[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (B's and C's Edition, Vol. 11):

LW/RW Nathan Behm (6'2",198lbs)
Kamloops (WHL): 59gp/ 31g/ 35a/ 66pts, -23, 12 PIM

Big winger Nathan Behm (ranked # 44 NA Skaters, # 40 by McKenzie, # 35 by Button) is an alumnus of the Edge Prep school, and a former member of the Calgary Royals- drafted 13th-overall in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft by the Kamloops Blazers, who finished 19th out of 22 teams in the WHL this season, with Behm as their second-leading scorer. He was born in Calgary, grew up a Flames fan, and apparently idolized Johnny Gaudreau. Behm is a big two-way power-forward with a balanced offensive game, blessed with mobility, and NHL-size. His best asset though, is his NHL-caliber shot and near-elite release, giving him the ability to score from seemingly any angle, and to beat goalies from distance. With a long and powerful stride, his skating is easily projectable thanks to sound mechanics, and he wields smooth edgework with excellent straight-ahead speed; if he can't outrun an opponent, he can outmaneuver them with his agility. In tight areas, he protects the puck extremely well with the angle of his torso and his outside skate blade, while leaning in to his attacker and fending them off with his outstretched arm. In addition to this, his puck-skills are well-honed with good control while in-motion, and has the ability to catch smoothly in full-flight.

His quick hands together with his fluid mobility and strong edges make him effective in transition, exploding through open lanes while weaving around defenders, and executing give-and-go sequences with teammates on the fly. Once over the blueline, he attacks up the middle to push defenses back and drag in pressure to open space to make plays. He is always well-positioned in the offensive zone, finding gaps in the slot, and occupying space in front of the net to cause havoc, battle for positioning, set up a screen, and capitalize on tips and rebounds with his sharp timing and hand-eye coordination. With high-end offensive awareness, he is a competent passer and playmaker, who understands how to manipulate space to open passing seams, and orchestrates more of those give-and-go plays in the offensive zone to create room, and push pace. Behm will throw the odd hit, and uses his size and strength as leverage to push past checkers, but he needs to add a significant amount of push-back to his game, as he can still be thrown off by contact, loses puck-battles that he should win, and gets derailed easily in front of the net; this affects his ability to finish in-close as much as he could. He can also be pressured into mistakes, turnovers, and giveaways.

Behm is a far more active and engaged player in the offensive zone than he is in defensive situations; he's not as well positioned, and lacks intensity and aggressiveness, with everything from getting caught standing still and puck-watching, to floating aimlessly, to seemingly being content to let others do the heavy-lifting for him. Often times, he is eager to leave the zone early, and stays high in anticipation of the breakout. He's fairly tenacious and disruptive on the forecheck though, sprinting at puck-carriers stick-first in an effort to cause turnovers and uncontrolled play. Behm may have some deficiencies to work through, but he has the skating, size, and shot that will make scouts eager to call his name on draft day. Look for him in the early second-round.