Draft Thoughts (Don't Squeeze the Charmin Edition):
The term,"two-way defenseman" is used a lot to describe LHD John Whipple, but I see him leaning more towards being a smart facilitator, than an offensive contributor- at least at this point. Whipple has posted 15 points in 51 games this season to date, to go along with 52 penalty-minutes, often anchoring a pairing with Cole Hutson.
Rather than calling Whipple a "defensive defenseman", I will refer to him as a "defense-first defenseman", as he has puck-moving skill, and a high level of vision and awareness. He's a minute-muncher, and can play top-minutes in a shutdown role, but shows flashes of untapped offensive potential. Mobility-wise, he's a fluid skater with above-average speed, and moves well in all four directions with smooth transitions- though he's not elite in any category. To augment his footwork, he plays with pace and has good motor. Whipple, who stands 6'1", and weighs in at 194 lbs, makes life miserable for opponents by being highly aggressive and hard to play against with the way he closes fast on attackers, and imposes his will physically- or with his active stick. He exhibits tight gap control, smart positioning, and plays with a bit of an edge- he will dole out hacks and whacks, and mix in a few crosschecks here and there, but can also sometimes cross the line into "dirty" territory. There's no fear in him to mix it up physically, and though he's not nearly as mean as Will Skahan or as intimidating as Adam Kleber, he will dole out big hits, and wins pucks by battling hard in the trenches. Opponents of his get angled towards the boards, where they are often finished off with hard bodychecks.
Whipple plays a simple game with the puck that's not flashy, but effective. He makes quality outlets to his forwards, after completing smooth retrievals by scanning over both shoulders to map out his surroundings. He doesn't carry much through transition, instead deferring to teammates to spearhead the rush, while playing a support role. Despite not putting up big offensive numbers, he shows quick processing abilities and anticipation- he problem-solves on the fly, and usually makes mistake-free decisions with the puck. He's calm and composed under pressure, and knows what to do when he gets possession. Whipple was known as an offensive defenseman when he played at Shattuck-St. Mary's a few years back, and he still flashes some potential to put up bigger numbers in the future- he can pinch deep on occasion, even if it's to keep the puck alive in the zone, and he owns a nice hard shot from the point. He can get the puck on net through traffic with accuracy, and will also shoot it low and hard to cause rebounds for teammates. Off the puck, he does a good job of staying open with his stick ready on the ice for passes, and has a good sense of where to be at all times to best support the play. Whipple reminds me a bit of Ryan Lindgren right now, and has bottom-4 potential in the NHL. He's committed to the University of Minnesota, so he's got extra runway to round out his game. Look for him in the 3rd round.
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