[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 14):

LD Anthony Allain-Samake' (6'1",178lbs)
Sioux City (USHL): 54gp/ 0g/ 14a/ 14pts, -11, 28 PIM

D Anthony Allain-Samake' (ranked # 75 NA Skaters), a native of Gatineau, QB, has a lot of fans in the scouting world, who say he's an offensive-defenseman in the making- citing his skill and on-ice intelligence, with the disclaimer that he's one of the youngest players in this draft-class (with a Sept.10th, 2007 birthday), and is still very raw and unpolished. He chose to ply his trade this season with Sioux City of the USHL, who are currently 8th out of 16 teams, with a commitment to the University of Connecticut next season. Allain-Samake's best asset is perhaps his quick hands that supply him with superb stickhandling to deke and dangle through traffic with the puck glued to his blade, and he expands his effectiveness by using layers of deception to manipulate attackers into going in the wrong direction. His puck-protection is also impeccable, and he can steer the puck gracefully with one hand, while angling his body away from checks and fending off attackers with the other hand. Though his posture looks a little too upright, he is able to move fluidly in all directions, and possesses above-average speed. He is agile on his edges for good escapability, and transitions smoothly, but needs upgrades to his explosiveness, top-speed, and balance.

Allain-Samake' joins a lot of rushes, and though he has the speed to recover quickly, his forays into the action can leave his teammates hanging out to dry. He has yet to score a goal this year, but that may be due to the fact that he doesn't get inside nearly enough, and his shot doesn't look very intimidating. There's enough IQ and hockey sense here to give him the ability to make some dangerous plays, but he might lack the vision and creativity to ever be a true playmaker; most of what he does is is more on the safe and simple side, at least right now. He times his activations from the blueline well, darting up the wall to keep pucks alive, and will jump in on the weak-side for shot attempts, but seems to prefer staying back at the point to support the play and QB the offense from there most of the time. Despite this, he shows glimpses of awareness in being able to find open space in the offensive zone to fill and exploit, and deftly walks the line with deception to pry open passing seams. Though his gaps are too loose at times, he is adept at stopping the rush with an active stick, and manages to keep attacks contained to the perimeter in-zone, displaying air-tight defensive positioning and keen awareness. These actions effectively take away the middle from opponents, and he protects his net well by boxing his foes out from the crease. He escapes pressure on retrievals with slick stickhandling maneuvers, and makes a safe and intelligent first-pass, with calmness and poise under duress. He's a quality puck-mover and passer, which makes him a high-value contributor to transition, but he can also rush the puck through the neutral zone to spearhead the rush on occasion.

To facilitate, as well as punctuate his actions, Allain-Samake' finishes his checks and employs a reasonable amount of physicality to make room for himself, and doesn't back down from the rough stuff- he battles for pucks in the greasy areas, and uses reverse-hits to manufacture time and space. Going forward, he needs work on his decision-making- including building a better knowledge of when to activate and when to stay back, in order to eliminate giving up odd-man rushes. He can hold on to the puck for too long, thereby skating himself into trouble at times, and running out of room. It's all about potential with this kid, and scouts insist there's plenty of it that has yet to be unlocked- he's far from a finished product, but because of his age and the fact he is attending College in the fall, he has a longer runway than most, with a higher offensive ceiling than he's showing right now. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.