Thursday, January 14, 2016

2016 NHL Draft: Clayton Keller

Hello everyone, today is another continuation in the look at 2016 draft-eligible players.

Clayton Keller
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170 lbs
Position: C
Shoots: Left
Team (League): U.S. National Development Program U18
ISS rank: 17
CSS rank: A (no rankings released)
FC rank: 8
THN rank: NA
DTJ rank: 7

Current Statline for 2015-2016 Season:  32 GP, 21G 42A 63P 20PIM, 1.97 Points/Game

I will start this off by saying that in terms of pure talent among American draft-eligible prospects, Keller is 2nd behind Matthews. I mean that with no disrespect to the other American draft-eligibles, but rather a testament to the immense amount of skill and potential this young man has.

Gifted with remarkable vision and IQ, Clayton Keller is an imminent offensive threat. His skating is agile and powerful. He has a quick-release and powerful shot, and his passing is remarkable. Consistently one of the top scorers on each of his respective teams, Keller can beat defenders in a broad variety of ways. He's played against all types of competition and has done well against each one, and his offense has translated remarkably well at each level up.

Keller's smooth puckhandling is almost like something you'd see in an NHL video game. He is used in every type of game situation, and has a generally good two-way game to compliment his excellent offensive instincts. Despite his excellent goal-scoring ability, I've always viewed him as a pass-first type player. He's developed remarkable chemistry with Kieffer Bellows (2016 draft-eligible) on the top line of the USNDP, and both are actually committed to Boston University for the 2016-2017 season. On a bit of a side note, the recruitment class for 2016-2017 at Boston University is incredible. With Keller, Bellows, Dante Fabbro, Chad Krys, and a few others going there, the Terriers will have a formidable line-up. Keller and Bellows have good chemistry now and should perform quite well together at BU.

Went on a bit of a tangent there, but back to Keller. A mark of an advanced prospect is the ability to perform against older competition. Keller is one of the younger prospects eligible in the draft (only 3 eligible players are younger), and has played against competition up to 2 or 3 years older than him. Keller possesses an almost-internal motor which helps propel his game not unlike Zach Parise. However, there's also a prevalence of Patrick Kane in Keller's game...not just from the size similarity, but also the poise with the puck, balance on the puck, and the offensive threat. Despite being nearly a year younger than Auston Matthews, Keller is on pace to come awfully close to matching Matthews' USNDP records. I'm not going to throw out the "F" word (franchise), but I'm really high up on Keller. Despite his obvious concerns about playing center despite being rather undersized, he has stepped up to the challenges each step of the way. He's ranked right around the 13th overall by a few different scouting services (no way to really see where NHL teams rank him), but I think his stock will rise after the WJC-18 this year. I think he's going to have a fantastic tournament, which may help propel his stock upwards.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, Keller is absolutely a prospect the Devils should keep an eye on. It would be great for his stock if he could grow another inch or two taller, but his play is excellent regardless of what number is there. I'd like to see him add some more muscle and work on his skating speed to help his transition to the higher leagues. I can't wait to see him play at Boston U. next season. I think Keller would be a phenomenal addition on the same line as Pavel Zacha too. Keller will be selected anywhere from 7th-13th overall. I have the feeling a lot of teams will regret passing on Clayton Keller in upcoming years.

If you have any feedback, suggestions, or players you’d like to see my write about, please let me know!


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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

2016 NHL Draft: Pierre-Luc Dubois

Hello everyone, today is a continuation of the look at 2016 draft-eligible players

Pierre-Luc Dubois
Height: 6’3"
Weight: 201 lbs
Position: LW/C
Shoots: Left
Team (League): Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
ISS rank: 8
CSS rank: A (no rankings released)
FC rank: 9
THN rank: NA
DTJ rank: 5

Current Statline for 2015-2016 Season:  41 GP, 26G 35A 61P 65PIM, +22, 1.49 Points/Game

Another top forward prospect coming out of the QMJHL this year is Pierre-Luc Dubois, the forward playing on the top line of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Dubois is a big, strong forward who plays a solid 200 foot game. He has many assets in his arsenal, but his biggest asset is his intelligence. He thinks the game and reads the ice so well. His skating is solid and he has a great set of hands. He plays the game with a lot of heart and a lot of grit. He is currently leading his team in points. This is not only due to his extreme skill, but also because his line-mates, Maxim Lazarev and Yevgeni Svechnikov missing games for the World Junior Championships (both represented Team Russia). Svechnikov, on the other hand was one of the last cuts for Team Canada.

Svechnikov is a big and smart player whose game I would describe as a scorer with power forward tendencies. His intelligence and ability not only in all 3 zones of the ice, but at all 3 positions at forward leave me extremely impressed. His passing is excellent, whether he wants to feather it or wire it to a teammate. He is able to create space for himself with efficient puck-handling, but also by passing to a teammate. His skating is excellent, and he's been improving his first step to the point of explosive. Dubois has great balance, and is very difficult to knock off the puck. This is mostly in part to his large stature, but also is aided by his impressive strength.

Dubois is a very complete player and contributes on the powerplay and the penalty kill. He has very good hands, especially in the tight areas of the ice. He just has such a combination of size, skating, skill, shooting, two-way play, vision, character, grit, and potential. I know that's quite a laundry list, but I am very, very high on Dubois. I've mentioned it earlier, but his versatility to play at any forward position (and excel at them) is a major asset. To me, he has all the "X-Factors" to potentially be an elite player in the NHL: skating, IQ, vision, willingness to adapt and improve. As the son of a coach, there is no question about Dubois' knowledge of the play. Additionally, Dubois is one of the youngest players in the draft class, and won't turn 18 until the first day of the draft in June (the day he will likely be taken).

A great playing style comparison for Dubois would be a Jamie Benn-type player. I would not be surprised to see Dubois in some kind of captaincy role if (and when) he makes it to the NHL. He definitely has top-line potential. I prefer him on the Left Wing, but can see him developing at any forward position necessary to specific team needs. At this point in my eyes, Dubois is the most promising 2016 eligible player from the QMJHL. I believe he can jump into the NHL right away, since he is already big and strong, and plays a pro-style game. His defensive play will not make him a liability at the NHL level if he wants to develop his elite-potential play there. I can see the argument for letting him stay in the QMJHL for another year, and usually tend to be more patient with prospects, despite how much skill and potential they may have.

From a Devils perspective, Dubois is yet another forward to keep a close eye on as June approaches. He is everything that the Devils will be looking for within the new system, and has incredible potential to be an elite player at the NHL level. He has potential to go within the first 5 selections in the draft, and I would be shocked if he fell out of the top-10. 
 I am very interested in following the rest of Dubois' season in Cape Breton, and I hope he can continue to develop into the elite, two-way, character forward he has the potential to be. I hope you enjoyed my write-up of Pierre-Luc Dubois! If you have any feedback, suggestions, or players you’d like to see my write about, please let me know!


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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

2016 NHL Draft: Julien Gauthier

In continuation of the series on 2016 draft-eligible players, we turn to the QMJHL.

Julien Gauthier
Height: 6’4"
Weight: 225 lbs
Position: RW
Shoots: Right
Team (League): Val-d'Or Foreurs (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
ISS rank: 10
CSS rank: A (no rankings released)
FC rank: 6
THN rank: NA
DTJ rank: 6

Current Statline for 2015-2016 Season:  30 GP, 29G 8A 37P 16PIM, +17, 1.23 Points/Game

Julien Gauthier was the only draft-eligible player to make the Team Canada World Junior Championship squad this year. He's one of my favorite players in this draft class. 

Not sure where to really start with Gauthier in terms of an analysis. He's a huge power-winger with an incredible knack for scoring goals. He's very NHL-ready, and not simply because of his size. He plays a very strong physical game, protects the puck well, and has a significant net front presence. He's able to use his long reach to his advantage in these categories, which makes it even more difficult to contain him. His skating is excellent and his shot is incredible.

Gauthier's vision in the offensive zone is phenomenal and he drives to the net with great ease. I think the potential for even more offensive performance is there because Gauthier plays on a very deep Val-d'Or team, and as a result, doesn't get top-line minutes. In my mind, this makes him a good candidate for a breakout in points if he is able to get consistent minutes on the top-line. Despite that, Gauthier has been playing significant time in all situations. He's able to create offense while on the penalty kill and also plays a significant portion of time in front of the net on the power play. 

All in all, Gauthier is a remarkably complete player. His stick-work and positioning is excellent. I think the potential is there to become a very solid top-6 power forward. His style of play reminds me a lot of James Neal. Defensively I'd like to see Gauthier improve his positioning in his own zone. Sometimes he gets caught staring at the puck and is not aware of situation awareness when it comes to opposing players in "high-danger zones". He isn't lacking in a defensive awareness type, but these are things that will most likely come with further experience. Gauthier's play has improved significantly since last season where he was almost pidgeon-holed into a "one-dimensional" player category. His play and improvement this season have proven that to be wrong, however there is still room for improvement in the two-way game.

The combination of Gauthier's size and speed make him very hard to contain at top speed. What impresses me about him is how good he is in the corners and along the boards. He's not just big and strong, he positions himself well, and that's an aspect of his game that will be vital to being an effective power forward at the NHL level. His rocket of a shot will only improve and it will prove to be a very valuable asset to NHL teams at the draft, especially as teams are looking to bolster goal scoring. Gauthier is a very strong prospect and will go Top-10 in my opinion. He has the potential to go anywhere from 4th to 9th overall. There may still be consistency issues, but when Gauthier is on top of his game, he's a relentless, hard working, and full of heart power winger with a brilliant scoring touch. Despite not playing center, Gauthier plays a strong winger's game and is the type of player who you can build a championship around.

From a Devils perspective, Gauthier would be a remarkable addition to the team. He may even be able to step into the NHL as soon as next season, however that will be up to whoever is lucky enough to draft him. I'm of the opinion that it's better to "over-cook" a prospect in junior or development leagues than it is to bring them up too soon. He fits into the Devils' gameplan very well and will really bring a strong goal-scoring winger to the Devils, who currently sit at 29th overall in goals/game this season (only Anaheim is scoring less this season).
 I am very interested in following the rest of Gauthier's season in Val-d'Or, and I hope he can continue to develop into the elite, offensive power winger he has the potential to be. I hope you enjoyed my write-up of Julien Gauthier! If you have any feedback, suggestions, or players you’d like to see my write about, please let me know!

Follow me on Twitter 
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Thanks for reading!

Monday, January 11, 2016

2016 NHL Draft Preview: Alexander Nylander

Welcome to the newest edition of my look at 2016 draft-eligible prospects.

Alexander Nylander
Height: 6’0"
Weight: 194 lbs
Position: RW/LW
Shoots: Right
Team (League): Mississauga Steelheads (Ontario Hockey League)
ISS rank: 6
CSS rank: A (no rankings released)
FC rank: 7
THN rank: NA
DTJ rank: 7

Current Statline for 2015-2016 Season:  34 GP, 22G 28A 50P 6PIM, +8, 1.47 Points/Game

Another high-potential 2016 draft-eligible Steelhead, Alexander Nylander is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs' prospect (and 2014 1st round selection), William Nylander. Now, seeing that this is a write-up about Alexander, that's all I going to say about William. Both are phenomenal prospects. Alexander decided to take the CHL route to the NHL and signed with the team who selected him 12th overall in the 2015 CHL Import Draft, the Mississauaga Steelheads (one more thing about William, he was selected 13th overall in the 2014 CHL Import Draft by the Steelheads as well, but chose to stay in the Swedish Hockey League for his draft-eligible season.

Alexander Maximiliam Michael Junior Nylander Altelius is an exceptionally skilled player who is 2nd in rookie OHL scoring this season. The young Swedish forward has an excellent combination of hands, creativity, and quickness. Playing on the top-line for the Trout with other 2016 draft-eligible forwards Nathan Bastian and Michael McLeod, Nylander doesn't look out of place at all. In fact, he's adjusted quite quickly and well to North-American ice and is not only a driver of the play on the ice, but he's the leading scorer for the team. Alex has a remarkable shot, skates extremely well - he moves around the ice so well. His balance while handling the puck or avoiding a check is very impressive as well.

Nylander's ability to distribute the puck is excellent as well, and some would argue he is a better play-maker than sniper. He is a threat for offensive chances nearly every time he is on the ice. He's excellent at driving possession and also driving the pace of play. He mainly plays on the Left wing for the Trout, and I believe that if he is to make an impact at the NHL-level, it will be on the left side.

Nylander's main area for improvement is his defensive play. Not that it's a liability, but his 200-foot game is sometimes over-exaggerated simply because having McLeod on the same line will help cover up any mistakes he makes. His positional awareness and overall knowledge of the ice help give him the foundation for growth in his defensive game, so that doesn't quite concern me. It just needs some work.

Alexander Nylander's specialty really comes where his speed and fast-tempo offense can be shown, and this is mainly in the transition game. This is what leads me to believe that he will also be on the Devils' radar. The main reasons for this would be his immense skating ability, slick puck distribution skills, strong transition game, and excellent shot. He certainly does have top-6 potential, and possibly a ceiling of being a top-line winger...most likely on the left side. I'd say an interesting style comparison for Nylander would be a Loui Eriksson-type.

Nylander has the potential to go in the Top 5 selections in the June draft. I think he'll go anywhere from 4-9th overall. He played remarkably at the World Junior Championship in Helsinki this year, and lead Team Sweden in overall points. He finished in the top-10 in scoring for the tournament. A major increase in his draft stock happened at the 2014-2015 WHC-U17 where Nylander, once again, led Team Sweden in scoring and finished in the top-10 scoring for the entire tournament. Nylander ups his game at big events, and despite some potential issues with consistent effort on the ice, I think that if he puts his all into it, he will become an excellent NHLer.
 I am very interested in following the rest of Nylander's season in Mississauga, and I hope he can continue to develop into the elite, offensive winger he has the potential to be. I hope you enjoyed my write-up of Alexander Nylander! If you have any feedback, suggestions, or players you’d like to see my write about, please let me know!

Follow me on Twitter 
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Thanks for reading!

Sunday, January 10, 2016

2016 NHL Draft Preview: Michael McLeod

Welcome to the newest edition of 2016 NHL draft-eligible prospects

Today we look at:

Michael McLeod
Height: 6’2"
Weight: 187 lbs
Position: C
Shoots: Right
Team (League): Mississauga Steelheads (Ontario Hockey League)
ISS rank: 7
CSS rank: A (no rankings released)
FC rank: 13
THN rank: NA
DTJ rank: 9

Current Statline for 2015-2016 Season:  38 GP, 16G 28A 44P 45PIM, +1, 1.16 Points/Game

The Mississauga Steeleheads are lucky to have some very high potential 2016 draft-eligible players on their squad. One of them is Michael McLeod, Mississauaga-born center drafted 5th overall in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection. McLeod is one of the first players you notice when watching Mississauag play, simply because of his fantastic skating. I think he's one of the best skaters in this draft year, and also one of the best skaters in the entire OHL. It's his skating and his ability to keep his feet moving makes him a very dangerous threat. His explosive skating is key and while he has great lateral movement, his most impressive ability for skating, in my opinion, is just how quickly he can change between the "gears" of his toolbox. McLeod plays an excellent 200-foot game, supported by his skating. Offensively, McLeod has elite potential. He has a great shot and a smooth release. I wouldn't call him a sniper, but I would say his shot is NHL-level. In order to improve his chances of being an effective NHL'er he needs to work on the placement of the shots and getting them away quicker.

His offensive creativity and strong vision and IQ within the offensive zone are extremely impressive. He positions himself well and is able to go to the dirty areas to be effective to keep the cycle going. His strong size and frame also help him along the boards, in the cycle, and to fight off checks. He still needs to add more muscle before he makes it to the NHL. I don't like the idea of "compete level" (it seems almost cliche to me), but I think it's important to talk about how McLeod just never quits playing and competing hard every shift. McLeod has responsibility for the Fish, not only wearing the "A", but playing Center on the top-line for the team.

There's a reason why some scouting agencies, people, and presumably teams, have him ranked so highly. He has a very safe projection for the future. There are many other prospects who I believe will have higher offensive ceilings, but McLeod, in my opinion, has the potential to be an elite second-line center for a competing team. A similarity to McLeod's game, in my opinion, would be Jared McCann, with the only real differences in play being McCann having a better defensive play, while McLeod is much faster. Another good comparison for McLeod would be a center version of Blake Wheeler: excellent speed and board play, high "compete level", excellent but not elite stickhandling and hands...albeit at a stylistically level and not quite the same skill level.

McLeod's combination of size, speed, IQ, and overall tools at center position, and relatively safe projection path will lead him to have a potential of being draft very highly. He could even go as high as 4th overall. Realistically I think he'll go in the 10th-13th overall range. From a Devils perspective, I think he's another player to definitely keep an eye out for as June approaches. I've mentioned before that our efforts are going to be for re-stocking the cupboard of forward prospects, and I think McLeod would help do just that. The trend was set for the Devils at the last draft (the first draft under the new regime of Ray Shero and crew) to select players that could have substituted as track runners (Zacha, Speers, White, and Seney are all incredible skaters), which leads me to think the Devils are heavily drafting McLeod. That being said, this will be the first draft under the new Director of Amateur Scouting for the Devils, Paul Castron, so it will be most interesting to see what direction the new department takes the future.
 I am very interested in following the rest of McLeod's season in Mississauga, and I hope he can continue to develop into the strong two-way, elite skating player he has the potential to be. I hope you enjoyed my write-up of Michael McLeod! If you have any feedback, suggestions, or players you’d like to see my write about, please let me know!


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Thanks for reading!

Saturday, January 9, 2016

2016 NHL Draft Preview: Tyson Jost

I'm feeling a bit of a streak today, and will try to get another prospect report in...after all it is my break day for grad school applications.

Today we look at
:
Tyson Jost
Height: 6’0"
Weight: 194 lbs
Position: C/LW
Shoots: Left
Team (League): Penticton Vees (British Columbia Hockey League )
ISS rank: 9
CSS rank: A (no rankings released)
FC rank: 12
THN rank: NA
DTJ rank: 11

Current Statline for 2015-2016 Season:  30 GP, 24G 37A 61P 28PIM, +0 (BCHL doesn't seem to track +/-), 2.03 Points/Game

This draft class is seeing a very interesting differentiation in the "standard path" of development. The headliner of the draft class, Auston Matthews, is opting for a year in the Swiss National League. Two other players are taking an alternate path for development as well. Dante Fabbro and Tyson Jost and two young draft-eligible players who opted to stay another year instead of signing with the WHL teams that drafted them. They are both NCAA bound next season. (Jost - North Dakota & Fabbro - Boston U.)

Tyson Jost is a ferocious offensive talent capable of playing and performing at very high speed with good energy. He is a remarkable embodiment of the term "fast", in every sense. He's physically fast, and zips up and down the ice, but is also incredibly fast in thinking the game and executing plays. I think an understandable knock against him is the level of play in the league that he's in, in comparison to other top draft-eligible prospects is much weaker. I agree with this notion, but when playing among his peers in the World Junior A championship, a very respected and heavily scouted, Jost was Team Canada's best forward and the tournament leading scorer with 9 points (3G 6A) in 4 games. In fact, in each of the international events that Jost has represented Canada for, he's performed remarkably and has been one of Canada's best forwards. At the 2014 WJAC he was able to make a tremendous impact against older competition despite being only a 16 year-old. Point being, he has fantastic offensive instincts. A typical buzzsaw-type forward in terms of grit, energy, speed, and skill, Jost is going to be a top talent coming into the draft.

In his first full season of the BCHL, Jost had the highest PPG pace out of his entire team, scoring 45 points (23G 22A0 in 46 games. He plays a big role this year, and will play a massive role at the University of North Dakota next season. I believe he's going to make a strong impact at the NHL level because he has all the tools to be elite. He plays, in my opinion, a good blue collar game: hard-working and honest. He's excellent along the boards, winning most of his battles and positions himself well. He's also got a great, strong shot. He can lay out a good strong hit as well. Everything about Jost screams elite offensive threat, mainly based in his great hockey IQ and excellent speed.

Like many young forward prospects, Jost is still figuring out play in his own end, and he has been improving. Having to grow into hockey as a smaller player, he developed strong elements to his "small game" like stick lifts and other reads on the ice. While not huge in stature, he is very difficult to knock off of the puck. Additionally, Jost is wearing the "C" for Penticton this season, and performing admirably in doing so. He tries to lead by example, and I would definitely say he's doing so.

At the draft in June, I don't see Jost being taken past 16th overall. He's just too good. Future Considerations describes him as "agile and slippery", and I agree in that description. He's just at least half a step ahead of everybody else out there, and is able to make all sorts of plays because of it. Despite his ability to rush the net and score with his hard wrist-shot, I would still describe Jost as a play-making forward. Either way, he's got the makings of a top-6 forward. From a Devils perspective, I can absolutely see Jost making a significant impact within Hynes' system. He's a very dynamic player with elite puck handling skills. If the Devils do draft him, they will have to be patient, and give him as many years as he needs at University of North Dakota to develop. Also this wouldn't be the first time the Devils select a forward from the BCHL with a 1st round pick. Travis Zajac was selected 20th overall (1st round) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL. While there is a big difference in styles of play between the two players, it shows that talent comes through regardless of the league of play. 
I am very interested in following the rest of Jost's season in Penticton, and I hope he can become the top-tiered talent he has the potential to be. I hope you enjoyed my write-up of Tyson Jost! If you have any feedback, suggestions, or players you’d like to see my write about, please let me know!


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Thanks for reading!

Friday, January 8, 2016

2016 NHL Draft Preview: Tyler Benson

Welcome back to today's installment of 2016 draft-eligible players.

Today we look at:


Tyler Benson
Height: 6’0"
Weight: 201 lbs
Position: C/LW
Shoots: Left
Team (League): Vancouver Giants (Western Hockey League)
ISS rank: 19
CSS rank: A (no rankings released)
FC rank: 19
THN rank: NA
DTJ rank: 15

Current Statline for 2015-2016 Season:  28 GP, 8G 18A 26P 40PIM, +0, 0.93 Points/Game

The 1st overall selection in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, Tyler Benson entered not only the WHL, but this season with remarkably high expectations. After being one of the league's best rookies in his innaugural 2014-2015 WHL campaign, Benson also competed for Team Canada at the 2014-2015 World U-18 Junior Championships along 2015 draft eligible players. In 7 games, Benson scored 4 points (1G 3A). In August before the start of the 2015-2016 WHL season, Benson competed with Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Benson was tied for the lead in points for Team Canada with 5 points (1G 4A) in 4 games.

Touted as one of the most prolific midget/bantam scorers in Alberta hockey history, Benson has been thrust into a leadership role with the Vancouver Giants at a very young age. At 17 years-old, in just his 2nd season in the league, Benson is already wearing the "C". Benson has made steady improvement with each passing season, and has helped solidify himself as a solid power forward prospect with excellent finesse skills for the upcoming draft in June. Benson's game consists of excellent speed, skating and balance along with physicality, vision and IQ. Benson missed the first few months of this season recovering from surgery for a lower-body injury.

Benson has a remarkable toolbox and an NHL shot. He's a heavy shooter but can distribute the puck incredibly well. When he was in midget/bantam hockey the word "generational" was thrown around, especially as he would surpass all the critical scoring records in the Albert Major Bantam Hockey League. Despite a slow start back from his injury, he's now on pace to surpass the PPG pace (currently has 26 points in 28 games) playing on one of the bottom teams in the WHL (Vancouver has 35 points on the season, last place in the Western Conference and in 5th to last place in the league). Recently, Benson was named to the CHL Top Prospects Game, hosted by the Giants on January 28th.

To me, Benson is absolutely going to be an NHL-player. The biggest question will be in what role and capacity will he play. He is physical and aggressive on the puck and away as well. His two-way ability has been progressing to the point where I believe his floor is a 3rd-liner. In fact, as his two-way game progresses, that's the area where I feel he needs to improve. His goal-scoring ability is already phenomenal and will continue to improve, and I believe he has elite passing ability. His ceiling is a top-line, offensive forward. I use the term "offensive" simply because he is just as much of a goal-scorer as a play-maker.

Whichever team drafts Benson will have to be patient with him. At this point, he will require at least another year in the Dub to help improve his consistency and his overall play. In a sense, Benson reminds me a lot of a Taylor Hall type player: a strong skating winger with incredible creativity with the puck - albeit at not as high of a level as Hall. A criticism of Benson's play is that he  sometimes looks a little lazy when he's not engaged in the game. I would argue that it's the other way around. Sometimes Benson tries to do too much, and is better when he doesn't focus his efforts on physicality, despite being the Giants' most physical forwards most nights (the Giants do lack size and physicality up front for the most part - with exception of Radovan Bondra).

I like what Tyler Benson brings to the table; he's your typical tough WHL power-winger, and I think as his game continues to progress and improve, he will be coveted at the draft. I can see him going anywhere from 11th to 25th overall. I know that's a wide margin, but we've seen high-potential WHL forwards recovering from lower-body injury drop from their projected spots at the NHL Draft (Barzal for example). However, that being said I believe Benson will be taken 17th overall.

From a Devils perspective, I think Benson would be a perfect fit. Benson plays with a "relentless" mindset and is dangerous on the attack. In fact, he really fits the bill well on what head coach, John Hynes, is trying to instill in the new system with "fast, attacking, and supportive" play. Despite great development from some forwards within the prospect system, the Devils' still have dire need for top-6 potential forward prospects, and I believe Tyler Benson would fit that need perfectly. I don't know where the Devils will end up drafting this year, but if they do end up with a top-10 pick, then I can see GM, Ray Shero, attempting to trade up to snag Benson if he does become available in the later first round.
I am very interested in following the rest of Benson's season in Vancouver, and I hope he can become the top-tiered talent he has the potential to be. I hope you enjoyed my write-up of Tyler Benson! If you have any feedback, suggestions, or players you’d like to see my write about, please let me know!

Follow me on Twitter 
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Thanks for reading!