Wheeler posted his
list of risers and fallers of the 2020 draft. Boltmann made the list as a faller:
Quote:
Jake Boltmann, RHD, Calgary Flames/Lincoln Stars/University of Notre Dame
Drafted: No. 80
My final ranking: Not ranked in my top 100
Boltmann was one of the more head-scratching selections on draft day for me (I wouldn’t have considered drafting him at all, to be blunt, let alone in the third round) and then he had a difficult year split between the USHL and college, going pointless in a combined 25 games. The production itself isn’t the end of the world. He plies his trade as a tough-minutes defender. But I’d be pretty shocked if he developed into more than a low-level pro player on the back of that quality. More and more, the prospects that make it as third-pairing or fourth-line types in the NHL are the ones who were first-pairing players and first-line players at lower levels. It’s hard to go from a guy who looked like a depth player at lower levels and become something more than that as you progress up ranks. Boltmann’s going to be a good two-way type in time in college, but there are some clear holes to fill to be more than that.
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