[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems, Vol. 7):

RHC Harry Nansi (6'3",179lbs)
Owen Sound (OHL): 67gp/ 7g/ 16a/ 23pts, -10, 14 PIM

Right-handed pivot Harry Nansi's name keeps coming up more and more in pre-draft chatter, despite his rather paltry numbers. Nansi (ranked #116 NA Skaters) is one of the youngest members of the 2025 draft class, with a Sept.10, 2007 birthday, and though he plays bottom-six minutes on the 16th-placed team in the OHL (out of 20), he always seems to stand out. He is a high-effort, high-motor power-forward with big potential- if he can fix his skating. Yes, it's true what they say about Nansi- he looks like a newborn baby deer on skates; his knock-kneed mechanics have to be overhauled, and his lower-body strength needs to be improved significantly if he wants to fulfill his potential. Though he can sometimes win races to loose pucks on sheer will alone, he lacks agility and balance, with poor first-step quickness- his deficient speed pervades almost every area of his game. Offsetting his lack of footspeed is his sky-high workrate; he is one of the hardest-working players in the draft, with a never-resting motor and an elevated activity rate, getting involved all over the ice. He is disruptive, as well as menacingly physical on both the forecheck and the backcheck to keep the opposition off-kilter, and he manages to push pace with a frenetic tempo.

Nansi is primarily a playmaker who sees the ice at a high level, and flashes high-end skill and vision. He sports excellent metrics at even-strength, and seems to make a highlight-reel play every game, even if it doesn't always lead to a goal. He funnels pucks to the middle and is highly effective on the cycle, with the skill to get passes to teammates over and under sticks through traffic on occasion, off of his forehand, or his backhand. He's not exactly set up for success in Owen Sound though, and most of his better ideas don't work out- not only because of the dearth of talent around him, but because of his lack of details, and poor stride. In transition, he has shown some value in his ability to move pucks, and creates advantages through connective playmaking, and working give-and-go sequences with teammates. He protects the puck extremely well while fighting off checks, and is a good stickhandler with the ability to deke and dangle his way around in traffic; he will even stop-up, delay, or cut-back to make the right play, and draw pressure away from teammates. Nansi is a physical player, and will bulldoze his way through checks, but he's so underdeveloped that he can be overpowered- even at 6'3".
He doles out some big hits, will take contact to make a play, imposes his will down low, and battles hard along the wall for possession.

Nansi makes an impact on his team's defense by hunting down puck-carriers aggressively, and causes turnovers with his intensity and tenacity, but his positioning could use some work- mostly due to his mobility issues. He shows some issues with his puck-control at top-speed sometimes, and he has really poor balance. His motor-skills and coordination are severely underdeveloped; he is extremely raw, and a huge project in need of a long runway for any team that drafts him, but there could be a big reward when all is said and done. Nansi's flashes of skill are enough to make scouts believe in his potential, but even if he doesn't fully develop his offensive game, he has a rather high NHL-floor as a bottom-6 energy player and checker. Look for him in the 4th, or 5th-round.