutral zone, he bends his knees and uses a wider stance to trap puck carrying wingers. By using a neutral zone trap, he makes it much more challenging for the opposition to execute a zone entry and crack through. Plandowski’s gap control can be a handful. With that being said, if the attacker tries to dump the puck into the Charlottetown zone, Plandowski uses his upper body to push the attacker in an effort to trap the attacker from swerving out and regaining the loose puck. He will also apply enough pressure to cut down the speed of the attacker and he uses that to his advantage to chase after the puck and complete a defensive recovery.

While Plandowski does have solid upper body strength, there are times where it doesn’t hold water. With Plandowski’s determination to trap attackers in the neutral zone, sometimes that means trapping them along the boards and occasionally a winger will push back to throw Plandowski off. When that happens, Plandowski needs to push back on the attacker, otherwise if he looses his balance it could lead to some 2-on-1/3-on-1 situations for his defensive partner. Also, when Plandowski plays the puck hard against the boards in the neutral zone, there are times where he gets stuck in the neutral zone and one of the Charlottetown forwards has to drop back. It’s certainly not the worst thing, but strong communication with the forward group has to continue at the NHL level. Otherwise, it will lead to plenty of scoring chances for the opposition.

In the defensive zone, Plandowski does an excellent job of keeping attackers in low danger and stuck along the boards. When Plandowski is keeping attackers along the boards, he will find the most opportune moment to execute a backcheck to attempt to regain possession of the puck. While Plandowski is strong along the boards and regains the possession of the puck with ease, he also can provide the same level of defensive strength at open ice. He will utilize his stick to strip the puck off of an attacker’s stick blade. His reachability allows Plandowski to extend his stick out and cause havoc for attackers who are looking at moving the puck from low danger to medium/high danger.

On the flip side, when Plandowski is facing a forecheck, he manages to draw the attacker in, pivot out and play the puck off of the boards.

Transition

From a transitional perspective, Plandowski is extremely effective. He delivers soft and crisp tape to tape zone entry feeds. Plandowski enjoys passing through teammates on zone exits/entries. He will use one teammate in a pick move to throw off the attackers. One teammate will sit at the front of the lane and the desired recipient will sit further along in the lane.

The only challenge that Plandowski has from a transitional perspective is sometimes he doesn’t accurately read his attackers movements. Either he plays the puck right to the attacker and the opposition strips the puck away from Plandowski or he attempts to complete a pass but doesn’t the attacker closing in on the desired lane until the last second. Peripheral vision is always paramount with puck movement and sometimes he struggles with it.

But, when he does control the puck in the neutral zone, more often then not he will complete a zone entry pass. There are certain occasions where he prefers to dump the puck in, but you can bank on Plandowski looking to deliver a zone entry pass more often than not.

Skating

When you look at Plandowski’s skating, you come away excited. There is no flaw in his skating. His stride extension length is perfect. He needs two lengthy strides to generate acceleration. Plandowski will also get solid acceleration and power off of his crossovers. His crossovers allow him to gain top speed on the blue-line in the offensive zone and pave the way for strong defensive play especially in the neutral zone when he is skating backwards. His crossovers and stride extension are great, but you can’t forget his edges. He will utilize strong edge work to complete tight turns in all three zones.

Comparison

Kevin Shattenkirk, Right Handed Defenseman, Anaheim Ducks

Not only is Shattenkirk roughly the same size as Plandowski, but he is a strong two-way defender and has a blistering shot from medium danger and outwards that he utilizes quite often on the power play.

Projection

Second Pairing Defenseman (NHL)

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

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Scouting Report: Robert Orr

Photo Credit: Halifax Mooseheads

Robert Orr is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect, who hails from Beaconsfield, Québec. Beaconsfield is located on the West Island (Montréal area) and is south of Dollard-Des-Ormeaux and Pointe Claire.

While Orr has the same name as the hall of famer and Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr, they are not related. When the Halifax Mooseheads acquired Orr in a trade with the Saint John Sea Dogs, they mentioned in a press release that Orr was not named after the former Bruins defenseman. Instead, he was named after his grandfather.

Orr played youth hockey in the Lac St-Louis Lions organization. During his time with the Lions, he played alongside Markus Vidicek (2022 NHL Draft prospect), James Swan (2022 NHL Draft prospect), Christopher Duclair (2021 NHL Draft prospect and Anthony Duclair’s brother), Charles-Alexis Legault (2021 NHL Draft prospect), Brady James (2021 NHL Draft prospect), James Malatesta (2021 NHL Draft prospect), Dovar Tinling (2021 NHL Draft prospect) and Devon Levi (Florida Panthers prospect). The Halifax Mooseheads are a big fan of the Lac St-Louis Lions organization and brought Vidicek, Swan, James and Orr to Nova Scotia.

Initially, Orr was drafted by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft in the fifth round. Before the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft, the Mooseheads dealt a second round and a fourth round pick to Saint John for Orr. Orr had not played in a single game for Saint John as he spent the 2019-2020 season in the QMAAA (Ligue de hockey Midget AAA du Québec) for the Lions.

This season is Orr’s first season in the QMJHL and he has been one of the key contributors on the Halifax squad. In 31 games played, he has recorded 11 goals and 12 assists (data as of March 15, 2021).

Player Profile

D.O.B – September 1, 2003
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –5’11
Weight –176 lbs
Position – Center/Right Wing/Left Wing
Handedness – Left

Orr’s Style Of Play

Former NHL defenseman and Halifax Mooseheads head coach J.J. Daigneault has featured Orr on his top forward line throughout the season. There are a few games in which Orr has dropped to the second forward line, but the majority of the time, Orr plays on the top line with Elliot Desnoyers (Philadelphia Flyers prospect) and Zachary L’Heureux (2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect). When Orr is on the second line, Daigneault will move Jordan Dumais (2022 NHL Draft prospect) or Vidicek up to the top line.

While Orr generally plays on the wing in Halifax, he has shown throughout his midget and bantam days that he can be a dominant centerman. Orr is incredibly versatile and can be a good fit at center, left wing or right wing. Orr is a Swiss Army Knife.

Offense

In the offensive zone, he typically likes to take the center role even when he is playing on the wing. When he does not have possession of the puck, he loves to drive up to the low/medium slot and give his teammates an option at net-front. Due to his affinity for playing net-front, Orr scores quite a few deflection and rebound goals. But, his knack for deflection goals needs to be called out. Orr’s ability to predict shot paths and then use his stick to redirect the puck is quite strong. Not only does Orr thrive when redirecting pucks into the back of the net, but he is also solid at finding open ice down low. In the clip below, you can see Orr positioning himself close to the net in medium danger. He sees that the Cape Breton Eagles are drawn to the puck and ignoring him. That allows Orr to keep his feet moving and identify the ideal lane for his teammates to pass the puck through. With Orr finding that lane and collecting a cross-slot pass, he scores a quality goal and catches the Cape Breton goaltender and defenders off guard.

While Orr loves to be net-front, that doesn’t always mean that he is net-front. There are plenty of sequences where Orr positions himself along the half-wall. When he is playing along the half-wall, he constantly looks to get the puck into high danger. If he has two defenders on him and he sees a teammate busting through the seams and headed to high danger, he will buttonhook and complete a behind the back pass to get the puck to that particular teammate. Orr will constantly use no look passing to be as deceptive as possible.

In addition to no look passing, when in the slot, Orr will sometimes look to get into the high slot towards the perimeter and deliver tape to tape feeds to the doorstep. Occasionally, he will also utilize a backhand pass to get the puck net-front. His passing ability in the slot has led to quite a few Moosehead goals.

In terms of forechecking, it’s the one element where Orr is a bit weak. He constantly looks at his opponent’s skates on the forecheck and mimics each movement, but that also means that if he can not garner speed then he is always a step behind. When he is in position to deliver a bodycheck along the boards, he doesn’t have the upper body strength to follow through on the check.

Defense

In the defensive zone, Orr has good positioning. He typically sits along low danger and tries to keep the cycle along the boards in low danger. But, when the puck shifts from the right side to the left side, he will adjust like most wingers do and cover the slot in an insurance capacity.

In terms of gap control, Orr can be a little inconsistent. There are moments where Orr provides strong gap control on the opposition’s defenders and keeps them at bay on the point. But, then there are moments where Orr will drift a little too far out to the blue-line, which gives his attackers too much open ice if they are sitting along the half-wall.

In terms of pursuing the puck, Orr will be very aggressive to the puck if there is no Moosehead in position. I’ve seen instances where Orr spots a forward on the rush and immediately lengthens his stride to help boost his acceleration. He will turn on the jets and go from the offensive zone blue-line to the defensive zone to play the puck.

Transition

Orr is extremely strong in transition. Once he collects the first pass from the defender, he is ready at the hip.

In the neutral zone, he has a mixed bag of tools to generate zone entries. Sometimes, he will dump the puck into the offensive zone and he has shown that he can beat the defenders to the puck when he dumps it in. He will also deliver tape to tape diagonal feeds as soon as he crosses his own blue-line. Orr will identify a teammate close to the offensive zone blue-line and feed a diagonal pass to them for a zone entry. In addition, Orr will utilize the boards and dump the puck off the boards for one of his teammates to collect in the offensive zone. That’s a good way to sell that the Mooseheads might be dumping the puck for a line change. Orr loves to be deceptive, so it makes sense that he would look to dump the puck off of the boards to initiate a rush. Plus, he will also utilize behind the back passing when two attackers are putting on pressure and he spots an open teammate with a clear path to the net.

Stick-Handling/Puck Movement

The biggest challenge for Orr is stick-handling and puck movement. Over the course of my viewings, stick-handling and puck security issues kept popping up. His stick-handling under pressure is not strong. Orr’s upper body strength is not where it needs to be from a reach perspective, so he is more susceptible to turning over the puck when he tries to play the puck further out. In addition, while Orr loves to be deceptive, he does struggle with puck manipulation. Orr has a harder time at drawing attackers towards him.

Orr needs to develop better puck security and ensuring that the puck is always on his stick blade. But, with that being said, there certainly are times where he struggles at capturing the puck with his stick blade. Sometimes, Orr will end up collecting a pass with his skate and not his stick blade. As you can imagine, collecting the puck with your skate versus your stick blade will ultimately slow you down as you strive to go net-front.

Skating

From a skating perspective, Orr has quality leg extensions to generate acceleration and is a straight line skater. But, he is not the fastest skater on the ice. He does utilize crossovers before lengthening his stride, but he doesn’t use crossovers every single time. Yet, with that being said, there are times where his speed is rather inconsistent especially on the backcheck. There are times where he is far more aggressive and faster to the puck and others where he appears to be coasting.

Aside from acceleration and stride length, it is worth noting that Orr’s skate placement is never too far apart. His mobility is sound. But, he does have some mobility issues with his edges. Occasionally, his edge placement will not be parallel and you will see one skate perpendicular to the other. Also, I have noticed that there are instances where Orr is far more confident in his crossovers to help turn versus using his edges. But, I’m not concerned about Orr’s edgework. Edgework can be improved on.

Comparison

Pierre Engvall, Left Wing/Right Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs

While Pierre Engvall is slightly bigger than Robert Orr, Engvall strong transitional playing style and affinity to go to net-front reminds me quite a bit of Orr. At this point, it is hard to predict whether or not Orr’s offensive production will be stronger than Engvall’s. The biggest factor for Orr’s production will have more to do with who is on the line with him. If he is on a team with weaker depth, his production might take a hit.

Projection

Top Nine NHL Forward

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

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Scouting Report: Matthew Coronato

Photo Credit: Chicago Steel

It’s hard to imagine any team in the NHL who couldn’t use a player who can rack up points like it’s nothing, rarely takes a shift off, and has a compete level to rival any prospect eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft. That’s exactly what you’ll be getting out of Chicago Steel forward Matthew Coronato. Coronato was born in New York, New York, but grew up in Long Island. Currently, he’s crafting his talents for the Chicago Steel in the USHL.

Coronato played his youth hockey all around the eastern seaboard, but perhaps most prominently in the AYHL for New Jersey & Long Island, as well as USHS Prep League for Salisbury Prep School. Seemingly anywhere Coronato has laced up the skates, the points have certainly followed. He’s only had one season since 2016/17 below a point-per-game rate, that being 2019-20, his first season for the Steel.

So far this season, Coronato has exploded in production for the Steel, registering a mind blowing 37 goals and 29 assists for 66 points in 39 games. He’s swapped positions with line-mate and 2021 NHL Draft prospect Mackie Samoskevich, as both players are capable of suiting up either at center, or out on the wing. Those two, alongside usual line-mates Erik Middendorf or Sean Farrell, have formed lines capable of scoring at will, against some very talented USHL defenders. Coronato is taking advantage of a great situation and is climbing up many scouting services Draft Boards with his incredible play thus far in 2020/21.

For the 2021-22 season, Coronato is committed to the University of Harvard, where he’ll play under Head Coach Ted Donato. Coronato will be surrounded with talent, as he’ll join his Steel teammates Sean Farrell (Montreal Canadiens prospect) and Ian Moore (Anaheim Ducks prospect) in Cambridge, alongside Crimson players John Farinacci (Arizona Coyotes prospect), Henry Thrun (Anaheim Ducks prospect) and Nick Abruzzese (Toronto Maple Leafs prospect). Once Coronato settles in, look for him to make an impressive mark in ECAC play.

Player Profile


D.O.B – November 14, 2002
Nationality – USA
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height – 5’10”
Weight – 183 lbs.
Position – Center/Left Wing
Handedness – Right

Coronato’s Style Of Play

Matthew Coronato attacks the game in such a way that will impress just about every scout that watches him. He’s capable of playing in all areas of the ice, and can be trusted at 5v5, 5v4 and on the penalty kill. Coronato is definitely unafraid to go into the dirty areas of the ice, and more often than not, comes out of the scrum with possession of the puck. He is awesome in transition, and can move the puck freely and quickly through the neutral zone with ease. Also, he can pinpoint the perfect time for a breakout pass, and deliver it on the tape with little to no difficulty. When lined up as a center, Coronato is effective in the faceoff circle, as he’s won 53% of his faceoffs through March 15th, 2021.

Consistency is one aspect of Coronato’s game that is most notable, as he carried a 19 game point streak to open the 2020/21 season. Dating back to last year, his point streak totaled 28 games, which broke a previous USHL record. Coronato has also been held pointless in only five games this season, so he can be counted upon to bring the offense every night. It’s hard to imagine his consistency and offensive output wouldn’t light up the eyes of nearly every NHL scout.

Skating

Coronato’s skating may be the only attribute that isn’t exactly on par with the rest of his game. That’s not to say he isn’t a talented skater, but it is an area that he could benefit greatly from improving on, just a touch. Coronato is good at generating speed when trying to beat a defender out wide on the rush, and has little difficulty hustling back into the play on defense.

To add, Coronato also has adequate edgework, and is capable of changing direction to create space in all three zones. To some scouts, that may be important, as his skating has significantly improved since last season. However, he sort of lacks a general sense of speed to his overall game. Coronato could really benefit from working on his explosiveness out of the gate, as it will help him generate more space and scoring chances at the next level.

Lastly, Coronato could also touch on the overall quickness in his game, as it sometimes takes him a little time to hit full speed in transition. Working on these minor flaws in his game will certainly help him become an elite skater at the next level, and will certainly impress teams looking to select him at the Draft this summer.

Offense

When you watch the game tape of Matthew Coronato, it’s easy to notice how he reaches the point totals he’s amassed in the past few seasons. He has zero issue going into the slot and batting home a loose puck, but he’s just as dangerous with the puck on his stick at the top of the circle. He can beat a goaltender from pretty much anywhere in the offensive zone, and make it look easy more often than not. As good of a natural scorer Coronato is, he’s equally as good of a set-up man. He is a talented passer of the puck, and can seek out a teammate rushing into the offensive zone with a beautiful pass. Coronato is also an above average powerplay weapon, as he can usually be found patrolling both sections of the slot. He’s scored eight of his ten powerplay goals from this area, which goes to show how effective he is with the man advantage.

It’s sort of crazy to think about, but Coronato could easily have an extra 10-15 points this season alone, if it weren’t for a few missed shots and some more “puck luck”. In watching game film from this season, it was remarkable to notice how many times he’s had shots that just missed the net. Also, how many times he’s set up teammates with a pass, and they’ve shot wide/had the puck knocked off their stick.

Coronato doesn’t necessarily possess a truly lethal shot, he still gets the job done when it counts, which scouts may see as a benefit rather than a setback. That being said, Coronato does still have a decent wrister, and can beat even the better goalies in the USHL on a regular basis.

While Coronato doesn’t particularly stand out in any singular aspect of his game, he is incredibly solid at producing offense, which is arguably just as, if not more important. There’s always room to develop certain aspects of his game at the next level, but it’s hard to teach that natural instinct of producing points. Coronato will no doubt impress a ton of scouts when it comes to his “won’t-quit” attitude, and his instinctive talent to score.

Defense

Perhaps an under-utilized defensive zone player, Coronato is more than capable of being a 200ft player. When lined up as a center, he is quite talented at defensive zone faceoffs, boasting a 59.4% win rate as of March 15th, 2021. Not only can he win important defensive zone faceoffs, Coronato is also quite good at helping out defenders with forechecks, and making a pass to help his team breakout of the defensive zone.

Coronato is also an average penalty killer. He averages approximately 1:40 min of penalty kill time per game, and excels at pressuring the opposing defensemen with his active stick. He can also maintain possession of the puck in the offensive zone while on the penalty kill, a trait that is sure to impress a lot of scouts. On the penalty kill, Coronato can usually be found in the high slot, covering off one of the points in the box formation. This placement allows him to be aggressive in covering off the slot forward as well one of the defenseman, and gives Coronato a chance to create a shorthanded rush after forcing a mistake.

Improvements

Coronato is a very talented prospect who is a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none, for lack of a better term. His compete level is right up there with the top prospects for 2021, and he is no doubt one of the best natural scorers in the entire draft. However, with pretty much every prospect, there are a couple of spots in his game that could use some fine tuning. On offense, Coronato could look to improve his shot accuracy, as well as his shot decision making. In watching his game film, there were a few times where he could have scored if he places the puck in a more accurate location. He seems to be on the right track, as his film shows improvement from previous seasons. As mentioned above, Coronato may look to improve his explosiveness, and the overall quickness in his game. His skating has definitely shown improvement over last year’s footage, as many scouts have seen.

Overall Outlook

Overall, Matthew Coronato is arguably the most offensively productive forward in the 2021 Draft Class. His natural ability to score, or find a teammate who scores is simply remarkable. While he won’t stand out in any specific way, he oozes consistency in every aspect of his offensive game. His ability to produce should only become better at the next level, as he’ll be lined up with some impressive talent at Harvard in the ECAC this coming fall.

If Coronato can make the necessary tweaks to his game as previously mentioned, look for him to be a solid top 9 forward who can add quite a bit of offensive production for whichever team selects him in the Draft. Based off of his production, you can expect he’ll be taken anywhere from 25th, a late first rounder, to 40th, an early/mid second rounder.

Comparison

Jake Guentzel – C/LW – Pittsburgh Penguins

In watching film of Matthew Coronato, he reminded me of another versatile forward who has quite the knack for offensive production. That forward is Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In watching film of Coronato, it struck me how many similarities lie between both players. Both players took the Prep School-USHS Prep School-USHL-NCAA route of competition, and both players are versatile when it comes to where they line up position wise.

Not only are both players relatively the same size, but Coronato (5’10” and 183 lbs) and Guentzel (5’11” and 181 lbs) are similar in terms of offensive production. In Guentzel’s only season in the USHL for Sioux City, he totaled 29 goals and 44 assists for 73 points in 60 games. Coronato seems to be on a similar path as far as point totals go, however he tends to score more than he does assist his teammates.

In conclusion, if the team that selects Matthew Coronato can help develop him, and get him close to the production that Guentzel provides for the Penguins, I’m sure they would be thrilled with spending a potential first or second round selection on Matthew Coronato.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Paul Zuk. If you would like to follow Paul on Twitter, his handle is @paulzuk_81.

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Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Corson Ceulemans

Photo Credit: Brooks Bandits

I really wish Corson Ceulemans played in the WHL this year. The Regina born right handed defenseman, measuring in at 6’2 and weighing in at 196lbs, has elected to go to the University of Wisconsin for the 21/22 season. As a result, he’s unable to play in the CHL during his draft year. He finds himself playing in the best league he could that doesn’t prevent him from going south of the border: the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). Ceulemans is often in the first to second round consideration for the 2021 NHL draft. His rookie season with the Bandits finished with a tally of five goals and 35 points in 44 games. With the pandemic shutting down the AJHL early in his draft year, Ceulemans was only able to play 10 games where he registered 12 points (five in his first two). 

The Brooks Bandits defenseman often draws a comparison to a former AJHL player who played for the same team just a few years back: Cale Makar. This offensive dynamo was selected fourth overall in 2017, scoring 75 points in 54 games. Makar did whatever he wanted to, whenever he wanted to do it, and there wasn’t a single person in that league equipped to do anything about it. With the ability of hindsight, it’s easy to say Makar should have gone first or second overall in his draft. If he played in the WHL that year instead of the AJHL, there’s a very real possibility that could have happened; however, at the time it was extremely risky to take a player from this league over Nico Hischier or Nolan Patrick. More eyes than ever are on the AJHL as a result of Makar’s rapid ascension to superstardom as many scouts are looking for the next “diamond in the rough” that could slip due to playing in an inferior league. The next beneficiary of this newfound attention is Corson Ceulemans. 

The AJHL is a challenging league to scout sometimes as its relatively low pace and routinely suffers from a lack of structure. It’s not very often players from the AJHL go on to have successful careers in the NHL. Those who do eventually make it to high level pro hockey typically dominate the AJHL while showing they’re very, very clearly above the rest of the league. At times, Ceulemans shows he can be that player but I wouldn’t go as far as to say he currently is that player. He has an expansive toolkit that, if utilized properly, could take him very far in the future but I can’t see him going very far without significant refinement in how these tools are used. Inconsistency is holding him back from dominating a league he should be dominating. While he’s absolutely deserving of the attention he’s been receiving in some scouting circles, the comparisons to Makar pretty much begin and end with the fact that they both played for the Brooks Bandits.

Player Profile

D.O.B – May 5, 2003
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height – 6’2”
Weight – 196 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Right

Ceulemans’ Style Of Play

Skating and Transitional Play

One of Ceulemans’ strongest traits, if not outright his best, is his skating. It stands out among the rest of the AJHL almost immediately. His first few strides from a stop are heavy, full extensions with explosive power that quickly accelerate him to top speed. He demonstrates good form with his knees going over his toes, a good example of proper ankle flexion which is crucial for high end skaters in the NHL. He’s crafty with his footwork, capable of using nifty pivots, edges and cuts to walk the blue line while maintaining control of the puck. When carrying the puck he keeps his torso 45 degrees from his hips, lifting his chest up and keeping his head high. He utilizes crossovers in transition, allowing him to change direction without a loss of speed to pause defenders and prevent them from taking away his space. He could stand to improve his foot placement when performing crossovers for even better lateral mobility but it’s not a hindrance. There are minor improvements you can make that would go towards increasing his skating efficiency, yet even without them he’d still be an effective skater at the NHL level.

Where his skating shines the most is during his transitional game, Ceulemans’ bread and butter. He’s capable of recovering the puck in the defensive zone, beating the first layer of the forecheck and facilitating a rush by using either his passing or his puck carrying abilities. He skates with his head up, scanning through traffic for optimal routes and changing his lateral direction with crossovers to confuse the defense. He understands give and go situations, the small windows that are created by passing back and forth with your teammates to cause the opposition pause and break down defensive structures. He moves well in these situations, putting himself in a position to be an outlet right after passing it to a teammate. His first pass is accurate, often landing right on a teammates blade in stride so they don’t have any issues slowing down to properly corral the puck under their control. This is a necessity for the high pace that professional hockey is played at. NHL teams defend the transition extremely quickly so there’s no time for players to be fumbling poor passes going their way, or to slow down and/or alter their body position to properly control the puck.

The problem is that while Ceulemans exhibits these traits, I’m not convinced he’s shown he can do them with consistency. Sometimes he can recover the puck behind his net with the awareness that there is a forechecker behind him and he’ll account for that by making a move with his feet, his stick or his body in order to maintain puck control so that he’s ready to start a breakout the other way. Other times I see the first layer of forecheckers catch him off guard and he turns the puck over, as if he had no idea that there was a player behind him and he thought he had more room to work with. I can’t discern whether he knows how to handle forechecking pressure and he struggles with mapping where the forecheckers are, or if he simply doesn’t know how to handle forechecking pressure and just happens to beat guys who sneak up on him because it’s the AJHL and he’s just good enough to do so. Regardless, it’s a problem when trying to project his game to the next level. Forechecking only gets faster paced as you graduate to a higher league and the players only get faster, stronger, smarter, more relentless and more coordinated.

Offense

The general theme of inconsistency continues when talking about his play in the offensive zone. He can be a strong player in the offensive zone (OZ), single handedly keeping possession and making efficient reads, just to be a complete non-factor the very next shift. He’s capable of receiving the puck on his stick and immediately snapping it to a teammate in space, all in one motion. He’s shown he can draw in defenders and deceive them with clever footwork, quick stick handling or body fakes before passing out into the newly created pocket of space. He’s not afraid to jump up from the blue-line and play deep in the offensive zone. He has a strong shot and he likes to use it, you’ll notice him firing from the blue line numerous times a game.

Ceulemans has shown he possesses many of the tools you want to see from offensive minded defenseman in the NHL but, again, he’s haunted by inconsistency.  Sometimes he’ll try and support forwards deep in the OZ but misread the play and be well out of position when the puck begins to move the other way. Other times he’ll just meander around the blue line waiting for the play to make its way over to him. He shows he understands the value of gravity when he draws defenders before passing, yet he still skates directly into pressure just to be stripped of the puck multiple times a game. He has the ability to make impressive plays in 1v1 or 1v2 situations but often over-relies on those abilities when there’s more efficient plays that can be made around the OZ. It’s not often that the flashy play is the best play available and Ceulemans seems to hunt for flashy opportunities instead of efficient ones. He’s shown the ability to move the puck with quickness and reliability to his teammates, yet there are times you see him skate around with the puck on his stick for a while before shooting a low danger point shot into the goalies pads or trying to force the puck through a lane that doesn’t exist, both often resulting in turnovers. There were numerous occasions where I’d see him skillfully navigate around the perimeter of the entire OZ, missing numerous chances to get his teammates involved in the play, just to make a low danger play. It’s not often that players with these habits make it to the NHL and become high impact players without drastically changing their playing style between junior and pro hockey. One man army’s need to be the cream of the crop in order to have their self-focused playing style generate positive results. Supporting your teammates, being active off the puck, spacing the ice and efficiently moving the puck is how defensive structures are normally broken down in the NHL. 

Defense

Defensively, Ceulemans continues to be a perplexing enigma. The general theme of “the tools are there and sometimes they work really nicely buuuuttttt” persists. Ceulemans maintains good gap control most of the time, slowly closing the distance starting at the opposing blue line with the intention of tightening the gap and removing space around his blue line. When it comes for the attacker to make his move, Ceulemans can be found often defending with either his body or his stick but it’s a rarity to see them combined in succession. He can be caught prematurely attempting to separate the puck from the carrier and can be caught giving up the center of the ice which is never a good thing. Other times he doesn’t close the gap fast enough and the defender has all the space in the world to do what he wants before Corson can impede his ability to make a play. That being said, when Ceulemans maintains a strong gap and combines both his body and stick when defending the transition, he’s shown he can be an effective defender. 

A good defensive player is effectively reading the play, understanding what is going to happen and stopping it before it develops into a high/medium danger chance. Ceulemans isn’t often a step ahead of the opposition, preemptively breaking up defensive plays, but rather reacting to them. He initially makes the right read and positions himself accordingly to make a preemptive attempt to break up a play; however, Ceulemans starts to fall behind the play if he’s unsuccessful and possession is retained by the other team. An optimistic outlook is that he initially makes the correct defensive read so it’s certainly possible that a developmental staff can work with him and help him develop a deeper understanding on what’s required of him during sustained possessions in his own zone. For now, he can be caught chasing the puck around, resulting in losing his assignment and finding himself way out of position. Players can often find themselves unimpeded in front of the crease as they screen the goalie and capitalize on chaotic situations if the puck finds itself in the net-front area while Ceulemans is standing right in front of them tracking the puck with his eyes, reacting too late to stop the dangerous chances being generated.

Overall Outlook

I don’t know how else to say this: Corson Ceulemans both perplexes and fascinates me. My opinion on him has changed repeatedly with my viewings. There are a lot of tools that he possesses that an NHL development staff would work with. He’s going to be playing in Wisconsin next year who are more than capable of starting the refinement process his game desperately needs. He’s a great skater, exhibits great passing, can defend the transition using his length and skating ability, owns a strong first pass, possesses the ability to carry the puck up ice, can facilitate the puck throughout the offensive zone and has the capacity to quarterback a power-play. My biggest concern more than anything is the fact that, despite having these abilities, he shows such inconsistency in using them on a regular basis in the AJHL. This isn’t the WHL, this is a league that is very clearly a league below that. I can’t help but walk away with the impression that if he was playing in the WHL we’d be seeing these issues exposed on a much more regular basis and his ability to impact the game would be heavily impeded. His processing of the game has to speed up, and that’s really difficult to teach someone. As more and more variables are introduced, Corson finds himself falling more and more behind the play. He displays tunnel vision at times when the puck is on his stick. These are things he has to work on to be an effective player for Wisconsin over the next few years, but it’s not obscene to picture a future where he does iron out those flaws and the tools start to shine. I may have sounded overly negative on Ceulemans but no NHL General Manager drafts based on what a player is at 18, they draft based on what that player could be at 23. Corson Ceulemans has the tools and the potential to be a very effective hockey player at 23 years old and I’m very, very intrigued to see what he could become with the right development staff.

Comparison

Jake Bean, LHD, Carolina Hurricanes

Corson Ceulemans is a quality skating, shifty, offensive minded defenseman who can be a positive asset in transition as well as quarterback a power-play in the same manner that Jake Bean does for the Carolina Hurricanes. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect Ceulemans to reach the same level that Bean is currently at, but he could be a similar styled player after a few years of development with the right staff. 

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Sam McGilligan. If you would like to follow Sam on Twitter, his handle is @Sam_McGilligan.

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Scouting Report: Mackie Samoskevich

Photo Credit: Chicago Steel

Currently sitting near the top of the list in “Best Draft Eligible Names” for the 2021 NHL Draft, Matthew (Mackie) Samoskevich is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect currently playing for the Chicago Steel in the USHL. Samoskevich is a natural born center, but is more than capable of suiting up on the wing, as he has done throughout the better part of two seasons with Chicago.

Samoskevich grew up in Newtown, Connecticut, and played his youth hockey for the Connecticut Oilers 14U AAA in the AYHL. From there, he joined Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep School for three seasons (16/17 to 18/19). In his final season at Shattuck, Samoskevich tore up the competition, scoring 36 goals and 74 points in 51 games. He joined the Chicago Steel, who selected him in the 2018 USHL Futures Draft, in the 2019-20 season, where he tallied 13 goals and 34 points in 47 games. So far this season, Samoskevich has continued his meteoric rise, scoring nine times and adding 17 assists for 26 points in 22 games.

For the 2021-22 season, Samoskevich is committed to the University of Michigan, where he’ll suit up for an absolutely stacked Wolverines team. Samoskevich will continue to improve his incredible talents under the watchful eye of coaches Mel Pearson and Bill Muckalt. Pearson and Muckalt have gotten the most out of talented forwards such as Matthew Beniers, Kent Johnson, and Thomas Bordeleau (San Jose Sharks prospect) this season, just to name a few. With his offensive prowess sure to impress right off the hop, look for Mackie Samoskevich to hit the ground running in the Big Ten next season.

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 15, 2002
Nationality – USA
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height – 5’11”
Weight – 190 lbs.
Position – Center
Handedness – Right

Samoskevich’s Style Of Play

Samoskevich is an offensive minded forward who can certainly rack up the points, all while making his game a spectacular sight to see. He’s been on Chicago’s top two lines for pretty much the entire 2020/21 season, usually paired up with Matthew Coronato and Erik Middendorf. When those three are on the ice, it’s practically an offensive clinic for fans to watch.

Samoskevich is amazingly patient with the puck on his stick, and can wait out almost any defender or goaltender in the USHL. Aside from his patience, he also has one wicked wrist shot, which he can utilize from pretty much anywhere in the offensive zone. He’s played mainly on the right wing since returning from injury in late February, but he’s scored pretty much all his goals from the left-side slot.

As Samoskevich is mainly utilized in the offensive zone (48% of game action), he isn’t used much in defensive zone setups or on the penalty kill. However, he is more than capable of being relied upon in his own zone. Samoskevich has such poise picking out a teammate for a breakout pass, or can simply turn on the jets and create a scoring opportunity off the rush.

Skating

Arguably the most impressive part of his game, Samoskevich is an absolute treat to watch skate. Not only does he possess blistering speed, it only takes him a couple of strides to completely fly by his opponent. Second to that, he’s very elusive, and can evade just about every defender headed for him. Samoskevich is also deadly in transition, as he can either beat you with his quickness and agility, or he can stickhandle around a defender in a phone booth, and seek out a teammate streaking towards the offensive zone.

Where Samoskevich really impresses with his skating, is with his edge work. He’s able to dance around all three zones of the ice, making it extremely difficult for most defenders to predict his next move. Samoskevich is also ridiculously strong on his skates, thus making him very hard to knock off the puck. Watching his film, it’s sort of hard to pinpoint a spot where he could look to improve his skating, which is a trait most teams are without a doubt looking for in a prospect.

Offense

Simply put, Samoskevich’s bread and butter is his play in the offensive zone. In watching his game film, you could easily get lost while watching him fly past defenders on the rush, or by watching the way he protects the puck and waits for the perfect opportunity to unleash a beautiful wrister on net or seek out a teammate for a dangerous scoring chance. Samoskevich has the pleasure of playing with one of the highest scoring forwards in the USHL this season in Matthew Coronato, which only helps his creative, playmaking game develop faster.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Samoskevich’s game is his stick-handling. The USHL has some very talented defenders scattered throughout the league, and he has little difficulty embarrassing even the best of them. Samoskevich can easily stickhandle around the neutral zone and offensive zone at top speed, which is quite impressive to see. He is more than capable of entering the offensive zone using stick-handling, as Chicago sees the majority of its zone entries come via his stick when Samoskevich is on the ice.

Now, let’s discuss Samoskevich’s shot. It’s clear he’s put in some work when it comes to his power and accuracy on his wrist shot from last season. He’s able to unleash it from pretty much anywhere in the offensive zone with above average success, although he’s scored the majority of his goals from the left-side slot in 2020/21. Samoskevich also possesses one of the quicker releases in the 2021 NHL Draft Class.

As Samoskevich’s game begins to develop at the next level, he’ll be best suited with a centerman who is capable of capitalizing on the high danger chances Samoskevich creates. Look for him to be an assist machine who can also tally quite a few goals himself, depending on where he lands in the Entry Draft this summer.

Defense

Samoskevich doesn’t tend to see a whole lot of ice time in the defensive zone, but when he does, he’s more than capable of executing an efficient breakout, or delivering a pass to a teammate to start the rush up ice. It is noticeable, however, that he does tend to be a little bit risky when it comes to decision making in the defensive zone. Teams looking to select Samoskevich at the draft this summer may see his puck management in the defensive zone as a negative, but those risky decisions should tend to disappear once tougher competition/different style of coaching is introduced.

Improvements

As mentioned above, there aren’t many aspects of Samoskevich’s game that need immediate attention. If he desires to play center at the next level, he may look to add a tad more size to his 5’11, 190lbs frame, but that would be icing on top of the cake. As good as he’s looked during his time at center with the Steel, his game may be more suited for the wing as he moves on. Look for Samoskevich to hone his skills and really round out his complete game at Michigan in the fall, and with that, he can become a top-nine NHL forward in the seasons to come.

Overall Outlook

When it comes to the 2021 NHL Draft and trying to pinpoint where players will be selected, it’s become quite the challenge with some North American leagues just beginning play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Samoskevich has been having an incredible season in the USHL. Although he’s missed some time due to injury, he’s still scoring at over a point-per-game rate, and those numbers only seem to be increasing, as he’s recorded five points in his last six games as of March 6th, 2021.

For a player of his talents, it’s hard to imagine his draft stock falling much, if any, due to him missing time. Look for him to be a dark horse in the late First Round, if not, a for sure early Second Round pick when the Draft rolls around this summer.

Comparison

Mitch Marner – RW – Toronto Maple Leafs

*NOTE*
In comparing Mackie Samoskevich, please note that it is unlikely that Samoskevich will be able to reach the same levels of production offensively as Marner does with the Maple Leafs. However, Samoskevich’s vision with the puck on his stick is quite similar to Marner. Also, both players have an impressive wrist shot, and can seek out teammates while delivering a beautiful pass with ease.

In terms of skating, both Samoskevich and Marner are quite agile and are more than capable of changing direction on a dime. Both players are very strong on their skates, and can reach close to top speed with just a few strides.

If Samoskevich can reach anywhere close to Marner’s offensive output at the NHL level, whichever team that selects him this summer will be more than pleased.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Paul Zuk. If you would like to follow Paul on Twitter, his handle is @paulzuk_81.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Mason McTavish

Photo Credit: Luke Durda/OHL Images

Mason McTavish is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect. While McTavish is a Canadian national and represents Canada in international play, he was born in Zürich, Switzerland and has a Swiss player license.

McTavish’s father, Dale had played in Switzerland throughout McTavish’s childhood. Dale played for three Swiss clubs including SC Rapperswil-Jona, ZSC Lions and EV Zug. Prior to Dale’s time in the NLA, he played junior hockey for the Pembroke Lumber Kings (which he now owns) and the Peterborough Petes. In addition, he played in 57 games in the AHL (over two seasons) with the Saint John Flames and in nine NHL games with the Calgary Flames. In 1997, Dale and his wife Christine decided to move to Europe. Initially, Dale signed in Finland and played for SaiPa and the Espoo Blues before heading down to Switzerland.

Mason’s older brother, Darian most recently played in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League (previously known as CCHL2) with the Whitewater Kings.

McTavish plays for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, but due to COVID-19 and the OHL yet to return to play, he has been loaned out to EHC Olten of the Swiss League. Before I continue on about McTavish, I just want to explain that EHC Olten competes in the Swiss B League. For those who are unaware, the top league in Switzerland is the NLA or National League.

While McTavish was playing in the B League, it was rumored that he would be called up to the NLA. On March 6th, Elite Prospects reported that EV Zug (NLA team) acquired McTavish’s B license. It was also reported that fellow Canadian and 2021 NHL Draft prospect Brennan Othmann of the Flint Firebirds, who had been playing on EHC Olten with McTavish had been loaned out as well. Othmann’s B license was acquired by SC Bern (NLA).

In 13 games played in the SL, McTavish has tallied nine goals and two assists. While you would think that the transition to Swiss Hockey might have been somewhat of a challenge, McTavish played youth hockey on Swiss ice with EV Zug and got into the groove pretty fast this season.

After his stint in Switzerland, McTavish came back to North America to compete for Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championships. McTavish was extremely productive for Canada at the tournament and recorded 11 points in seven games.

Player Profile

D.O.B – January 30, 2003
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’1
Weight –196 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Left

McTavish’s Style Of Play

Position

Since coming over to Switzerland, McTavish has played at both center and wing. In my opinion, McTavish looks stronger on the wing than at center. When McTavish is on the wing, you see his gritty side. In the defensive and offensive zone, you see him be a pest along the boards. But, when he is at center, his role expands of course and can’t be as aggressive along the boards. He could still be gritty and deliver open ice, but I haven’t seem him deliver many open ice hits.

In addition, his skating in transition is not where I would want it to be. I’ll touch on this more in the skating section, but he doesn’t deploy a length extension when in transition. If he works on his stride and adopts a better power stride, then I can see him being a good fit at center in an NHL lineup.

Offense

When you are watching McTavish, the zone that you most notice him in is the offensive zone. McTavish constantly is looking for the opposition to pull closer towards the perimeter. He looks for opportunities where his teammates are controlling the puck in low danger. McTavish wants the puck in low danger and the opposition playing tight at the perimeter. He wants that because the opposition is not paying close attention to the slot. So, he picks the moment when the opposition is coming closer to the point as the moment where he skates up to the high slot and gives his team an open man close to the net.

McTavish’s placement in the high slot has paved the way for month deflection and rebound goals. But, as I mentioned above, it also gives McTavish’s team to catch the goaltender off guard. For example, if the puck is being played towards the left side and McTavish is on the other side of the goaltender, he can catch the goaltender off guard as the goaltender has to shift over fast enough to counter the attack.

McTavish will also do the reverse when there are too many of his teammates up high. If the puck is being played in the corners and three of his teammates are attending to the puck, he will move to the blue-line to provide support incase his opponents gain possession of the puck and institute a breakout.

When EHC Olten is on the power play, they will plug McTavish in at the slot. McTavish sits in the middle of the penalty kill diamond formation. Given McTavish’s sniping ability, having him in the slot can pave the way for plenty of one-timer goals.

So far in Switzerland, we have yet to see McTavish’s sniper skill-set at work. The bulk of his goals have been as a of result of rebounds and shots from low danger that he has redirected. But, during his time with the Peterborough Petes, he has proven to be a deadly snipper. In fact, many analysts and scouts consider McTavish’s shot to be one of the best in the 2021 NHL Draft class. His ability to score from beyond high danger is definitely noteworthy. The below screenshot from InStat Hockey looks at his goals from last season. You will see that he has fared pretty well when shooting from outside of the high slot.

Screenshot from InStat Hockey

Aside from his shot, McTavish won’t often drive play. But, there certainly are moments where he takes control of the cycle. His puck movement is solid. From a stick-handling perspective, he is average. He has good hands and his puck placement isn’t too far out. But, his stick-handling is not at the point where you can depend on it to navigate the puck out of a tight back-check. When McTavish is facing tight pressure, he won’t pivot out. Instead, he will push the puck along the boards to his defender at the point. While it’s not the worst move to make, he doesn’t often scan the boards with his peripheral vision to see if he can spot a teammate open further up the boards. In addition, he will wait too long with the puck and will give the opposition enough time to put pressure on him. He will have teammates open, but will hesitate about passing to them. While quick decision making can be a challenge for McTavish, there are plenty of prospects with similar challenges such as Kent Johnson.

From a forechecking perspective, McTavish is slightly slower to the forecheck when you compare him against other draft eligible prospects. But, he still provides good pressure on the forecheck and will force puck movement along the boards. There are moments where defenders will play the puck behind their own net and McTavish pounces at the right second to gain control of the puck. Additionally, he has a good understanding of passing routes and will pin-point the right spot to intercept the pass.

From a passing perspective, McTavish isn’t a play-maker. His passes are tape-to-tape feeds and drop passes. He keeps the cycle alive, but won’t often thread elite passes to generate scoring chances.

Defense

In the defensive zone, McTavish is strong on the back-check. When deployed on the wing, he shows off his physical grittiness and can be a hand full for wingers and defenders running the cycle along the boards. But, when he is utilized at center, he plays more of an insurance support role and won’t appear to be as gritty.

In general, his positioning is strong. He will pay close attention to puck movement along the boards and will stand in low danger to keep his opponents further out. With that being said, McTavish isn’t timid and will slide towards a defender at the point to block low danger shot attempts.

Transitional Play

From a transitional perspective, McTavish is not the most dynamic in transition. He doesn’t drive play and depends on his teammates to get the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone. But, there certainly are situations where McTavish has shown that he can step up and provide support with zone entries. For example, if McTavish sees that he has a wide open teammate on the edge of the offensive zone, he will wire a solid stretch pass for a zone entry pass.

But, you should not expect McTavish to go zone-to-zone with the puck. That just isn’t his style of play. With that being said, one of the biggest drawbacks in transition is his stride extension. McTavish typically does not use a lengthy extension to garner acceleration. So, that hurts his ability to drive play through the neutral zone. If McTavish were to develop a power stride, you might see McTavish alter his transitional play.

Skating

We’ve touched on McTavish’s stride extension a few times throughout the report, so I’m going to keep that section relatively short.

Even though there are some power skating issues, he has worked on his skate extension since last season with Peterborough and I have seen him use a couple of lengthy first steps in the offensive zone when going to chase after a loose puck.

McTavish does utilize tight crossovers for acceleration purposes and for lateral movements. But, you have to keep in mind that he can only get limited acceleration until he widens his first few steps.

Lastly, I do want to address that often when McTavish goes in for a check along the boards that he does loose his balance. When he jumps into the check and tries to land, he lands with the toe of his skate and not his skate blade. McTavish should look to address how he lands off of a check to ensure that he won’t leave his team in a vulnerable spot if he tries to go for a check in the defensive zone and the opposition regains control of the puck.

Comparison

Nazem Kadri, Center, Colorado Avalanche

Like McTavish, Nazem Kadri has a lot of grit to his game and doesn’t control play that much. Kadri relies on his wingers quite a bit in transition. In addition, he has a solid shot from beyond the high slot. With that being said, Kadri has shown that he can be physical and gritty at open ice. McTavish has yet to do so, but with development it is possible that he can match Kadri’s gritty play away from the boards.

Projection

Top Nine Center/Top Six Winger (NHL). Depends mainly on how he is deployed.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

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