[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Hidden Gems Edition, Vol. 53):

C Parker Snelgrove (6'0",190lbs)
Guelph (OHL): 67gp/ 11g/ 13a/ 24pts, -20, 43 PIM

Center Parker Snelgrove (ranked # 181 NA Skaters) was drafted in the second-round of the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, 30th-overall by the Guelph Storm, after a successful year at the U16 AAA level- where he was on the same level with players like Jack Nesbitt and Carson Harmer, and just behind Aiden Young and Brady Martin. This season, Guelph finished in 19th-place out of 20 teams in the OHL, but were 14th in goals-scored, and Snelgrove seemed to be relegated to bottom-six checking duty- without the proper ice-time or responsibility to showcase his talents. As a result, he is being criminally underrated in my opinion, as he is an intelligent, skilled play-driver, and a solid two-way pivot who contributes in all three zones. Snelgrove is an excellent skater who pushes an often break-neck pace, with explosiveness in small-areas, showing the capacity to accelerate to top-speed quickly, and to beat defenders wide. He is light on his edges for sharp cuts, quick pivots, and displays the shiftiness to evade checks. A physical, hard-nosed player, he outworks opponents at both ends of the ice, wins battles along the boards, and finishes his checks. He doesn't mind doing the dirty work for his line in digging out pucks and causing turnovers.

With high-end compete and relentless motor, Snelgrove gives his team energy and plays with intensity- moving through contact, and forechecking tenaciously. Quick hands and sneaky puck-skill give him slick one-on-one moves to dangle through traffic on occasion, cut inside with the puck, split defenses, and deke around attackers with tight control while in full-flight. He is a high-IQ player with soft-touch on his passes- he funnels pucks to the middle and can shift defenses while doing it. Flashing top-tier vision and manipulation of space, he can pull off some of the more difficult plays by opening seams with patient delays to draw pressure, and with cut-backs and changes of direction. To help facilitate his playmaking game, he incorporates well-developed deception to manipulate defenders, including look-offs in his passes, fakes, feints, hesitations, and shifts of weight. He attacks up the middle off the rush, makes his living in the slot, gets off the wall with the puck, and goes to the front of the net for tips and rebounds, bringing soft hands in-tight. His shot is highly underrated, owning a bullet of a wrister that he can fire off on the fly with a lightning-quick release, and he can pick corners from a distance. He will also follow his shots to the net to pick up his own rebounds.

A highly engaged and intelligent defender, Snelgrove exerts sharp details with finely-tuned anticipation to identify threats early and neutralize them proactively by checking sticks, getting inside position, and setting picks. He hounds puck-carriers and keeps his man to the outside and away from danger, while limiting time and space with his speed and determination. Staying consistently on the right side of the puck, he employs an active stick to sweep away possession, and poke away passes. He can also make high-value plays off of recoveries to kickstart the breakout, with smart passes going the other direction. He can drive play through transition with overwhelming speed and tempo, or he can support the play by controlling his pace to be a playable option for teammates in give-and-go sequences. In my opinion, it's a crime that Snelgrove isn't on a better team with a more expanded role, but he's a huge breakout candidate as early as next season- this kid is vastly outplaying his stats. It's hard to say what his ceiling is, but he certainly looks the part of a future 3rd-liner in the NHL with a smart and gritty two-way game- and has the potential for more. Look for him in later rounds.