[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Muffin Man Edition):

I've been avoiding doing a profile of LHC Maxmilian Curran, because I'm not at all sold on him. He's polarizing to scouts as well, with some ranking him as high as the the first round at various times this season. Curran is a Czechian import, but his father is Irish, hence the name. He was selected by the Tri-City Americans, 39th overall in the 2023 CHL Import Draft, and as a rookie this season he racked up 32 points (only 5 goals) in 40 games, before an injury ended his WHL season in January. When prorated to 68 games, his points total would be 54, which sounds a bit better, and is impressive considering that he doesn't play much with Tri-City's top players. Most players struggle getting used to the smaller ice surface when they come to North America, but Curran stormed out of the gate with 13 points in his first 15 games. Curran is currently a member of Czechia's entry in the U-18's, and is playing well with 3 points in 4 games, including a 2-point game against the Swiss, in which he scored the game-winner. In last summer's Hlinka Gretzky, he and his countrymen came away with a silver medal, with Curran putting up 3 points in 5 games. With an August 27th birthday, he is one of the younger players in the draft, with size on his side, at 6'3",190lbs, and versatility as he can play all three forward positions, as well as both special teams.

Curran is a playmaking pivot with a pass-first mentality who is known for his two-way game. He is patient with an effective delay-game to hold and wait for the right play to unfold, rather than throwing the puck away, or forcing a bad pass. He can dish in full flight, forehand or backhand, over sticks, between feet, and through triangles, and exhibits high IQ and vision in doing so. He flashes the ability to push pace, but doesn't do it nearly often enough; he plays too much on the perimeter, but can be a load to handle on the forecheck with the way he protects the puck using his body and reach, and his top-notch puck-possession skills. He seems to be in the thick of the play a little more often at the U-18's than in the WHL. There's no questioning his puck-skill or offensive awareness, but the reason for his low goal scoring numbers seems to be a bit of a mystery as he reportedly takes a reasonably high number of shots, with a very low success rate. He does own a sneaky good shot with some zip and accuracy, and has the moves to deke out goalies. He will go to the net for chances in-close, and will park himself in front to provide a screen and pick up garbage. Mobility-wise, he moves very well but could use another gear, as he can be beaten in races- this will improve as he gets stronger, but he will never be a burner. He employs some nice edgework, as he can pivot quickly and make quick turns. Too often though, he stops moving his feet, with and without the puck, and can be caught gliding or standing still.

Curran will use his body as leverage in puck battles to overpower his foes, but he is disappointingly not a physical player, and doesn't initiate contact. He is considered to be a responsible two-way center, and does get plenty of penalty-killing minutes, but his performance in the defensive zone has some good and bad points. The good is that he exhibits excellent positioning and awareness, and an active stick to apply pressure to attackers. He uses his reach to kill plays and strip opponents of possession, then turns the play around to offense. This disruptive defensive mentality extends to the other two zones, as he can intercept breakout passes, thereby keeping the play alive in the offensive zone, and he can close on attackers in the neutral zone to eliminate them as threats. Curran seems to understand the defensive role of a center, and can take away the middle from the opposition. The bad is that he's too often a pedestrian in his own zone, sometimes coasting on the backcheck and standing still when he gets into the zone, puck-watching and cheating for offense. His performance in faceoffs could use a slight tweak, as he sits at 49.77%.

Curran may be a long-term project, as he came over from Czechia as a young, raw prospect. His game has plenty of warts, but it doesn't help that he plays for Tri-City, a team that missed the playoffs with the second-worst record in the WHL, and the third-worst goals-for, playing on a line with less offensively-inclined players. Right now though, he lacks intensity, plays with very little aggression or physicality, and too often plays on the perimeter. He desperately needs to use his size better, and get stronger and faster. He might be a bargain-bin deal for an NHL team looking for a big center in the third or fourth round, and still has immense potential, but I'm not convinced that he's much more than another version of Adam Ruzicka.