Future Considerations’ New England-based scout John Healy 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?
Ryan Donato looked to dominate every shift all season whether it was against a weaker team, or a perennial prep powerhouse. Unfortunately his supporting cast wasn’t stronger, so he had to play in all situations and often close to 30-minutes per game. Despite playing against each team’s top defensive pairings, Donato put up an impressive 37 goals and 78 points in 30 games.
Donato has a great set of hands and truly understands his surroundings in the offensive zone. While his skating is average at best, he changes speeds off the rush to make it tough for defenders to keep a consistent gap on his. He left an impression early, too, scoring an incredible highlight-reel goal at the Beantown Classic last summer where he maneuvered through the entire team and put a backhander up over the goalies glove.
He has the translatable skills to continue to produce points at the college level. He will end up playing on the Harvard power play for three or four years.
Who Disappointed?
There is so much that is still undeveloped in the game of every 17-year-old that it is tough to say where these kids will be in six months, let alone in three or four years when they might start to be considered NHL ready.
That said, I had high expectations for Miles Gendron heading in to the season. The defenseman has the size and skating ability of a top notch NHL prospect and a good set of hands to boot. He has the ability to be a one man breakout on the power play and can pull fans out of their seats as he leaves defenders in the dust off the rush.
However, after a year of transitioning back to the point he still looks uncomfortable and often lost at the position. His gap control is all over the map and he doesn’t use his stick well in one-on-one situations.
He should have been able to dominate a weaker prep schedule. Gendron put up a 6-13-19 stat line in 22 games and needs to play more games and truly immerse himself in the game to learn the nuances of the position. He’ll have the ability to do so next season in the BCHL.
Who Surprised?
The sleeper pick out of this region was the toughest to determine. There are a few players who could have fit this category, including Max Willman. Ultimately, James Winkler has the most upside of the players who have flown under the radar this year.
Winkler has the build to be a solid NHL player and a good IQ. He most likely would have been higher on most draft boards if he wasn’t stuck up on a weak team in Portland this past winter. He needs to add some grit to his game to be and lighten up his feet to be effective at the next level.
His development could make a big jump playing out in the USHL next year with the proper coaching. If he buys in to the ‘power forward’ role he could be a tremendous force in Hockey East in years to come.
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!