[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Frankenstein Edition):

Milan Lucic was drafted in 2006 with Boston's second-round pick, 50th overall, after posting a paltry 19 points in 62 games for the WHL Champions, the Vancouver Giants. This season, LHC Gabe Smith has caught the eye of scouts with totals of 9 goals and 23 points (with 72 PIM) in 54 games for the 6th-place Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, and has many of the same traits as Lucic did in his draft year. Is Gabe Smith the next Milan Lucic? Or, is he the next Hunter Smith or Ben Hanowski? Gabe Smith was drafted in the second round of the 2022 QMJHL Draft, 25th-overall by the Wildcats, and is currently ranked #94 (NA Skaters) by Central Scouting. The 6'4",207lb pivot is young by draft standards, with an August.3rd birthday, which is scary when considering that he may not be done growing. Moncton was swept out of the playoffs this season by Chicoutimi, and Smith was held pointless.

Smith finished 14th in scoring for Moncton, 10th for forwards, and didn't get big minutes for the contending Wildcats which may have hurt his draft stock- he would have surely posted better numbers on a different team. Most of his tools are average currently, or below, but he employs a heavy game as a power-forward with a big body. Immoveable in front of the net, Smith will set up a screen and cause havok- the goalie can't see past him, and the D can't outmuscle him. We might as well consider the net-front to be his office, with soft hands in-tight, and a proficiency in winning back loose pucks and pouncing on rebounds- he also shows the hand-eye coordination for tip-ins. He's a hard one to handle on the forecheck, with his combination of size and intensity, and he will hunt down puck-carriers to disrupt, and to deliver big hits. Being an Alpha-Male in junior, he's not at all afraid to use the middle of the ice, and he has a hard, heavy shot that lacks some accuracy and deception- with only 9 goals on the season he's not a huge threat to score, especially with the low ice-time he's getting. He's physically intimidating, hitting everything in sight, and winning battles in all of the greasy areas- but he's also a little mean, with little shoves after whistles, and some crosschecks, hacks and whacks to make his presence felt. He's very competitive, and plays with energy. Puck-protection is a plus for Smith, with an extra-long wingspan to handle the puck out of the reach of sticks, as well as the capacity to angle his body away from poke-checks. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot of puck-skill, with rough-looking stickhandling, and sloppy pass-receptions.

For Smith, skating is a big weakness. His top-speed in a straight line isn't too bad when barrelling through open-ice, but his acceleration and first-step are severely lacking, and his edges and agility need plenty of work. He has poor lateral mobility, and has difficulty in making quick turns, or changing direction. Surprisingly, he exhibits deft passing through transition, and displays the ability to make quality breakouts from the defensive zone. He puts in good work defensively, with his enormous wingspan and reach aiding him in shutting down passing lanes- his own-zone play is a strength. He shows good anticipation and awareness, and can dislodge pucks with hard hits. Smith has NHL-projectability when it comes to his size and physicality, along with his forechecking proficiency, and could make a fine bottom-6 role-player if he can fix his mobility. I will go out on a limb and predict that he's taken in the 4th, or 5th-round.