[News] With the 64th overall pick the Flames select D Brandon Hickey

[keenan87]

Any relation to Thomas Hickey?

[devo22]

hockeydb also has him listed at 180.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=152152#

Originally Posted by keenan87

Any relation to Thomas Hickey?

no.

[cral12]

From Red Line Report, who had him 105th:

" ...Makes smart, crisp breakout passes, and his big point shot frequently leads to dangerous rebounds. Good triggerman on the PP, where he walks the line looking for shooting lanes. However, he does play a little mechanically and doesn’t look naturally aggressive or instinctive offensively. We’d like to see quicker decisions at both ends.
Projection: #6-7 defenceman with skating & puck skills.
Style compares to: T.J. Brodie"

[cral12]

ISS had him 58th:

"Skill: A good sized competitive defense first defender with some good physical qualities in his game and some minor offensive upside.
Scouting Report:
A nice combination of competitiveness and size, Hickey is a physical defender with decent technical skills, a good shot and who isn’t afraid to join the rush at times. His appeal moving forward seems to be primarily with his defensive abilities. A Boston University recruit, Hickey had an injury plagued 2013-14 season but managed to impress scouts in his limited action. He is a physical yet disciplined player who is not easy to play against or win space against. He controls the gap very well against the rush, shows good mobility mechanics and seems to have a strong panic threshold."

[icarus]

At the combine he was weighed at 177lbs.

[FlameZilla]

Sounds like another Brodie. Button sure likes that mold of defenceman...

From FC again:

104
BRANDON HICKEY
POSITION: Defense
SHOOTS: Left
TEAM: Spruce Grove (AJHL)
BORN: April 13, 1996
VITALS: 6’-2” / 180 Lbs
STATS: 49 GP 4 G 18 A 22 PTS 29 PIM
SCOUTING REPORT: A good two-way defenseman with great skating skills. His best asset is his skating. Very good combination of speed, agility and power. His edge work is just average as his blades seem to slide a bit when he transitions and changes directions. Plays a very offen- sive style and is very active in the offensive zone. His skating allows him to engage offensively. Loves to shoot the puck. Has a very good slap shot, but needs to be more patient with the puck in general. Every time he gets the puck at the point, he rips it on net. He never seems to survey the play and see if dishing it off to a teammate is the better play. He is solid with his outlets, but again, we would like to see him hold on to the puck a bit more and draw his opponents in before he makes that pass. Does a good job of getting the puck up ice. He is solid defensively, remaining in position, but he never shows a true physical presence. Plays with solid position in his own zone and makes decent reads. He is a steady guy who gets the job done and involves himself at both ends of the ice.
NHL POTENTIAL: Top-Six Two-Way Defenseman

[Flames Fan in Exile]

Not a top 4, definitely a project D. Get him more confident in his aggression and he will be a good back end depth D

[cral12]

nm - duplicate

[TheyCallMeBruce]

I don't think any of us will be disappointed if he turned out to be another T.J Brodie.

[Party Elephant]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Interesting prospect.

The only thing I don't like about the two NCAA picks is the flight risk. That loophole that allows the NCAA guys to pull a Schultz and become free agents if they want sucks.

After all we went through with Gaudreau I'm not the least bit worried about that. If anything, going the NCAA route allows 2 more years of development before the flames have to make a decision on signing him which is an obvious plus for a defenceman.

[cral12]

Also from ISS Guide:

ISS Scout R,MacLean: “He knows his limitations and calculates his moves carefully. He has some very good long term appeal”.

[cral12]

And more from ISS Guide:

ISS Scout C.Mooring: “Tall, lean defenceman with good reach that plays with composure and a maturity beyond his years. Good Skater with Mobility”.
NHL Potential: Depth defender who can kill penalties & play against top competition.

Style compares to: Dan Girardi

[dammage79]

It's a good pick. Doesnt address RH issues but his projection does seem very good.

[Parallex]

Like this pick a lot. D man., going the NCAA route so we get up to a couple extra years of development before we have to make a decision. Like.

[Fire]

I like that his best asset is his skating. See you in 3 to 4 years.

[Stay Golden]

Like this pick 6'2 D man from Alberta cutting his teeth in hockey hotbed Boston U. Sounds good to me.

[Husky]

Sounds more like a Toni lydman type D versus Brodie.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Sure would be nice if Hickey turned into another TJ Brodie and Gilmour turned into another Mark Giordano. Pretty nice to have a couple under-rated defenders like that in the stable.

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by New Era

Sure would be nice if Hickey turned into another TJ Brodie and Gilmour turned into another Mark Giordano. Pretty nice to have a couple under-rated defenders like that in the stable.

I like that they'll be developing in the NCAA, outside of the attentions of the media and fanbase. In 3 or 4 years your average fans are going to be saying 'where the hell did these solid players come from?'. Applies to Gilmour, Hickey, Culkin and Kulak, in my opinion.

[Monahan23]

I like him but we need RHD. Ben Thomas would've been better