[Sandman]

More Draft Thoughts:

D Adam Kleber has the profile of a player that most NHL GM's would salivate over: that of a 6'5",215lb mobile right-handed defenseman. Kleber is already a shutdown D who plays big minutes for Lincoln of the USHL, but he's also 25th in scoring from the backend in that league, with 16 points in 30 games currently. Respectable feat, when you consider that his team currently sits 6th out of 8 teams in the West, and 12th out of 16, with a goals-for that ranks second-worst in that circuit. Kleber leads his own team from the backend by 5 points over the next highest scoring D, a player who has played 6 more games. Kleber's offensive contributions can't be overlooked.
AK is not an elite passer or playmaker, but makes consistently good decisions, and is much more effective when keeping things simple. He's very mobile, especially for a big man, and can keep pace with smaller forwards. He's strong on his skates, and nearly impossible to knock off the puck, but could still use work on his explosiveness, top speed, and lateral agility- still, it's hard to get around him with his enormous wingspan. Kleber is a very good defensive player, who makes impressive reads to intercept passes and break up plays, and has effective gap control. He's imposing down low, good against the rush, keeps the crease clean, and uses his big body and well positioned stick to clog lanes. He can sometimes take himself out of the play looking to physically engage, so he will need to learn to pick his spots. His head is up, scanning for options on retrievals, and makes quality breakout passes under pressure. Kleber plays a robust physical game, and is hard against the wall. In the other end of the ice, he will sometimes jump into the play, and can cause havok with his booming shot from the point. There's definitely plenty of offensive inclination here, and some good instincts, but this part of his game might not end up being his bread and butter in the pros.
The Portland Winterhawks of the WHL thought enough of Kleber to select him 34th overall in the WHL US Draft, but obviously he wanted to go the college route, as he has committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. This means that he's got plenty of time to round out his game, improve his play with the puck, and top up his skating. We still don't know exactly what kind of player Kleber is, but I would guess his ceiling is a Brian Dumoulin-type, who can move the puck and play sound defense. Most likely a third-rounder, if he doesn't go late 2nd.

Most of us who are avid draft followers are often guilty of becoming enamoured with certain prospects over others, and I'm perhaps the worst. Last year, I kept touting the names of two defensemen who I REALLY liked for the second/third rounds, in Tristan Bertucci and Quinton Burns. I didn't see my wish of the Flames picking up one, or both, of these players (and I'm not sure they were even interested), as Bertucci was picked in the 2nd round by Dallas, and Burns went in the 3rd round to St. Louis. It's all good, as I was more than fine with who we got, but I may have to start up a similar campaign this year in regards to another defenseman, 6'4", 195lb righty, Colton Roberts of the Vancouver Giants. I'm not the only one who likes this kid, as Central Scouting has given him a "B" rating- meaning they feel he's a 2nd, or 3rd-round pick, and the Giants picked him 11th overall in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft. Roberts is currently 2nd on the team in scoring for D, and 14 points ahead of the next highest-scoring D, with 7 goals and 21 points in 46 games, to go with 43 PIM. Pretty respectable when one considers that Vancouver currently sits in 16th place out of 22 teams, and has the 5th-worst goals-for.
If you're wondering how Roberts would look on a better team, consider his performance in the CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Red, though it's a small sample size: 2 primary assists, 4 shots to lead team Red, and a +3 that led all skaters. Very noticeable all game as well. In the on-ice testing leading up to the prospects game, Roberts finished 3rd (and had 6 top-5 finishes) amongst 14 WHL players- including 2nd place in "transition agility with puck", and 3rd place in "30m backwards skate with puck". This is an indication of how good a skater he is, and he can use his mobility to drive play. He's a strong, all-around player who is excellent at both ends of the ice, and has a better offensive game than his stats suggest. He's a sneaky-good playmaker, and a skilled passer, who can connect perfectly through traffic to high-danger. His point shot has velocity and accuracy, and he gets it on net with regularity. He distributes well from the line, but has top-notch vision and anticipation in all 3 zones. He's getting more and more confident in carrying the puck, will join the rush (at he showed at the Prospects game), and he handles the puck quite smoothly. He's strong defensively, eats minutes, competes hard, and has a solid dose of truculence. He's very hard to play against in a number of ways. Roberts needs to fine-tune some of the details in his game, and can be caught puck-watching while losing his man, but I love this kid. Second round all day.