[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 6):

RW Jett Lajoie (6'0",179lbs)
Prince George (WHL): 66gp/ 14g/ 21g/ 35pts, +7, 40 PIM

There's not a whole lot of ice-time to be had if you're a supporting player on the Prince George Cougars, who sport a fairly deep and talented forward group, and sit 7th-overall in the WHL. RW Jett Lajoie (ranked # 70 NA Skaters) hovers around in the Cougars' middle-six mostly, and started the year with 12 points in the first 13 games- but his numbers started to regress as players were returned from NHL-camps. He will have to wait until next year to have his big offensive breakout, as older players depart for the pros. He is a scrappy, energetic, physical winger, who is fearless in battles, supports the play in all three zones, and flashes playmaking skill. With high-end motor and compete, he plays a fairly violent game and can dish out some thunderous hits against larger opponents. He is a constant physical threat, annoying and agitating his adversaries with his relentlessness and tenacity, and as a result- has to drop the gloves on occasion. Lajoie has plenty of hard-skill and a heavy game that creates advantages, and has a positive impact with his willingness to wade into the greasy areas, and battle for pucks in the trenches- doing a lot of the dirty work for his teammates. On the forecheck, he is highly aggressive, finishes his checks, and applies pressure on puck-carriers by being a general menace, and by pushing pace. Down low, he is very hard to deal with- almost oppressive.

Lajoie is not a huge scoring threat with his shot alone, as it's not very accurate or powerful, and the vast majority of his tallies come from his hard-work in attacking the net, or from planting himself at the net-front to battle for position and take abuse. He is not afraid to drive the middle or cut inside to pick up garbage, cash in deflections with his keen hand-eye coordination, set up a screen, and cause problems around the crease. In terms of his skating and puck-skills- both are above-average, but not always pretty; he can win races to loose pucks with sheer will and tenacity alone, and while he handles well, he can pressured into making mistakes with the puck and coughing up possession at times. His puck-protection is quite good though- he shields the puck from enemy sticks by angling his body away from attackers, and by using his one-handed reach to control the puck. Though he's mostly devoid of any real flash or dynamism, he shows the odd glimpse of creativity and teases more advanced playmaking ability than his usual deferment to keeping things plain and simple with quick touches. There is signs of vision in his passing game that go beyond facilitation, and he possesses above-average offensive awareness and good spatial manipulation to draw defenders, and to locate soft spots in coverage to fill.

Transition is another area where he has shown flashes of a more innovative playmaking game, but he usually relies on chip-and-chase sequences, or dump-ins, and skates mostly north-south routes. Lajoie's motor, pace, and physicality help him to be a nuisance to puck-carriers, and disruptive in defensive situations, but he needs improvement in his awareness in his own-zone to make better reads. As in other areas of the ice, he's highly active and aggressive, but sometimes out of position and other times chasing too much. He needs the usual- get bigger, stronger, and faster, but he has to develop his offensive presence a lot more, and I think he'll be a big producer in the next few years with the Cougars. There's already the profile here of a potential bottom-6 energy player, but there's hope for more. Look for him in the middle rounds.