Draft Thoughts (American Edition, Vol. 19):
RD Blake Fiddler (6'4", 209lbs)
Edmonton (WHL): 36gp/ 6g/ 11a/ 17pts, +4, 22 PIM
Blake Fiddler may be playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings (who are currently 10/22 teams in the WHL, and 8th in goals-for), but he's an American- born in Nashville, Tennessee as the son of former NHLer Vern Fiddler. The younger Fiddler was bestowed an "A" by Central Scouting in their preliminary rankings, which is indicative of a potential first-round pick- and I believe it's well deserved. Fiddler is a beauty- a well-rounded two-way D who is more focused on playing quality defense, and shutting down the other teams' top players. There are not many flaws that stand out in this young man's game- he might be the best shutdown defenseman in the WHL. His defensive awareness is sky-high, his anticipation is superb, and he wields spotless gap-control and poise beyond his years. He is always in the right position, performs admirably under pressure, and is highly disruptive as well as hard to play against- he blocks shots, eats up passes, and employs an abrasive, physical style. Against the rush, he is brilliant, with the ability to match footwork with oncoming attackers, play the angles to push opponents to the outside, and poke the puck out of danger with his long and stifling reach. He denies entries, and applies suffocating pressure on puck-carriers. When the opposition gets set up offensively, Fiddler is instrumental in limiting their time in the zone, and he does the same on the penalty-kill- another area of specialty.
Fiddler is an above-average skater for a player his size, exploiting long and powerful strides, with smooth agility and edgework to pivot or change direction quickly. His lateral mobility lets him surf across wide tracts of ice to intercept attackers along the boards. Even still, he has room to improve his top speed and explosiveness. There's some surprising puck-skill in his repertoire to go with his unyielding puck-protection; his handling looks good, and he can dangle around defenders on occasion in the offensive zone, or when exiting the defensive zone. Fiddler is well versed at making seamless retrievals by shaking off pressure, either by deception or with a slick deke, and is even more proficient at making a sound first-pass to kickstart the breakout under duress. He is poised and calm, and makes smart decisions with crisp, accurate passes after scanning his options patiently. There's signs of more offensive ability to come; he will occasionally jump in to the rush or activate from the point to make a play and provide support, and he will step up to extend possession, or to get the puck deep. His shot is decent, but he perhaps needs to work on it's velocity- he uses it mainly as a playmaking tool to create rebounds and serve up tip opportunities. It should be said that 17 points in 36 games is very respectable for a defenseman in the WHL, and places him 43rd in a 22-team league.
Fiddler is somewhat raw, and hasn't come close to fulfilling his potential. There are moments of overconfidence with the puck, and mistakes happen when he gets too loose with it. He can get too fancy with his passes on breakouts, which can lead to the occasional giveaway, and like most of his peers- he can be mistake-prone with the puck. Also like his peers, he can be inconsistent- not only game-to-game, but sometimes shift-to-shift, especially with his physical engagement. These aren't huge detriments, as they don't happen all that much and Fiddler is good enough to recover seamlessly most of the time. Scouts project him as a top-4 shutdown defenseman, but he could potentially anchor a top pairing if he develops his game further. Look for him in the latter third of the first-round this summer.
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