[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Monster Edition, Vol. 3):

LHC Jack Nesbitt (6'4",183lbs)
Windsor (OHL): 46gp/ 17g/ 25a/ 42pts, +11, 25 PIM

Jack Nesbitt is a big, gritty power-forward with NHL-projectable qualities who plays with energy, high-motor, and physicality. He flashes high-end playmaking and passing skill, and can see through layers of coverage to connect with teammates, but he also has a hard shot that he can fire off the catch along with a bomb of a one-timer. Though he's not a natural goal-scorer, he has the innate capacity to sniff out open spaces in high-danger to relocate to in order to get his chances- he likes the give-and-go to create seams, and he will dish off in order to power his way through coverage to the net. He's inside-driven, forechecks hard to suffocate opponents on retrievals, and he explodes off the boards to the middle with the puck; he is also capable of passing off the wall into the slot with speed and accuracy. Nesbitt goes to the net hard, and will battle for positioning while screening the goalie. He wins battles down-low, and makes quality plays around the crease with soft hands for finishing in-tight.

Skating-wise, Nesbitt is more or less average, but his skill in this area is projectable enough as he moves around rather fluidly with smooth mechanics on a long stride- still, his mobility will require some work. Nesbitt's stickhandling looks seamless, and enables him to skate some dynamic routes through transition that end up in clean, controlled entries, but some say his puck-control causes issues with his playmaking as he needs to keep one eye on the puck- which diminishes his ability to scan his options properly. There's still a good amount of manipulation by deception in his repertoire, and he's able to protect the puck well enough to barge through checks, while handling around sticks and out of the reach of his opponents. There's also flashes of surprising small-area skill, showing the ability to beat attackers (and goalies) 1-on-1. Nesbitt employs physicality, and is even a bit mean at times, but he's smart about it in the sense that he doesn't seem to take himself out of the play, doesn't overcommit when going for big hits, and doesn't take many unnecessary penalties. Still, he will not hesitate to rub an opponent out along the boards, or level an attacker in open-ice, and he will drop the gloves when challenged. Off the puck, he shows intelligence in all areas- by supporting the play, skating routes that open ice for teammates, getting open at the right time, and even by directing traffic at times.

Nesbitt might have a low NHL-floor because he displays a responsible defensive game, and he reads the play quite well from a defensive standpoint. He exerts his enormous range to cut off huge tracts of ice that are difficult for oncoming rushes to pass through, and he shows impeccable awareness in eliminating secondary threats. He covers a ton of ground in the defensive zone by pressuring the point, to denying chances in the slot, to helping his D down low, and he forces his prey to the outside- thereby taking away the middle from them. There's proactiveness in the way he lifts sticks, pins down threats, and gets inside on his opponents before the puck even arrives, and his positioning is usually immaculate. It could be said that Nesbitt benefits a lot from all of the talent he has around him in Windsor (Liam Greentree for example), but they also are better by having his presence in the lineup. If he can keep up his scoring numbers for the rest of the year, we could see him get picked in the late first round, or early second- he's a beauty.