[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 37):

RHC Jabez Seymour (6'3",201lbs)
Baie-Comeau (QMJHL): 26gp/ 3g/ 2a/ 5pts, -3, 24 PIM
Charlottetown (QMJHL): 27gp/ 4g/ 3a/ 7pts, 0, 23 PIM

Righty Jabez Seymour (ranked # 145 NA Skaters), whose idol is Matthew Tkachuk, has a touch of pedigree- being drafted in the first-round of the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar with the 18th-overall pick, but he was traded in December to the Charlottetown Islanders, who finished in the 12th-spot in the standings out of 18 teams. Seymour was relegated to mostly 4th-line duty on the Drakkar, who were in 7th-place at season's end, and didn't get a whole lot more ice-time or responsibility in his time with the Islanders. A violent pivot, he wields a menacing physical game in all three zones, initiating contact whenever possible, and skating from hit to hit. He finishes every check without exception, even after his target has seemingly long dished the puck. Though his step has some mechanical issues, including an upright posture on a bit of a short and choppy stride, he gets a surprising amount of power and speed out of it, and is quite agile for a big kid. As he gains strength in his core and his lower body, his mobility will be a major asset, as he already moves around the ice very well- especially for a player with his size.

As one might guess, Seymour is highly effective on the forecheck, and is involved in every post-whistle scrum- driving opponents crazy, and getting them off their game by agitating and constantly stirring the pot. With the way he plays on the edge and bullies his opponents, he usually has a target on his back, which means that he sometimes has to drop the gloves- but he has shown that he's a willing pugilist. Offensively, his game is fairly meat-and-potatoes and lacks any sort of flash or dash, with few real dynamic skills to help him out- although I do think his puck-skills are underrated, and give him the ability to motor through traffic at times with poise and confidence. Like a true power-forward, he will crash the net like a bull in a china shop to cause chaos in front, mess with opposing goalies, and maybe snag a second-chance opportunity; he has rather soft hands in-tight, and good hand-eye coordination for redirects. He has a dangerous net-front presence, parking himself there to clean up garbage in the crease, and makes a good screen. With his proficient protection skills, he attacks the inside, and is dominant below the hash-marks and behind the net off-puck, winning battles and digging out pucks for his teammates. At times, he flashes higher-end ideas and sneaky hockey sense, with the confidence to try things, but his lack of true creativity, timing, and playmaking skill holds him back (although he doesn't exactly get to play with the most offensively-inclined linemates either). His one big calling card in the offensive-third is his NHL-caliber shot; he can fire off the catch and has a quick, sneaky release, but needs to work on his precision from a distance.

Seymour is responsible and active in the defensive zone, plying an active stick and physicality to intimidate and pressure opponents into coughing up pucks, and forcing uncontrolled play. He is aggressive in removing time and space from attackers, takes away the middle effectively, and supports his D down-low. He is also an active participant in his team's transition in supporting the play, and skating intelligent routes off-puck to stay a playable option through the neutral zone. With 10 points in 56 games last year with the Drakkar, he should have more than 12 points in 53 games this season. I believe that, while he may never be an offensive dynamo, he is a vastly better player than his stats, and will start to show more as early as next season. There is a good chance that he goes undrafted this summer, and may have to earn a pro-contract on a try-out in the future, or perhaps hope that he gets drafted in 2026 with better production in his D+1 year. If he gets picked this June, he will most likely have to wait until later rounds. Going forward, Seymour will have to clean up his skating stride in order to maximize his speed, add more muscle to his frame, and work on his faceoff proficiency (he was 43.9% this season), but he could possibly be a fan-favorite in an NHL team's bottom-six someday.