Liam Greentree
2024 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: LW, Shoots: L
H/W: 6’2”, 198lbs
Date of Birth: 2006-01-01
It hasn’t been an easy year for the Windsor Spitfires. One year removed from a division title, the Spitfires have struggled out of the gate, finding themselves in the cellar of the OHL’s Western Conference after over three months of action. This cost head coach Jerrod Smith his job, who replaced Marc Savard only four months prior after Savard took a job in the Calgary Flames organization.
Despite the team’s struggles, there has been one constant positive; Liam Greentree. The second year winger has emerged as an offensive star in the OHL in his draft year, consistently finding the score sheet even with defenses keying in on him. As of writing this, Greentree leads all 2006 born forwards in the OHL in goals and points.
Perhaps Greentree’s emergence should not be viewed as a surprise. He did, after all, lead the OHL in goal scoring among rookies last year. Additionally, he was part of a gold medal winning Canadian squad at the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup this past summer, although Greentree did only play a depth role.
In the midst of a breakout season, Greentree is rapidly rising up draft lists despite his team’s lack of success. He was recently ranked as a lottery selection by McKeen’s as part of our midseason update and there is a chance that he could make a further push with continued individual progression and success.
While Greentree does possess an intriguing blend of size and skill, he is potentially miscast if labeled as a “power forward.” The skill components of his game are currently the most polished with his off puck play and physicality being the areas that require improved consistency. That’s not to say that Greentree can’t one day become a more complete, power forward type. It’s just that currently, he is more of a high skill play driver who just happens to be large. Armed with a terrific release, high end puck skill, and strong offensive instincts, Greentree has the potential to become a consistent 30 goal scorer and long time top six fixture in the NHL. If other parts of his game continue to improve, it is conceivable that he could become one of the better wingers out of this draft class.
Skating
Without question, as the season carries on, this is bound to be the area of Greentree’s game that gets dissected the most. Greentree, a big body, struggles to build speed quickly and this can limit his consistency in all three zones. His inability to escape pressure can also lead to turnovers as he tries to push through checks by attacking the middle of the ice.
Greentree’s approach in transition can be too predictable as he looks to push North/South, rarely utilizing linear crossovers or changes in direction to keep defenders at bay. Additionally, he struggles to build speed from a standstill, lacking power in his strides and pushes. His stride length does not appear to be an issue, but the power generated is. With greater emphasis on lower body strength and power skating, Greentree should be able to improve his quickness.
If he can improve his linear quickness and speed, Greentree could become that much more dangerous, because his agility and East/West movement are not terrible. He is strong on his edges and builds speed out of pivots. He can utilize c-cuts and the mohawking stride to help him create separation or protect the puck. In tight areas in the offensive zone, this gives him escapability and allows him to evade pressure consistently. Greentree is also generally strong on the puck with good balance, making him difficult to knock off stride. At the junior level, he has built up many different coping strategies to help him navigate around his lack of quickness.
However, without question, the overall skating profile will need to improve for him to be a quality top six NHL scoring winger. I look at this situation similar to Jason Robertson and I actually believe Greentree profiles similarly. It is completely conceivable that Greentree can improve to become a league average skater by the time he is ready to take that next step.
Exhibit A regarding Greentree’s need to improve his explosiveness. We see him get knock kneed trying to exit the zone resulting in a turnover. He works to get the puck back, but then can’t navigate the neutral zone by either building speed or quickly changing direction to avoid another check. Greentree badly needs to work to incorporate linear crossovers into his approach to help him create separation through the neutral zone.
Exhibit B regarding Greentree’s need to improve his explosiveness. He makes a solid move to avoid the forechecker, but then can’t build speed quick enough. He feels the back pressure and forces a pass to the middle, which leads to an easy neutral zone turnover.
Would love to see Greentree utilize linear crossovers more as he looks to push up ice, as seen in this clip. As he draws in pressure, he switches to push to the right and gains the zone.
Greentree actually moves best incorporating c-cuts and pivots, like a defender would use them. He has quick, agile feet and is strong coming out of pivots. He is often utilized by Windsor to lead the entry into the offensive zone on the powerplay and will quarterback the point because of this.
This is a really good clip to show the best of Greentree’s stride and skating ability. As mentioned, he’s very quick out of pivots and he can build speed when given a runway. He also will use delays in his attacks to compensate for a lack of dynamic stride qualities, altering pace to catch defenders flat footed.
Again, we see Greentree building speed out of the pivot as he retrieves the puck.
Here we see Greentree switch his stride to 10 to 6 (mohawking) to deceive the opposition before sliding a pass across to set up a prime scoring opportunity. Greentree will utilize this stride to help him protect the puck at times.
Let’s look at Jason Robertson’s stride and lack of explosiveness from his draft year with Kingston. Similar kind of stride to Greentree. Robertson was obviously able to put in the work to improve his quickness and I believe that Greentree can too.
Grade: 50
Shot
Greentree’s shot is already a weapon; you don’t score 25 as an OHL rookie and lead the players in your age group in scoring without that. His primary weapon is a quick wrist shot that can beat goaltenders clean from a distance. However, Greentree also has a diversified portfolio in his scoring bag of tricks. He is strong on his backhand. He has great hands for redirects in front. He has quick hands in tight to finish off second chance opportunities.
Really, the one thing missing from Greentree’s repertoire is a strong one timer. He already scores a lot on the powerplay, but if he could add a one timer into the mix, he would be even more dangerous. He rarely releases on a single touch, usually requiring a catch and release. The release is certainly quick and he generates great velocity on his wrister, but almost all strong goal scoring forwards at the NHL level have the one timer in their back pocket.
Greentree has been a demon on the powerplay this year, working off the point on the left side. He routinely beats goaltenders clean with his powerful wrister. I could have included more goals like this, but they look pretty similar.
Strong work to protect the puck as Greentree pushes to the slot and roofs one on the backhand. Greentree’s backhand shows a lot of potential to be a plus weapon for him and it is something he attempts quite often as he drives the net.
This was a goal from Greentree’s rookie year. Most of his 25 goals as a rookie looked similar to this with his heat map being almost entirely near the crease. This year, we’re seeing him shoot the puck more and looking to beat goaltenders from a distance, while also maintaining strong net driving habits.
Grade: 57.5
Skills
What truly separates Greentree from the pack and makes him a candidate to be selected inside the lottery are his puck skill and creativity. He routinely makes defenders miss and is always looking to attack inside the dots. His puck protection skill is excellent as he moves between his forehand and backhand, putting would be defenders on his back or in his dust. Even without elite separation or dynamic skating ability, Greentree is able to consistently miss sticks and evade pressure helping him to create scoring chances.
Perhaps what has been more impressive is that Greentree has been a consistent point producer even without a lot of help in Windsor this year. He consistently draws the toughest defensive players from the opposition and has found ways to exploit the attention that he draws to elevate the play of those around him.
Interestingly enough, Greentree is perhaps most dangerous on the attack, when he builds speed and is able to blend his hands and pace. As mentioned, he’s not quick, but he finds a way to gain the offensive blueline consistently by navigating traffic.
The reality is that players of Greentree’s size are rarely among the most skilled players on the ice, making him fairly unique. As he gets stronger and quicker, he is going to be an absolute load to handle. His size and skill combination gives him significant upside at the next level.
This video could have gone in the shot or skill section, but I decided to place it here because I think it exemplifies Greentree’s ability to create his own space to utilize his quick release. He loves to work his way into the middle and use the toe drag to avoid sticks/blocks. No goal here, but this is good work.
Another nice play from Greentree that did not result in a goal, but was worth showing. He turns a defender inside out and takes the puck to the net to create a scoring chance from in close.
You’ll notice a trend with Greentree, in that a lot of his creative plays with the puck are geared towards getting him into the middle of the ice. This could have been put in the skating category too, but I think it does represent his ability to blend his strong edgework with his hands to help him create space.
While you could certainly make an argument about the defense being spotty (at best) here, it’s still an impressive play by Greentree to protect the puck and get it into the slot, converting on the scoring chance.
Again, we find Greentree using his hands to help him get to the net. He beats two defenders before sliding the puck into the slot, although no one can convert.
Grade: 60
Smarts
Assessing Greentree’s IQ and overall vision has been difficult this year given Windsor’s struggles as a team. This had led to inconsistencies in his approach, with and without the puck.
At times, Greentree excels as a playmaker, showcasing high end vision in the offensive end. He can spin off checks along the wall and find open teammates. He can draw in pressure consistently, working his way into the middle, allowing his teammates to be open on the flanks. His precision as a passer stands out as a strength. Yet, at other times, Greentree skates himself into trouble and seems hesitant to chase down loose pucks. Plays can die on his stick as he pushes through the neutral zone and across the blueline, as he looks to take on defenders head on. Are these turnovers common right now because Greentree is feeling the pressure of being Windsor’s primary play creator at such a young age? Can he alter his approach with greater experience and more talent around him?
Off the puck, Greentree’s play is equally inconsistent. He shows great instincts in the offensive zone by timing drives and consistently finding soft spots in coverage. His anticipation as a goal scorer is tremendous. Yet, Greentree’s three zone play leaves some to be desired. He does earn strong defensive assignments, such as killing penalties and protecting leads late. This is great for his development. However, he can get caught puck watching or cheating for offense, thus missing defensive assignments. His physical intensity also wavers, which also leads to wavering effectiveness off the puck, but more on that later.
Overall, I do see Greentree as an intelligent player. I think that with greater experience and a better supporting cast, we’ll see more consistent application of his vision and playmaking ability. You don’t make as many good reads and intelligent plays with the puck as Greentree does without being a high IQ player.
Greentree’s vision and playmaking ability are underappreciated. Here we see him use his size/strength to gain possession in pursuit of a chip in, then spin to find former teammate Rodwin Dionicio for the goal in the slot.
Love this play by Greentree and it shows his creativity and intelligence. He fakes the drop pass inside the zone then leads the exit himself, which nearly leads to a three on two. The only thing missing here is that explosiveness that could have helped lead to an odd man advantage. Instead, Greentree’s lack of quickness allows the Soo backchecker to recover.
Greentree consistently finds his way to the net and has terrific off puck instincts in the offensive zone. He finds the soft spot in coverage here, anticipating a rebound that he deposits for the goal.
More strong off puck awareness from Greentree. He identifies that the London defender is puck watching and quickly hits the backdoor for the tap in goal.
Another strong passing play by Greentree. He works his way to the inside, drawing multiple defenders to him. The entire time, he knows he has Oliver Peer at the side of the net and finds him with a great backhand pass to set up the tap in.
Greentree’s lack of dynamic skating ability leads him to turn the puck over as he tries to push through the neutral zone. These types of turnovers are too common for Greentree, as he tries to beat multiple defenders in transition, rather than dump and chase. Given his quick hands and creativity, you can live with the odd turnover as he tries to create, but he needs to pick his spots better.
Another play dies on Greentree’s stick as he plunges headfirst into traffic. He could have chipped and chased here, looking to play behind the two Saginaw defenders. But teams are on to Greentree and his tendencies as they look to funnel him into turnovers.
Grade: 55
Physicality/Compete
This is the area of Greentree’s game that I wish were just a bit better. Last year as a rookie and this summer at the Hlinka/Gretzky, we saw Greentree operating as a strong physical presence who would apply pressure in puck pursuit and look to create havoc without the puck. As he has taken on greater offensive responsibility, we’ve seen this decrease. I often say that power forwards take the longest to develop because their conditioning has to be outstanding in order to be truly dominant players on both sides of the puck. How Greentree develops in this regard will be fascinating.
Greentree does work well below the goal line and he is far from a perimeter player. As mentioned, he consistently looks to work between the hashmarks and he loves to be near the crease. He can win battles down low and he protects the puck well through traffic.
That said, he’s far from being an overtly physical player at this current time. It would be great to see Greentree apply his size on the forecheck or in puck pursuit more consistently. He seems hesitant to dump and chase, a strategy that could help him cut down on his transitional and offensive zone turnovers. Additionally, Greentree could become a terrific defensive player if he were harder on puck carriers in the defensive zone and played with a little more urgency in his own end.
At the very least, it seems conceivable that Greentree can at least become a league average physical player based on his size and willingness to play through the middle of the ice. However, to truly unlock his vast potential, he will need to increase his physical intensity level to become a more consistent physical threat.
This is a terrific hustle play by Greentree. Firstly, great to see him trusted to protect a lead late in the game. Secondly, he beats fellow 2024 draft eligible player Henry Mews to secure the victory with an empty net goal. I love the determination shown here, as he chips the puck to the middle, knowing that he’s going to have to outmuscle or outhustle Mews to get to the puck first.
At the Hlinka/Gretzky, Greentree was utilized as a rotating depth forward and as such, he tried to be a physical presence as a high energy guy. If he could find a way to become a more consistent forechecker/physical player at the OHL level like this, it would add so much more value to his game.
Hard to find examples like the Hlinka/Gretzky plays from this OHL season, but here’s one against Ottawa, where he forces a turnover on the forecheck with a big hit. Again, if this could become a consistent part of his game, Greentree would become even more valuable as a player.
Here we see Greentree get caught puck watching and miss his backchecking assignment. Then he’s entirely too soft on Cormier as he tries to recover, allowing him to score.
A poor defensive effort here from Greentree as he fails to take away space from the Rangers attacker leading to a goal against. He gets caught in between playing the man and the puck and falls down trying to make a play. I’d love to see him cycle down quicker to the wall and engage the puck carrier physically, looking to cut off his lane. Overall, Greentree just needs to use his size and strength more consistently to be a disruptive defensive force.
This is a very weak play along the boards by Greentree inside his own zone, leading to a turnover. He needs to use his size to protect the puck better there, putting the defender on his back, rather than expose the puck.
Grade: 50
OFP: 54.5
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.