[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Monster Edition, Vol. 5):

LW Lynden Lakovic (6'4",190lbs)
Moose Jaw (WHL): 31gp/ 17g/ 22a/ 39pts, -13, 4 PIM

Lynden Lakovic is a big winger with skating and skill who last played on Dec 8th, and has been out of action (listed as month-to-month) with an injury. Moose Jaw is dead-last in the WHL after selling off some of their stars before the trade deadline (including Brayden Yager), but even with Lakovic in the lineup, they were treading water near the bottom of the standings all season long. Lakovic seemed to boost his draft stock considerably with his performance in the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge, where he scored a highlight-reel goal on the breakaway, after getting in behind the D for the pass. He picked up 2 points in 2 games, but those who were tracking his advanced stats say that he showed the ability to drive play. Lakovic is fairly balanced offensively, but his shot is hard, heavy, and accurate, with a quick and deceptive release, and he's always a scoring threat with several ways of putting the puck in the net. He can pick corners from seemingly any angle, has soft hands to beat goalies one-on-one, and displays good hand-eye coordination for tips and rebounds. He will crash the crease for garbage goals, and owns every kind of shot available.

Lakovic is a crafty playmaker as well, with underrated passing skill, who flashes high-end creativity and vision at times. His small-area game is surprisingly good; with his deft puck skill, he can hit teammates with short slip-passes, and his tight puck-protection makes it difficult to pick his pockets. Even though he connects on almost 90% of his passes (according to tracking data), his shooting is still his main playmaking tool, and it creates more than twice as many grade "A" chances than his passing. Lakovic possesses solid IQ and awareness in all areas, and is able to find soft spots in coverage, often finding himself in the slot at the exact right moment to strike. He is inside-driven, attacking the middle while exhibiting high-end off-puck instincts. Mobility-wise, he's not a burner, but he's well above average in the speed department, on skating that is smooth and powerful with long, fluid strides. He can beat defenders wide sometimes, separate in open-ice, win races to loose pucks, and deceive opponents with his tricky crossovers. His handling and puck-control are excellent and match his quick feet; together with his protection skills and deception ability, he can deke and dangle through coverage. Lakovic is not overly physical, as one would expect the nephew of Gregg and Sasha "The Masha" Lakovic to be, but he will finish his checks and use his size as leverage in battles, or to lean into foes to get inside position. With all of the above attributes, combined with his slick one-on-one moves, he can make controlled entries look easy and is able to skate some dynamic routes through transition.

Defensively, Lakovic displays solid positioning and awareness, with a good eye for blocking lanes and picking off passes, but overall- his impact in his own zone is fairly average (although it's hard to judge this year on a team as bad as Moose Jaw is). He has an active, well-timed stick as an asset, as well as enormous range, but he needs to improve his aggression in this area, as well as his details. It may not be his style, but more physicality in this, and other areas, would go a long way. Lakovic is skilled with the puck, but he can be too pretty at times, and can leave the zone early in anticipation of the breakout. Lately, I've been seeing his name in the top-15 of this summer's draft, but I can't see him breaking in to the top-ten.