[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Soldier Edition):

RW Ethan Procyszyn is still a young man, with a July birthday, but stands 6'3", weighs in at 189 lbs, and best of all- he can skate like the wind. Earlier this season, he was given a "B" rating by Central Scouting, indicating a second-or third round pick, and he currently sits at 14 goals and 32 points in 55 games, having been pushed down the lineup on a deep North Bay squad, who sit 5th in the OHL for goals-scored. It is believed that he could post much better numbers if he was given better minutes.

Procyszyn is a power-forward who can dominate with his size, though he also plays an intelligent all-around, pro-style game. He forechecks with authority, and dishes out hits that not only pressure opponents and dislodge pucks, but also energize his team. He is an excellent skater, not only for his size, but for any size, and covers a lot of ice in a hurry with his long, powerful stride. In on-ice testing leading up to the CHL Top Prospects Game, he finished 2nd in Reaction, and 2nd in Reaction With Puck, then showed off his speed in the game. He's decently skilled with the puck, and has the vision to make high-end passes, with the anticipation to see plays before they unfold in both ends of the ice. He's excellent around the net, with the hands to finish in-tight, and will park himself in front to set up the screen on PP2. Procyszyn is dominant along the boards, and in the corners, playing a very physical brand of hockey.

In transition, Procyszyn holds value, and is quite hard to stop with his skating and high-end puck control. He brings a high work ethic and compete level, and is difficult to beat in 50/50 battles for the puck. He brings energy in all 3 zones, and plays the PK, but it's his stalwart defensive zone play that might just be his ticket to the pros. He has a talent for cutting off lanes, and intercepting passes, thereby cutting off huge swaths of ice and turning defense into offense. He intimidates with his size, speed, and reach- pressuring opponents into getting rid of the puck by taking away time and space. He is often capable of killing the play in the neutral zone, before the puck even reaches his blueline. Procyzsyn is a hard player to go up against, and displays high-end defensive awareness, and the anticipation to disrupt plays in their early stages.

Though he plays a physical game, he has been criticized for not always finishing every check- but he can hardly be blamed for this in my opinion, as anyone who was flat-out hitting every opponent in every shift would break down physically quite quickly. Still, he could be more intense, and play with much more of an edge. In the next two years, he'll be able to show much more, and will unlock a lot more offense. He will need to work on his shot, as it lacks some power- all of his goals come from in-tight, and he doesn't really shoot from beyond the hash marks. I see him as a potential 3rd/4th rounder, with the NHL floor of a bottom-6 defensive specialist, with PK duties. If he works on his shot, and further develops his offense, he has a chance to play as high as the second line, IMO.