[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (The Other Crosby Edition):

Not many draft-eligibles had as much bad luck with injuries this season as RW Logan Crosby of the Halifax Mooseheads. He was playing just his second game back in November from an 11-game absence due to an upper-body injury he suffered in October, when a hit from behind sidelined him until January 20th. Crosby started the season with 8 points in 8 games, but his injury woes limited him to just 33 games, with 22 points. While those numbers prorated equal a respectable 44 points in 66 games just for an example, I have to believe he would have been closer to a point-per-game had he stayed healthier over the course of the season. The 6'2",183lb winger was given a "C" rating at the start of the season, denoting a likely 4th, or 5th-round pick. The Mooseheads traded two picks (27 and 42) to move up in the 2021 QMJHL Draft in order to secure Crosby's rights in the first round, 20th overall.

Crosby plays in all situations for the Mooseheads, and both sides of special teams, despite having no real dynamic qualities or high-end traits. He's the type that does most of the heavy lifting for his line, competing in the hard areas, and winning pucks in the corners and along the wall. He makes a better screen than a window as a net-front presence where he cleans up garbage, pounces on rebounds, and uses his body to cause havok. He has soft hands in-close, and most of his goals come from within 10-feet of the net- he plays in front of the net on the powerplay as well. He owns a hard, accurate shot with a beautiful curl-and-drag release at his disposal, and explodes off the wall to attack the middle for shots, with the help of his wingspan- which helps him protect the puck skillfully. Crosby has a long, powerful stride that puts out above-average speed, and he's quick in a straight line. He could use a better top speed with more explosiveness however, and has to improve his edgework as he is relegated to taking wide turns where he tends to lose speed. He isn't quick enough in small areas, but he manages to move fairly well laterally. There are flashes of high-end vision and creativity, but at the very least he is a skilled distributor, finding seams through traffic, and can make cross-ice passes look effortless. He's capable of dishing in full flight, and faciltates plenty of chances for his teammates. Crosby scans well to get a good knowledge of his surroundings, and uses deceptive feints to open space to move in, and lanes to pass through in the form of fakes, dekes, and look-offs.

Crosby's puckhandling is nothing special- he has some nice 1-on-1 moves, but knows his limitations. In transition, he will dump-and-chase and work the give-and-go's, leaving most of the carrying to his teammates. He is a power-forward with a physical presence and shows intensity on the forecheck as well as in puck-battles, but is very disciplined, with a miniscule 2 penalty-minutes this year, and only 6 penalty-minutes last year. He uses his body as leverage to separate man from puck, and will lean into defenders on his way to the net. He works incredibly hard, stays active, plays aggressive, and has a seemingly never-ending motor. One of the mainstays of his game is his relentless, sustained checking game- he's highly disruptive in all three zones. He will hound puck-carriers in the neutral zone, and kills rushes before they reach the blueline with his brand of hard, heavy defense. The cherry on top is his breakout passes when he wins possession, and he can stretch the ice with some long-bomb passes to streaking teammates. While he's more of a complimentary player at this point, and not really a play-driver, he's able to play up and down the lineup in any situation, and hopefully will make a good two-way, bottom-6 winger in the NHL, with the potential for more. I believe that injuries derailed his season, and that he's better than his stats. I will go with Central Scouting's assessment, and put him in the 4th, or 5th round.