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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Calgary
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More Draft Thoughts (Some RHD To Peruse):
Charlie Elick is a 6'3"198lb RHD who hails from the great city of Calgary, and is the son of Royals alum Mickey Elick, who once played for the Saint John Flames. Elick toils for the Brandon Wheat Kings, who currently sit in 5th place in the East, and 10th overall, with a 12th-placed goals-for, and to date has posted 20 points in 44 games (4th in the league for U-18 defensemen), to go with 43 penalty-minutes. I love this player, and anyone who appreciates the finer points of the game will too. Elick is already an advanced shutdown defender, a workhorse minute-muncher, and a calm and steadying presence on the backend. He's an advanced puck-mover, and makes contributions to all aspects of the game.
Elick is a smooth skater, with excellent 4-directional speed, who can keep up with smaller players. His quick backwards mobility, paired with his reach and smothering defensive awareness, give him superb gap-control and the ability to stifle rushes in their early stages. Elick doesn't seem to ever get cleanly beaten, but when the play gets to the defensive zone, he blocks shots and clogs the lanes. He allows little to no time or space for opponents to make decisions. Elick is a mature player, and doesn't cheat the game. At the Hlinka, where he put up 2 points in 5 games, he was given preferred ice-time in the top-4 over players like Zayne Parekh, Ben Danford, and Anthony Cristoforo.
Elick can play in any situation, both sides of special teams, and can easily ride shotgun on a top-pairing. He is not devoid of offensive skills, owning a hard, heavy shot, and a crisp, accurate passing game. He consistently makes good decisions under pressure, and usually keeps it simple when completing a pass, but he can pull off pinpoint stretch passes as well. Elick always stays calm, scans the ice for options, and gets the puck out of danger. He contributes well to transition with his outlets, but will join the rush and support teammates in the offensive zone- he doesn't pinch much though, and prefers to stay near the line. His repertoire is highlighted by his high IQ and intelligence, but he also plays a hard, heavy game, uses his size well in puck battles, and has his own version of the tunnel of death.
Elick fits the mold of the modern puck-moving, shutdown defenseman that teams covet in the first-round, much like a Braeden Schneider, Kaiden Guhle, or a Nolan Allan, but with the potential for a bit more. There's room to get bigger and stronger, and develop his offensive skills and skating further. He's a safe pick, and will play in your second pairing, giving you solid two-way play.
6'3",179 lb RHD Spencer Gill (he's actually closer to 6'4") was selected 5th overall by the Rimouski Oceanic in the 2022 QMJHL Draft, and is paying dividends- collecting 29 points in 45 games so far this campaign, to go with 48 PIM. Gill is one of the younger players in this Draft, with an August 17th birthday, but plays a rather mature game. His numbers would be dismissed by most fans, but consider that those numbers put him 12th in league scoring for defensemen, and 16th overall in pts/gp at 0.64. Consider also that those stats put him on pace to end the regular season with 42 points in 65 games, putting him in the vicinity of the draft-year totals of 2023 CHL draft-picks like Oliver Bonk (40 in 67), Tanner Molendyk (37 in 67), Beau Akey (47 in 66), and Caden Price (40 in 65), who are all considered more or less to be offensive defensemen. I'm not saying he's a future Erik Karlsson, but his numbers shouldn't be ignored. Gill played quite conservatively at the Top Prospects Game, but perhaps showed off what might be his best asset, and his ticket to the NHL, which is his calm and poised shutdown defensive game, and his ability to munch minutes.
Gill is highly defensively aware, and plays a solid positional game with a well-timed stick, and some physicality to boot. He may not be a burner, but he's an excellent 4-directional skater, which aids his ability to snuff the rush, and gives him tight gap control, especially when paired with his enormous wingspan. He can play in all situations, and both special teams. Gill has solid puck skills and passing, and skates with his head up to scan for options, while carrying the puck confidently. He's a good puck-mover, helps in transition, and makes a safe first pass- but will connect on more flashy stretch passes when the opportunity presents itself. He makes solid contributions to the offense, and to the PP, and is excellent at spotting open seams, particularly to teammates in the slot. Gill usually plays the safer, simpler game, and doesn't pinch much, instead preferring to man the line- but he has the hockey sense and IQ to take more chances, and be more aggressive. There's untapped offensive potential here, but he will need to work on his shot, and his strength, while continuing to build on his speed. Don't sleep on this kid! Look for him in the second round.
Cape Breton is currently 4th in the East, and 7th overall, but only 3 teams have scored less. Conversely, only 3 teams have allowed less goals-against than the Eagles, so obviously, we're talking about a very defensively conservative team. 6'4",225lb RHD Tomas Lavoie was chosen first overall by Cape Breton in the 2022 QMJHL Draft, and to date this season has scored 18 points in 44 games, doing what he was meant to do- be a minute-munching workhorse.
Lavoie is a huge D with surprising mobility, solid 4-directional speed, with good edges and agility in his pivots. He is deployed as a shutdown defenseman by Cape Breton, and has the awareness, smarts,and quality gap control to fulfill the role, and he likes the physical game. He's solid defensively, and plays against the top offensive players in the league. Not so much of an offensive threat right now, but he has potential. There's solid puck skills in his repertoire, and he's an excellent passer who can move the puck, and find seams through traffic. He has a hard, heavy shot with a quick release, and an excellent one-timer- and hits the net most of the time. He's been known to have the ability to QB a PP, and he can kill penalties. Lavoie can carry with confidence, and he has a quality first-pass. He's a steadying influence on teammates with his calm, collected demeanor, but is very hard-working and competitive. Lavoie is still quite raw, and has plenty of room to grow his game. I wonder how much his numbers are affected from playing on such a conservative team. I would say he's taken in the second or third round.
6'3" RHD EJ Emery grew up in Surrey, BC, but plays in the US Development Program, with 9 points and 51 PIM in 36 games for the U-18 squad, including 5 points and 22 PIM in 16 games against USHL competition. Emery is a huge, mobile, athletic shut-down defender who keeps it simple. He's a stalwart defensively, and specializes in killing rushes. Skating is a pillar of his game, as he moves extremely well for a big man, and he's agressive and physical with plenty of snarl.
Emery has good gaps, and closes on plays quite quickly. He excels on retrievals, and kickstarting the rush with solid outlets. He makes good reads, and employs hard, crisp passes. His puck-movement is effective when keeping it simple, but he's growing in this area, and working on his puck-posession game. He keeps the slot clear, and patrols high-danger with the IQ to intercept passes, and to clog passing lanes proactively. His positioning in the defensive zone is exemplary, with uncanny anticipation- he causes a multitude of turnovers, and breaks up plays consistently. There's no problem with his work-ethic, motor, or compete, and he can be relied upon to log big minutes. He's a good penalty-killer, although he's not currently on the first unit.
Emery needs to bulk up considerably, get stronger, and continue to fine-tune his skating. He seems committed to developing his offense. There's potential here, although it's unrealistic to expect him to become a top-pairing defender. Even though he's quite raw, some pundits have him in the first round on their lists, as his ratio of size, physicality, and skating are tantalizing.
At last summer's Hlinka tournament, I thought 6'0", 176lb RHD Ben Danford was vanilla at best- he made a few errors that resulted in goals for the opposition, and put up no points in 5 games. As it turns out, most believe that wasn't the real, everyday Ben Danford that we were watching. With Oshawa to date this season, he has put up 26 points in 44 games, which is tied for 25th in the OHL for defensemen, and 5th for U-18 defensemen. Those stats would put him on pace for 41 points in 68 games, underrated numbers when one considers that some of the better two-way, offensive CHL defensemen from last year's draft had stats very much in line with his projections.
Danford is already considered to a shutdown D, with improving puck-skills and confidence. He does all the little things, and always moves the puck out of danger- quite the contrast to his performance at the Hlinka. He's a workhorse in the D-zone, and is an expert in retrievals- always looking over his shoulder to choose his next move. He is one of the best shot-blockers in the league, with well-timed stickwork to break up plays, and magnificent gap control. Defends his crease like he was 6'3"- he's quite strong for his size, and wins puck battles with will and tenacity. He plays a physical brand of hockey and finishes his checks, but can also throw some nifty open-ice hits. He will separate man from puck with his stick or his body. Danford exhibits excellent positioning, and thinks well ahead of the play, keeping attackers to the outside, clogging lanes, and disrupting passing plays. His defensive awareness, smarts, and anticipation will already get him attention from scouts, but there's more to his game.
Danford is an excellent skater, but could use more explosiveness, and better acceleration. He's quite agile though, strong on his skates with good balance. He's getting better at joining the rush, and even leading the charge, but he's already fairly adept at running the offense from the blueline- holding the puck in and extending zone time, playing the point on the PP, and distributing while eluding defenders under pressure. Danford has an underrated shot that he can get on net through traffic, but he doesn't use it near enough, and he can really thread the needle at times. He also doesn't pinch into the play enough, but when he does, he shows assertiveness and creativity. He can contribute to transition, skating with his head up to scan for options, and traversing the neutral zone by carrying or passing. His exit passes and outlets are best kept simple. Danford is already a fine defensive player, but still raw in other aspects of his game, but he has real upside, and is getting more confident and assertive with the puck. I think he'll be taken in the 2nd round.
Last edited by Sandman; 03-08-2024 at 12:02 PM.
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