Scout Series: Nick Perri (USA East)

Future Considerations’ Eastern United States-based Nick Perri gives his thoughts on who from the 2014 NHL Draft class left him impressed, who disappointed and who his sleeper is on draft day.

To go even deeper into the draft class, pick up Future Considerations’ 2014 NHL Draft Guide, containing our ranking of the top-210 prospects, full profiles on 210 draft eligibles, a two-round mock draft, a glimpse at the 2015 NHL Draft and much, much more! Click HERE to find out more!

Who Impressed?

Cycling through my notes from September through May, the one US player that stood out for me from start to finish, and sat at the top of my prospect list all year long was Dylan Larkin from the United States National Team Development Program.

Larkin is a player who won’t necessarily blow you away with his skill night-after-night, but he is a player who will flat out get the job done shift-after-shift-after-shift. He’s a real ‘coach’s player’.

The first asset of Larkin that will stick out to even the least observant is his high-end skating ability. Larkin explodes up and down the ice with what could be considered a perfect stride; power in each step and the ability to buckle down and turn on the after burners to beat the defense or catch up on a backcheck. Larkin also has good size and strength.

Larkin also excels away from the puck as he uses his keen hockey sense and non-stop work ethic to get back on defense and situate himself so that he can make a play. He always knows when to drop back and cover for a pinching or out-of-place defensemen, and Larkin is also a player who will get involved on the walls.

While it may be a stretch for a team to take him in the top-10, it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone if the future Michigan Wolverines center is selected between picks 11-20 later this month.

Who Disapointed?

One player who had some inconsistencies in his game throughout the year was Indiana Ice defenseman Ryan Mantha.

The hulking blueliner originally began his season with the Sioux City Musketeers, but was shipped mid-season to Indiana, where he was able to win the Clark Cup with the now dormant Ice.

Mantha was one of the first players that I was able to see this season when the Musketeers traveled to Hackensack, NJ to play in the first annual USHL Atlantic Challenge. In that viewing, I was excited about what he had shown offensively and somewhat impressed by his defensive efficiency, but I clearly noted his lack of physicality which burned him a couple of times in the game. And as the season progressed, physicality still escaped him.

Most of my viewings on Mantha have the same view and tone to it. He is an adequate puck-mover who does a good job at moving the puck up the ice and out of his end quickly. He moves well for a bigger player, and rarely panics on the ice. He is a defenseman who can fill some special teams time, but I wouldn’t mark him as a No.1 man for the job.

Mantha’s inability to stick out in an impressive crop of US defenseman sent him to the back of Future Considerations’ ranking. While there is little doubt that Mantha will be picked this year, he definitely has some improvements to make before he jumps to the NHL.

Who Surprised?

There were too many players to choose from in this category. The player that I will discuss is USPHL center Beau Starrett, who starred on the South Shore Kings this year.

Few progressed the way Starrett did from last year to this year. He hit the gym early during the off-season and was able to build himself to a decent 185-pounds before the 2013-14 campaign began. I say decent because Starrett stands at a hulking 6-foot-5 and has some extra weight to put on.

Starrett was a player that rubbed me the wrong way early in the season with a couple of poor performances, but he quickly picked up his play with South Shore and showed just the type of player he could turn out to be. He moves very well for a big guy, with impressive feet and a powerful stride. He handles the puck with confidence, and at times can get a little too confident for his own good.

Where Starrett excels is on the PP, where he situates on the half-boards and will set his teammates up for scoring chance after scoring chance. Starrett also has a bomb of a shot, with a pro-like release.

He has impressive pro-upside, with the size and skill of a top-6 power-forward in the NHL. He likely won’t make the jump to pro hockey until after junior or senior year of college, but it will be well worth the wait for the team that takes him later this month.