From the perspective of organizational need, Ekblad has a lot going for him. The current defense corps in one of the smallest and softest in the league and there isn't much help coming in the foreseeable future. The Flames are critically short of top end defense prospects and the prospects they do have are mostly on the small side. Consider the following:
Sieloff - 6'0" 198 lbs
Wotherspoon - 6'1" 203 lbs
Culkin - 6'1" 188 lbs
Ramage - 6'1" 190 lbs
Kulak - 6'1" 175 lbs
Even if each of these guys were to add 10-15 lbs of muscle, that still puts them at about average for defensemen in the NHL at best. Drafting Ekblad would certainly add size and skill to their defense prospect pool.
Ekblad is not a perfect prospect. He can score and for his size he seems to be quite a good skater, however, he's also a minus player on a middle of the pack Barrie Colts team. In general, NHL scouts seem to be better at spotting elite forwards than elite defensemen at the junior level. Also, fairly or unfairly, whenever a player who's bigger and stronger than most of his opponents excels at the junior level, there's always the question of whether his dominance is due to superior skill or simply being bigger and stronger.
In all, picking Ekblad would be a risk, but it would be a risk that could potentially pay huge dividends if it succeeds. I'm still undecided about who Flames should pick if they end up winning the draft lottery: Ekblad has too many unknowns, but Reinhart really hasn't shown himself as a clear favourite either. In the more likely event that the Flames end up picking between 2 and 5, I think Ekblad's our man all the way if he's still on the table when we pick.
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