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Sandman · 06-12-2024, 10:23 AM

Draft Thoughts (Re-entry Edition, Vol. 1):

In his second year of Draft eligibility, 19 year-old LW Austin Burnevik finished the season in 7th-place in the USHL scoring race with the Madison Capitols, registering 71 points in 61 games- leading his team by 18 points. His 40 goals were second in the league behind another draft re-entry, Noah Powell- who scored 43 times. In the playoffs, Burnevik was only able to muster 2 goals in 3 games. In his first year of eligibility in 2022-23, Burnevik may have been a casualty of the depth and talent playing on the NTDP team, being pushed down the lineup and held to 19 points in 43 games, where he might have had more minutes and responsibility playing on a USHL squad. It seems to be the consensus that he'll be drafted this year though, as he demonstrates NHL-caliber hands for both passing and shooting, and has NHL size at 6'4", 201lbs.

Burnevik is obviously more shooter than distributor, but he possesses excellent vision and IQ to make plays via the pass, and his high-level awareness puts him a few steps ahead of the play. He can thread the needle through traffic from his forehand or backhand, and has the soft-touch passing skills that enable him to put the puck right in the recipient's wheelhouse, and out of the range of opponents' sticks, with just the right amount of velocity that's needed. He employs a sublime delay game to draw checkers in his direction, and to make the higher-percentage play, laying down layers of deception to manipulate attackers. As a goal-scorer, he wields a deep arsenal of NHL-caliber shots with wicked releases, from a laser of a wrister to a bomb of a one-timer, and can fire in flight off the rush and get it on net through bodies. He exploits soft spots in coverage and uses defenders as screens.

Though it's true that he had limited production last year while playing for the NTDP, the most likely culprit for his not being selected in the draft might have been his weak skating stride, which severely limits his effectiveness. Burnevik is often behind the play, struggling to keep up, and is vulnerable to being stripped of the puck as his lack of speed hurts his ability to protect the puck. He also struggles to initiate contact, and depends on teammates to open space for him, as he's not quick enough to do it for himself. He has to take wider turns, which puts him in a prone position, and he loses more speed when doing so. Despite his considerable size, he doesn't impose himself nearly enough physically, and doesn't cut to the middle as much as he should, looking seemingly content to make plays from the outside. Though he uses his size as leverage to win battles along the boards, he could be dominant if he was meaner, and he would have a bigger effect on the game. As one might expect, Burnevik is virtually inneffective in transition, deferring to teammates to move the puck through the neutral zone, and he's never the first man making entry.

Burnevik's defensive metrics are very good, but he's far from being a stalwart- he's disruptive with his long reach and active stick and possesses keen awareness and smart positioning in all areas. He is able to angle opponents to the outside, but his speed limits his ability to be able to travel too far down low, or to pressure the puck up high and still be able to recover to his original position in time to stay in the play. If his skating can be fixed, you will have a super-sized player with a high-end brain and NHL-calber hands. Many say that Burnevik will be best suited as a bottom-6 player in the future, but has potential for more in my opinion. The good news is that he's got a long runway to develop, as he's committed to St. Cloud State for this fall. look for him between the 5th and 7th rounds.

06-12-2024, 10:23 AM	#4179
Sandman Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Calgary Exp:	Draft Thoughts (Re-entry Edition, Vol. 1): In his second year of Draft eligibility, 19 year-old LW Austin Burnevik finished the season in 7th-place in the USHL scoring race with the Madison Capitols, registering 71 points in 61 games- leading his team by 18 points. His 40 goals were second in the league behind another draft re-entry, Noah Powell- who scored 43 times. In the playoffs, Burnevik was only able to muster 2 goals in 3 games. In his first year of eligibility in 2022-23, Burnevik may have been a casualty of the depth and talent playing on the NTDP team, being pushed down the lineup and held to 19 points in 43 games, where he might have had more minutes and responsibility playing on a USHL squad. It seems to be the consensus that he'll be drafted this year though, as he demonstrates NHL-caliber hands for both passing and shooting, and has NHL size at 6'4", 201lbs. Burnevik is obviously more shooter than distributor, but he possesses excellent vision and IQ to make plays via the pass, and his high-level awareness puts him a few steps ahead of the play. He can thread the needle through traffic from his forehand or backhand, and has the soft-touch passing skills that enable him to put the puck right in the recipient's wheelhouse, and out of the range of opponents' sticks, with just the right amount of velocity that's needed. He employs a sublime delay game to draw checkers in his direction, and to make the higher-percentage play, laying down layers of deception to manipulate attackers. As a goal-scorer, he wields a deep arsenal of NHL-caliber shots with wicked releases, from a laser of a wrister to a bomb of a one-timer, and can fire in flight off the rush and get it on net through bodies. He exploits soft spots in coverage and uses defenders as screens. Though it's true that he had limited production last year while playing for the NTDP, the most likely culprit for his not being selected in the draft might have been his weak skating stride, which severely limits his effectiveness. Burnevik is often behind the play, struggling to keep up, and is vulnerable to being stripped of the puck as his lack of speed hurts his ability to protect the puck. He also struggles to initiate contact, and depends on teammates to open space for him, as he's not quick enough to do it for himself. He has to take wider turns, which puts him in a prone position, and he loses more speed when doing so. Despite his considerable size, he doesn't impose himself nearly enough physically, and doesn't cut to the middle as much as he should, looking seemingly content to make plays from the outside. Though he uses his size as leverage to win battles along the boards, he could be dominant if he was meaner, and he would have a bigger effect on the game. As one might expect, Burnevik is virtually inneffective in transition, deferring to teammates to move the puck through the neutral zone, and he's never the first man making entry. Burnevik's defensive metrics are very good, but he's far from being a stalwart- he's disruptive with his long reach and active stick and possesses keen awareness and smart positioning in all areas. He is able to angle opponents to the outside, but his speed limits his ability to be able to travel too far down low, or to pressure the puck up high and still be able to recover to his original position in time to stay in the play. If his skating can be fixed, you will have a super-sized player with a high-end brain and NHL-calber hands. Many say that Burnevik will be best suited as a bottom-6 player in the future, but has potential for more in my opinion. The good news is that he's got a long runway to develop, as he's committed to St. Cloud State for this fall. look for him between the 5th and 7th rounds.