[Sandman]

Sorry cral, got some more incoming, lol....

Draft Thoughts (A Walk In The Park Edition):

Everything you can say about C/RW Aidan Park comes with an asterisk, because his performance this year came at the Prep School level with Shattuck-St.Mary's 18U program, a lower level of competition than most prospects, making him a bit harder to project. His 28 goals and 76 points puts him 9th overall in scoring in the Prep circuit, but I think he cemented his status as a legitimate option in the top four rounds of the draft with his performance in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer, where he was tied for 4th on Team USA with 3 goals and 4 points in 5 games, and was used in all situations. Park had the opportunity to play with Cole Eiserman and Macklin Celebrini at Shattuck in 2020-21, where all 3 played 14U AAA, and he put up 133 points in 50 games. Park stands 6'1", and weighs in at 185lbs.

No matter what can be said about Park's offensive game, he is at the very least versatile, with the ability to play center or wing, both sides of special teams, and is a dual threat with the ability to both score and make plays. He's fun to watch, with effortless skating that puts out speed that is approaching elite, but held back a bit by a wonky stride with less-than-perfect mechanics. Despite employing an unconventional stride, he still manages to generate good power and quickness, and his footspeed facilitates his whole game. Get him with the right skating coach, and he'll be a burner. To augment his mobility, he keeps his legs pumping hard, stays active, and pushes supreme pace. Park's hands and brain keep up with his feet, as he's a smooth handler with tight puck-control at top speed with slick 1-on-1 moves, and makes quick decisions in full flight. All of the above abilities make him highly effective in transition, especially when combined with his shiftiness, and smooth edgework- he plays a dominant puck-possession game in all 3 zones, at least in the Prep league.

Another pillar of Park's game is his elite compete level, and high motor. He is quite athletic, and applies relentless hustle to hounding puck-carriers in all 3 zones, and winning puck battles along the boards. He's a net-front presence with a goal-scorer's touch, and has excellent hand-eye coordination for tipping pucks. In a 1-on-1 scenario with a goalie, Park wins much of the time, but he will also crash the net to clean up garbage. He has a rather deep arsenal of shots, and the inate ability to find pockets of space to unleash them- he gets a wicked snap on his wrister, with a deceptive release. He's a skilled playmaker as well, and his 48 assists rank 6th in the league, ahead of teammate Will Zellers. Park plays a fairly mature, responsible game, and seems to take pride in being a good defensive player, as he's often the first forward back in the zone in defensive situations. He takes away the middle of the ice, battles along the wall, and supports his D down low. The coaches trust him with penalty-killing duties, and he rewards them with his proficiency in this area, with the speed and defensive awareness to pressure puck-carriers and cause turnovers. He's a good faceoff man, and quickly secures the puck in the defensive zone in order to start the breakout.

Park is in the midst of his fourth season with Shattuck-St.Mary's, and many of his past teammates have seemingly passed him by, or have moved on to higher levels. Will Zellers led the prep school league with 95 points in 48 games this season, which is 19 points more than Park's 76, and Zellers looks like he could be a legitimate top-6 player at the NHL level in the future. Berkly Catton is tearing up the WHL, Ryker Lee has 84 points at Shattuck, and we all know how Celebrini and Eiserman are doing. Though I like Park's game, I have to wonder about his offensive ceiling, and there are indeed questions about his IQ as he can be rushed into making bad plays, and sometimes makes questionable decisions and egregious errors. I really like the tools he has to work with though, and I think he'll make an excellent defensive-minded middle-six player with some grit and hustle, perhaps a third-line center who chip in some offense- and there's nothing wrong with that. Park is committed to the University of Michigan for 2025-26, and will be in the USHL next season, so there's a whole lot of runway to round out his game. I think he'll be taken in the 4th round.