LW Ryan St.Louis,5'10"168lbs (USNTDP Juniors): 25gp/7g/7a/14pts, along with 0pts in 5 U18 games. The son of Martin St. Louis has his father's drive and passion for hockey-he's a hard-worker with a high motor, and high-compete. He's a fantastic passer, with top-end playmaking skills. He sees the ice well and makes crafty passes. RSL can be explosive and shifty in possession, with good puck-control to deke around or through defenders. He's willing to take the puck to hard areas, and exhibits great puck support. Smooth skater, with good agility that he applies in his relentless forechecking. Uses his stick well in 50/50 battles, and to take away passing lanes. His footwork and gaining inside body position wins him most of his physical confrontations-he's not physical, but doesn't shy away from contact. He consistently puts himself in good positions to be a quality pass option for teammates, and he can create his own space. His shot might be his best asset, and he uses it often-he's a threat to score at any time. Doesn't need a lot of space to get it off, and he's patient in waiting for the best option to shoot. His shot is hard, and heavy.
RSL is not much of a factor defensively, and there's a lack of effort in his game when he doesn't have the puck. He doesn't take away much time or space in the D zone, and doesn't apply enough pressure on opponents-he makes it too easy. He still gets knocked off the puck, so he needs to get much stronger. His decision-making, and vision leave a lot to be desired sometimes, particularly in the neutral and defensive zones. If he gets selected, it will be in the later rounds, but to me-he sure doesn't put up a lot of offense, for an offensive player. He still has some potential as a middle-6 player in the NHL, but he needs plenty of development time, which he'll get at Northeastern University, starting next year.
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