Artyom Levshunov is making waves with his exceptional hockey talent as he continues to soar up the draft rankings of many scouts. He’s quickly becoming one of the most anticipated prospects for the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft. As the countdown to the 2024 NBA Draft begins, join us in witnessing the growth and evolution of these promising talents, as we project the next wave of talent in the NBA through HoopSocial’s comprehensive big board. Недавно был опубликован первоначальный рейтинг драфта НХЛ 2024 года.
DraftCentre - Home of TSN's National Hockey League Draft coverage
The following is an early yet extensive glimpse at some of the talented young guns to keep on the radar for the 2024 NHL Draft in our patented quintessential spreadsheet format, composed by the incomparable E-Mac. This is undoubtedly a stronger year for defenseman. Early on, it appears to be a weaker drive class with respect to prospects from Sweden. Finland, however, has a much stronger presence compared to 2023. As we head into the 2023 addition of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, we take a dive into the top potential prospects for the first 3 rounds of the 2024 draft. Upside Hockey, that is... Let us know what you think and connect on Twitter UpsideHockey.
A half-dozen players were ranked as possible second-round selections, beginning with defenseman EJ Emery Compton, Calif.
He was followed by forwards Brodie Ziemer Hutchinson, Minn. The third-round rankings saw another five NTDP players ranked. Leading the way was Teddy Stiga Sudbury, Mass.
Staying on Long Island, Islanders winger Hudson Fasching was not at practice Wednesday and remains out on a day-to-day basis with a lower-body injury, Rosner said. The 28-year-old has not skated since sustaining the injury in a loss to the Canadiens on Jan.
He takes many useless shots and he lacks some hockey IQ with awareness. Still a good prospect, just not as high as we once were on him. So, stick around as we promise to offer you plenty of educated and honest draft related content this season, including our 2024 Draft Preview Magazine coming in time for Christmas. Post navigation.
2023 NHL Entry Draft
| 2024 NHL Draft Rankings: Horn’s Super Early Top 16 | We grade each team's selection, pick by pick, and determine which teams had a successful 2024 NHL Draft. |
| Белорус и два россиянина в топ-5 проспектов драфта-2024 в НХЛ | Недавно был опубликован первоначальный рейтинг драфта НХЛ 2024 года. |
2024 NHL ENTRY DRAFT
Белорус и два россиянина в топ-5 рейтинга драфта-2024 в НХЛ. Канадский спортивный канал Sportsnet составил список 30 лучших игроков будущего драфта Национальной хоккейной лиги. It’s a well-balanced draft class that seems to drop off around pick 15, but there are plenty of intriguing prospects who will find their way into first-round discussions. Here’s Yahoo Sports’ top-25 NHL Draft rankings for October: Macklin Celebrini could hear his name called first at the 2024 NHL Draft. PuckPedia is your reliable online source for NHL draft results, providing complete and accurate information on which players were picked by what team, at any given draft. Access results for all the Entry drafts held throughout NHL draft history, including Amateur Drafts and Expansion Drafts. Round by round results with associated rookie contract and salaries for each player. Российский хоккеист из системы СКА Иван Демидов (СКА-1946) стал четвертым в рейтинге 16 лучших хоккеистов на драфте Национальной хоккейной лиги 2024 года. 2024 NHL draft details: player, overall, round and trade details.
The Only Source You Need for NHL Draft Results & NHL Draft History
Его показатели уже превзошли показатели Оуэна Пауэра в его собственном сезоне драфта NCAA, когда он был выбран под первым номером. За последние два сезона, включая прошлый год в команде USHL за «Грин Бэй Гэмблерс», Левшунов отлично проявил себя на обоих концах льда и делает свою команду лучше каждый раз, когда выходит на площадку. Похоже, он может стать лучшим защитником на драфте, — отмечает эксперт.
Меркулов считается одним из топовых проспектов не самой сильной фарм-системы «Бостона», но ему еще предстоит поработать, чтобы заслужить полноценное место в составе. В результате у них было только три пика в первом раунде за девять последних лет, и текущий набор проспектов это отражает. Ягер — универсальный центр с отличной техникой и высоким игровым интеллектом. Его считают хоккеистом уровня топ-6, способным занять место Кросби или Малкина после их ухода. Добавление этих двух проспектов является серьезным улучшением для команды.
Юный новосибирец Михаил Гуляев покорил руководство «Лавин» атакующим потенциалом и высококлассным катанием. За это в омской команде отвечает более опытный Шарипзянов. Гуляеву предстоит улучшать навыки игры в обороне, т. Недавно Михаил подписал новый контракт с «Авангардом» до 2026 года и ближайшие два года будет развиваться в КХЛ. В «Колорадо» верят, что со временем Гуляев сможет дорасти до уровня топ-4 с опцией игры в большинстве. Николаю Коваленко 24 года, поэтому он все еще относится к проспектам, и оценки его перспектив разнятся от второго-третьего звена команды НХЛ в следующем сезоне до попадания в АХЛ и возвращения в Россию. Сильные стороны игрока ни для кого не секрет: агрессия, отличное видение площадки и хороший бросок.
Опасения вызывает только здоровье игрока: в этом сезоне его преследуют травмы. Последняя из них была связана с запястьем, и пока Коваленко не вернулся на прежний уровень игры, набрав 2 очка в 11 матчах. Эксперты отмечают, что стилистически «Колорадо» Джареда Беднара подходит Коваленко и команда способна эффективно использовать его сильные качества. Остается только пожелать игроку удачи. Следующие два года у команды снова не будет выбора в первом раунде драфта, поэтому подняться в рейтинге им будет непросто. Из имеющегося набора талантов особые надежды возлагаются на выбранного во втором раунде в 2023 году Итана Готье. Готье — крепкий игрок, сочетающий в себе высокий уровень мастерства с очень большим объемом работы.
Он умеет выигрывать борьбу у бортов, находить позицию перед воротами соперника и залезать под шкуру оппонентов. Эксперты видят в Готье хоккеиста уровня второго-третьего звена, но только через пару лет. Эдстрем — крупный центр с отличным катанием. У него есть хороший атакующий потенциал, но не все разделяют настолько комплиментарные оценки, и довольно слабое выступление на МЧМ-2024 только укрепило сомнения экспертов. Обоих котируют достаточно высоко, но не в топ-5. Денисенко способен играть только в первых двух звеньях ввиду слабых оборонительных навыков, а Чайка пока обрастает мышцами в АХЛ. Иван Морозов, отданный на этот сезон в аренду московскому «Спартаку», тоже есть в расширенных списках лучших проспектов, однако он остается темной лошадкой.
Ответ узнаем только в следующем сезоне.
He is also a very intelligent hockey player who rarely makes mistakes or bad passes. He does most of the small and tiny details of the game well. Defensively he keeps a nice positioning to the forwards and is consistently able to break up a play.
For a player of his mobility and skill with the puck, a better shot would help him be less one-dimensional in the offensive zone. However, for a puck-moving and steady defensive player, he would be a sensible pick later in the draft. Quinton Burns would also be an option for teams looking to bring in a modern-day defenseman. What makes Quinton Burns slightly different is that he is an all-out defensive defenseman rather than a two-way defender.
Burns see the game at a high level and will be in the right position in most defensive situations. He uses his stick extremely well to create turnovers, and his passing is very accurate. His passing and anticipation in his own zone make him an excellent breakout passer, as he also has the option to skate the puck out of danger with his strong skating mechanics. However, this does allow for position to be kept and for the play to stay 200 feet from his own net.
In many ways the smart play for a defensive defenseman with a high floor, but limited ceiling. Myatovic has all the tools to be a great power forward in the NHL. His speed and skating are great for his size, and he is tenacious in his pursuit of the puck. No matter the situation, Myatovic plays it well, regardless of it being a powerplay or a penalty kill.
He is relentless when he has the puck and will be a constant pain to play against. Myatovic also works incredibly hard in the forecheck, where he will come with lightning speed and use his size to win position along the boards. Defensively he has taken a lot of steps this season and reads the defensive game at a much higher level. Offensively he lacks a lot of tools to really make a huge difference.
He works hard along the boards to win possession but after that, he lacks the creativity to make the most of it. However, if he can add a little bit more to his offence, he would be a perfect bottom-six forward with great speed, size, and work ethic. Exactly the type of player teams needs to win a cup down the line.
Basha is not a pure two-way player, but he is not a defensive liability. He is more of a playmaker and transition guru thanks to his speed and agility as a skater, including while carrying the puck. Bob McKenzie ranked him 31st, and what he does have is arguably more skill.
He plays in all situations, he is very smart in how he reads and anticipates play, and has a good sense for positioning so he is either involved in the play or ready to be in the right spots of the ice. He is a left shooting winger who has spent the entire season in the KHL and leads the league in points for U18 players — and by a large margin. He has 18 points in 41 games, the next closest is his teammate and defenseman Anton Silayev who has 11 points in 52 games, and after that there are none who have more than 10. McKenzie ranked him 36th but he has really come on strong after a slower start, so I think he could certainly wind up as a first rounder if he finishes the rest of the year strong. He plays in all situations for Chicago, and is another guy who gets strong reviews for his two-way play, smarts, tenacious play, and skill. Oh my, Michael Hage 2024 with a beauty of an assist FloHockey pic.
That is good for third among draft eligible defensemen, only behind two top 10 ranked guys in Zayne Parekh and Sam Dickinson.
2024 NHL ENTRY DRAFT
As we enter the most critical point in the season with playoff races and major international events on the horizon, Chris Peters – FloHockey’s senior content creator and lead NHL Draft analyst – has prepared a top-50 ranking for the 2024 NHL Draft. Player Rankings for the 2024 NHL draft. NHL scoring leaders and demographics breakdown in the 2023-2024 season. Player stats, nationality and age distributions, draft rounds of players in the 2023-2024 NHL season. Artyom Levshunov is making waves with his exceptional hockey talent as he continues to soar up the draft rankings of many scouts. He’s quickly becoming one of the most anticipated prospects for the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft.
Журналист The Athletic предвкушает «сильную группу россиян» на драфте НХЛ 2024
Cole Hutson Cole Hutson has been described as better in some areas than his older brother, Canadiens 2022 second-round selection Lane. He will almost certainly be drafted higher than his brother, and the secret is out about the Hutson brothers, they are competitive, highly skilled, mobile defenders who take up the attention of opposing defences. He has dynamic edge work, and the ability to escape danger because of his strong skating. He is no longer a rookie, and teams know to watch for him, but he has proven again that he can produce on the scoresheet and defend the middle of the ice well. Through 11 games this season in Finland, Helenius has four goals and one assist. Ideally, he would probably like to see an increase in his production, but at seventh overall, he presents a nice package, he will have two professional seasons of play under his belt when he gets drafted.
Catton had a strong sophomore season in the Western Hockey League with the Spokane Chiefs, scoring 55 points 23 goals and 32 assists in 63 games. Catton looks to be a versatile top-six winger or center, who will produce plenty of offence, because of his motor, and he is so smart. Alongside Ryder Ritchie, Catton helped lead the Canadian U18 team to a Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal, with a tournament-best eight goals, and 10 points, which also led the tournament. If he can unlock a little more offence, he could find himself in a top-pair defensive role at the NHL level.
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Today we bring you our top prospects ranking 91-100. For a player his size it could be assumed that he would be used mostly as a shutdown defender, but in many ways the opposite is true. Gibson thrives in the offensive zone where his skating and vision really can make a difference. He identifies passing lanes with great ease and makes smart shots rather than big and heavy ones. While his major strengths are in the offensive zone, he is able to use his great vision to find outlet passes from his own zone.
One of the concerns about Gibson has been his ability to stay healthy as he missed a good portion of the season due to injury. He also needs to learn how to position himself better defensively, as he often relies too much on his speed to help him recover defensively. In the NHL those flaws will be exposed. He does use his body well defensively, but his gap control and overly aggressive nature have to improve. If he can this could be a solid pickup for teams looking for a big offensive defenseman.
He focuses on the defensive aspects of the game first and does most things well in his own zone. He brings a lot of calmness to his team when on the ice with good skating and smart decision-making. Positionally he is great at getting in the way of passes or shots with both his body and active stick. The only real defensive improvement Bertucci needs is to add some physicality to his game. Although he is tall, and he does use his strength well along the boards a bit more dominance in the physical aspects would do him well.
While the defence is the primary strength of Bertucci, he can contribute offensively as well. With his good decision-making and high hockey sense he does make a lot of smart passes that he hits with great accuracy. In many ways, he has a lot of similarities to Jonas Brodin although he does need to hone his skill to reach that level. He plays to his strengths and makes use of his control and balance to be an option for stability in all three zones. It takes him ages to get going and he lacks a lot of power in his acceleration.
This lack of speed does limit his offensive translatability as most of his offense comes from his physicality and hockey sense.
Его присутствие в команде обязательно привлечет внимание и повышит потенциал ее успеха. Проект Б. Рейтинг, позиция и перспективы Рейтинг: Проект Б занимает не менее важное место в списке рейтинга проспектов НХЛ 2024 года. Он находится в топ-5 лучших перспективных игроков, по данным экспертов и скouting-служб, из которых состоит комитет НХЛ. В этом списке присутствуют только игроки с потенциалом стать ключевыми фигурами в лиге. Позиция: Проект Б играет на позиции нападающего.
Он обладает сильным физическим потенциалом и высокой игровой интеллектуальностью. Он хорошо действует как в атаке, так и в обороне. Его игровые навыки и тактическое мышление делают его очень универсальным игроком. У него есть все необходимые качества, чтобы стать одной из лидирующих фигур на поле битвы. Он обладает отличным чувством владения шайбой, быстрым и мощным броском, хорошо позиционируется на поле и с легкостью находит свободных партнеров для пасов. Также важным аспектом его перспективы является навык работы в команде. Проект Б отлично сотрудничает с партнерами по команде, учитывает их при игре и помогает создавать опасные атаки.
При этом он готов играть и в защите, активно преследует соперников и блокирует их броски, что делает его ценным игроком для команды. Вместе с тем, успешность его развития во многом будет зависеть от команды, в которую он попадет после драфта, а также от его личных усилий и тренировок. Проект В. Рейтинг, позиция и перспективы Введение Проект В — один из перспективных молодых хоккеистов, которых ожидается выбрать на драфте НХЛ 2024 года. В этом разделе мы рассмотрим его рейтинг, текущую позицию и потенциальные перспективы. Рейтинг На данный момент Проект В занимает высокую позицию в рейтинге молодых хоккеистов, составленном специалистами. Он признан одним из лучших перспективных игроков своего возраста и имеет большой потенциал для дальнейшего развития.
Позиция и характеристики Проект В играет на позиции нападающего. Он обладает высоким уровнем техники, отличным чувством владения шайбой и отличной скоростью. Благодаря своему физическому таланту и интуиции на льду, он способен создавать опасные моменты и отлично себя проявлять в атаке.
Белорус и два россиянина в топ-5 проспектов драфта-2024 в НХЛ Белорус и два россиянина в топ-5 рейтинга драфта-2024 в НХЛ Вчера 10:22 Дмитрий Дичер Канадский спортивный канал Sportsnet составил список 30 лучших игроков будущего драфта Национальной хоккейной лиги. В топ-5 рейтинга вошли белорус и два россиянина — вторую строчку в рейтинге занял российский защитник Антон Силаев, представляющий состав «Торпедо», третью белорусский защитник Артём Левшунов университет Мичигана , а пятую российский форвард СКА Иван Демидов.
2024 NHL ENTRY DRAFT
Get the latest NFL Draft prospect rankings from CBS Sports. Find out where your favorite all stacks up against the 2024 class and view expert mock drafts. All eyes are on Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli for 2023, but scouts are already working to identify the top talents for the 2024 NHL draft. There is much to be excited about in the draft class, including a potential top defense prospect in Finland’s Aron Kiviharju. Владелец сайта предпочёл скрыть описание страницы. В этой статье вы узнаете, кто лидирует в рейтинге проспектов на драфте НХЛ 2024, кто считается самыми перспективными форвардами, защитниками и вратарями, а также какие команды могут выбрать лучших игроков на драфте. Ranking the best prospects eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Hockey Writers: в топ-16 рейтинга драфта НХЛ-2024 оказался один россиянин
| 2024 NHL Draft - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps | » Stanley Cup Playoffs Index: Full NHL and WHA Playoff History. |
| Sportsnet: Демидов – 3-й в рейтинге проспектов на драфте НХЛ-2024, Силаев – 8-й, Чернышов – 18-й | «Иван Демидов — невероятно талантливый атакующий игрок, с великолепными руками и отличным броском. Он не находится на том же уровне, что и Матвей Мичков, но он настоящий талант топ-класса, у которого есть явный потенциал в НХЛ», — сообщается на портале. |
| NHL Draft Diaries: Equipment Edition - Artyom Levshunov | Alexander Appleyard, Gray Matter, Ben Jordan, SpokedZ, Clare McManus, Chris Ford, Austin Garret and Josh Tessler combined their draft rankings and put together the official Smaht Scouting 2024 NHL Draft Preliminary Rankings. Below you will find the rankings and a high level summary on each player. |
2024 NHL Draft Rankings: Mid-November Top 40
The 2024 NFL Draft order won’t be determined until after the 2023 NFL regular season ends. While we are still months away from a final order of picks, there is a lot of information we do know about the 2024 NFL Draft. Владелец сайта предпочёл скрыть описание страницы. Недавно был опубликован первоначальный рейтинг драфта НХЛ 2024 года. December is a big month on the scouting calendar, headlined by the beginning of the WJC. Ahead of that, Sam Cosentino shares his latest top 32 rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft. PFF's Big Board for the 2024 NFL Draft offers three-year player grades, combine measurables, position rankings, and in-depth player analysis for all of the top draft prospects. The Elite Prospects scouts have ranked the 32 best prospects in the 2024 NHL Draft with a handful of honourable mentions.
2024 NHL Draft Rankings: Macklin Celebrini Leads FloHockey's List
Another apparent strength from this draft is on the blue line, where Giordano will be joined by Vince Dunn, former St. Louis Blues. Perhaps the most confusing pick was the selection of Gavin Bayreuther from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bayreuther played only nine games less season, while Max Domi 24 points in 54 games and Dean Kukan 35 games were also available for selection.
The first round will be held June 28, while rounds 2-7 will take place on July 29. In subsequent years, NHL teams will operate the draft out of their own cities while select draft-eligible players will gather at a specific site to be determined at a later date.
It is often held in late April or early May. As of Feb. They picked first overall last year, moving up two spots from No. The last-place team in the NHL has a 25. The second-to-last team, currently the San Jose Sharks, has a 13.
Justin Poirier, RW, Baie-Comeau Drakkar — The small but highly skilled forward can take over a game but only when he wants to and so far there have been too many lazy looking shifts to start the season. He takes many useless shots and he lacks some hockey IQ with awareness. Still a good prospect, just not as high as we once were on him. So, stick around as we promise to offer you plenty of educated and honest draft related content this season, including our 2024 Draft Preview Magazine coming in time for Christmas. Post navigation.
Defenseman Anton Silayev has also moved up to the top 5. Defenseman Zeev Buium is another big mover, having moved up from 29th to the top 10. There will undoubtedly be plenty of jockeying for position amongst the eligible prospects with offseason training to be done, and a full season of hockey yet to be played. The following is an early yet extensive glimpse at some of the talented young guns to keep on the radar for the 2024 NHL Draft in our patented quintessential spreadsheet format, composed by the incomparable E-Mac. This is undoubtedly a stronger year for defenseman.
Early on, it appears to be a weaker drive class with respect to prospects from Sweden. Finland, however, has a much stronger presence compared to 2023.
Артем Левшунов — 4-й в рейтинге драфта НХЛ-2024 по версии The Hockey News
He had a strong showing with Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky, showing a bit more speed than previously seen. Parekh can control the pace of play from the point with a good shot, great speed and excellent hockey IQ. It seems like he never has an issue putting pucks through traffic and generating chances — and it helps that he has Michael Misa to pick up the rebounds in Saginaw. I hope he explodes offensively this year because he has translatable skills that can take him far. Yakemchuk put up 19 goals and 47 points in his second WHL campaign and already has had a solid two-way impact with Calgary early in a difficult start for the squad this year. Canadiens in 2021-22, expectations were high for the Michigan commit heading into his debut USHL season. But an injury limited him to just 13 regular season games, where he recorded 10 points during the stretch run. Many scouts believe the University of Michigan commit has the potential to become an NHL star, but we need to see an entire season of work first.
The quick-skating two-way defender was never shy to rush the puck down the ice and contributed in all situations. His own-zone play can vary from shift to shift, but his skating and competitive level are above average for this age group. Elick is off to a hot start with Brandon, registering three points in his first two games while still showing his trademark physical edge. Elick has the makings of a shutdown blueliner who can have a nice, long career in the NHL. Add in a solid U-18 World Championship showing with some hiccups and some playoff Liiga action and he looks mature for his age. Could he head down to the U-20 level for more playing time? But with four points in his first two games, the new team captain is already off to a wild start as one of the top forwards in the WHL.
So far, so good.
Although the official dates and venues for the draft are yet to be announced, the 62nd NHL Entry Draft is most likely to take place in June 2024. Prospects are the players eligible to be drafted or signed by the NHL franchise.
They are upcoming athletes who have the potential to become hockey royalty. They are judged on the basis of their knowledge of the game, on-ice abilities, and physical attributes. The 17-year-old forward player has currently committed to Boston University.
Vancouver native started competing for the BC Junior Canucks in 2015. Four years later, he joined the San Jose Jr. Sharks under-14 team.
Macklin joined the Shattuck St. He recorded the highest of 141 points in 50 games played in the 2020-21 season. With his scoring skills, he accumulated 46 goals and 40 assists in 50 games.
He has since represented Middlesex Islanders and Shattuck St. He accumulated 28 goals and 16 assists in 32 games with the team.
But make no mistake, he has the potential to be one of the premier two-way wingers in the NHL. He uses the threat of his shot very effectively to create passing lanes for his teammates to move into. He plays a very intelligent game which sees him attack the middle often and quite successfully as he leverages a combination of his high-level stickhandling and physical tools. The knock on his game thus far has been his quirky staking style, but it seems to be improving with each game, and he still has good speed in-spite of his mechanics. Additionally, he has proven to be quite the effective penalty killer for Windsor, and this is a result of his excellent stick movement, often eliminating passing lanes in the defensive zone and helping create passing options in the offensive zone. Similarly to Misa, he looks to pray on the vulnerable and does a great job of stick lifting and poke checking to cause disruption in puck possession. Iginla does well at feathering passes in tight and does a good job with puck security when being pursued by multiple attackers at close proximity.
Iginla has second line upside and could be deployed at center or wing without losing a step. But make no mistake, the Nizhnekamsk native has been one of the best three Russian forwards amongst his age-group for the last couple of years. This year however? He has taken a giant leap, and is playing at a level in the KHL that very few draft eligibles ever achieve. Artamonov belies the outdated stereotype of the skilled, Russian winger who only plays in the offensive zone. He is an energiser bunny. Voracious on the fore-check, diligent in the defensive zone, with an active stick that constantly disrupts lanes. Furthermore, while no-one would mistake him for a physical player, he is more than happy to go to the corners or net-front. He is a great skater and a fantastic passer, alongside this his ability to get free ice in the offensive zone is exceptional.
The downsides? He has extremely good speed for his size especially his lateral speed that allows him to shift positioning when he is slighly further away from where he needs to be when defending against the rush. Silyaev uses his reach and size to take up space. While this ranking might seem relatively low to where others have Silayev, the offensive upside of Artamonov, Iginla, Misa, Greentree and others in the 10-20 range made it a challenge for the Smaht team to push Silayev up higher. Josh Tessler 18 — Trevor Connelly, F, Tri-City Trevor Connelly does a good job of not forcing the puck into danger and will pivot away from pressure to get the separation that he needs to complete a pass to the interior. When driving the cycle to find a lane to the slot, he does a good job of navigating the puck around pressure with his reach and great handling. He will work the puck along the boards and scan for passing lanes to get the puck to an open teammate in the slot. If he has the puck and a teammate is close by with an attacker looking on, he will delay, draw the attacker to him and then pass to his teammate who is now open with a clear lane to the crease. Hemming has them all.
He can be a juggernaut even against men in Liiga, able to use his speed, edge-work, pick-handling and size in conjunction to drop a shoulder and get past anyone. Even at 17 years old against men, Hemming has an incredible transition game. His wrist-shot is lethal to boot, and he is able to pick a corner from anywhere on ice. While he has the size he rarely uses it, and plays on the perimeter. Defensively he gets lost far too often, and his consistency is also worrying, as even against his own age-group he can go missing for long stretches. There is the upside for him to be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL if he can iron out these kinks. Boisvert will toe drag to get separation and then quickly make use of a passing lane. He has a great shot off of the rush and has found success sniping far side top shelf goals from low danger. His dangling and toe drags have helped light the lamp in Muskegon regularly.
Is this simply a case of the spotlight being so strong, for so long, that his weaknesses have been magnified? The answer is probably no. There are legitimate concerns over his game. He is undersized, he is not the best skater, and early this season a knee injury that required surgery has put him out for four months. Kiviharju is expected to be healthy again in February. However, in a league where top pairing defensemen are at a premium, if Kiviharju falls outside the first? There is the potential for one of the bigger draft steals in recent history. While there are concerns about his game the upside is inarguable. His hockey IQ would be the envy of most NHLers, he is almost always two-steps ahead and rarely makes bad decisions.
This, combined with fantastic vision, great passing and silky hands means he is great in transition, and controls play when set-up in the OZ. Defensively he has an active stick, good gap control, and thrives on breaking up plays before they develop. He is also strong down low, even against players 15 years older and 50lbs heavier.
He identifies passing lanes with great ease and makes smart shots rather than big and heavy ones. While his major strengths are in the offensive zone, he is able to use his great vision to find outlet passes from his own zone. One of the concerns about Gibson has been his ability to stay healthy as he missed a good portion of the season due to injury. He also needs to learn how to position himself better defensively, as he often relies too much on his speed to help him recover defensively. In the NHL those flaws will be exposed. He does use his body well defensively, but his gap control and overly aggressive nature have to improve. If he can this could be a solid pickup for teams looking for a big offensive defenseman.
He focuses on the defensive aspects of the game first and does most things well in his own zone. He brings a lot of calmness to his team when on the ice with good skating and smart decision-making. Positionally he is great at getting in the way of passes or shots with both his body and active stick. The only real defensive improvement Bertucci needs is to add some physicality to his game. Although he is tall, and he does use his strength well along the boards a bit more dominance in the physical aspects would do him well. While the defence is the primary strength of Bertucci, he can contribute offensively as well. With his good decision-making and high hockey sense he does make a lot of smart passes that he hits with great accuracy. In many ways, he has a lot of similarities to Jonas Brodin although he does need to hone his skill to reach that level. He plays to his strengths and makes use of his control and balance to be an option for stability in all three zones. It takes him ages to get going and he lacks a lot of power in his acceleration.
This lack of speed does limit his offensive translatability as most of his offense comes from his physicality and hockey sense. His passing is excellent, and his shot is fine, but getting open requires much better skating and off-the-puck movement. However, if this is worked on, his defensive skillset and size could make him a very strong middle-six player in the future. The modern-day defenseman is increasingly turning into a puck-moving defender, with strong skating and vision. The Swede is an extremely confident skater, who makes calm and collected decisions under pressure.