[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 35):

LD Braedyn Rogers (6'0",181lbs)
Owen Sound (OHL): 68gp/ 7g/ 21a/ 28pts, -13, 44 PIM

If you're the team that likes D Quinn Beauchesne, and you miss out on him at the draft, perhaps D Braedyn Rogers would be of interest to you. Rogers, who went unlisted by Central Scouting in their Mid-Term Rankings, toiled this season for the 16th-ranked (out of 20 teams) Owen Sound Attack- who squeaked into the playoffs, only to be swept by the powerhouse London Knights. Though he only put up 2 points in 4 post-season games, it was enough to lead the Attack's defense in points. During the regular season, Rogers was second in points from the backend in Owen Sound with 28 points, second only to James Petrovsky's 41, and he was ahead of the next highest-scoring D-man by a shocking 18 points. Similar to the aforementioned Quinn Beauchesne, he is a two-way blueliner with a solid shutdown dimension, and a physical edge. Rogers specializes in shutting down the rush and denying entries by mimicking his opponents' footwork in applying tight gap control, with sharp timing, an active stick, and solid angling to force low-danger shots and dump-ins. He strips the puck, then guides his mark into the boards where they are finished with a hit.

Rogers is a smooth skater, and though he may not be a burner, he wields excellent 4-way fluidity, and is very light on his edges- giving him the ability to transition seamlessly, pivot quickly, and make tight turns. He's not big as far as defensemen go, but he's a physical player who can sometimes be a little mean in doling out slashes and crosschecks, and he will drop the gloves in defense of a teammate. Though he keeps things mostly simple and safe, he is a jack-of-all-trades type, fairly well-rounded, and a workhorse- capable of logging big minutes for Owen Sound in important minutes, with effectiveness on both special teams. In the defensive zone, he exhibits plus-level hockey sense and anticipation to identify threats early and act proactively, by setting conspicuous picks, tying up sticks, getting inside position, pinning attackers to the boards, and boxing opponents out from the net. He is dependable and reliable in his own-zone, applying physicality to win pucks, putting his body on the line to block shots, and playing a heavy game down-low. In transition, he proves to be a quality puck-mover who sees the ice well, makes generally good decisions, and is a high-value contributor to his team's breakout. Skating with his head on a swivel to inventory his options, he completes smooth retrievals by calmly shaking off pressure, and finds the most efficient escape route to get the puck moving in the right direction by spotting outlets up-ice. When the puck touches his blade, he seems to consistently turn defense into offense, with haste.

Rogers doesn't extend himself too much in the offensive zone, preferring to run the play from the line most of the time, with few meaningful activations into the rush, and he doesn't pinch into the play off the line very often. Any forays into the play usually consist of keeping the play alive in the zone, or stepping up to snuff the breakout in it's early stages. He keeps pucks flowing to the net to give teammates scoring chances, and his shot is very underrated in my opinion. He can beat goalies from a distance with his laser of a wrister and it's deceptive release, and his one-timer explodes off his blade. Age is really working against him, with a Nov. 21st, 2006 birthday, and he needs work on his puck-skills, and strength. I like this kid, but he might be a bit too low-event for a defenseman his size, and I'm not sure he's shown enough this year to be drafted- there were D left on the board after last year's draft who were maybe comparable, or better than Rogers, but he might be a late-round pick this year due to the lack of depth in this draft. I look at D Cam Allen, a six-footer who was drafted in the 5th-round by the Capitals in the 2023 Draft, after posting only 25 points in 62 games- not that I can truly compare the two. I think Rogers has good potential, but he needs to learn to take more calculated risks in the offensive zone.