Landon Nycz
2026 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: D, Shoots: L
H/W: 6-foot-3, 205 pounds
Date of Birth: 2007-10-04
After a solid career in the USHL, Landon Nycz established himself as a solid two-way defenseman, promptly joining UMass in the Hockey East for his 18-year-old season. Size and physical maturity were always the most standout traits for Nycz, and he intended to put them on display in the NCAA to increase his draft stock. Despite only mustering three points in 35 games for a team whose season ended in a Hockey East Championship loss, Nycz has indeed put his abilities on display very well throughout his season, growing his game significantly from the beginning of his season.
Nycz has a simple yet effective game that caught the eye of many who paid attention to UMass hockey this season. This role was needed to complement his most frequent partners, the offensive defensemen Larry Keenan and Coleson Hanrahan. Nycz’s ability to play that responsible game on a top pairing of a college lineup makes him stand out as a very safe pick.
After being graded as a “C” grade for Central Scouting's initial grades in October, Nycz was ranked as the 28th best NA Skater in their mid-season rankings, firmly in the “B” grade after his strong first half of the season. He is generally viewed as a second Round Prospect, following a trend in recent years of teams tending to load up on large, physical, and mobile defensemen in the second and third rounds.
As for his development path, Nycz exhibited wonderful moments of great skating, puck carrying prowess, blue line patrolling, and shut-down defense in spurts throughout this year. His offense was not as high as it would have been in the USHL, but I believe making the jump to the NCAA was the right move to show what he could do against bigger and faster competition. I believe a good two more years will do Nycz and a resurgent UMass program wonders in the future. Now let’s take a look at what Nycz is working with.
Skating
Nycz is a solid skater, coming off as average to above average for college, and he’ll probably develop into an above-average skater when he comes to the NHL. His straight-line speed is surprisingly good, and he can get going quickly when moving up ice, showing very solid puck-carrying abilities. Additionally, he has been very hard to beat to pucks when he goes full out, and Nycz is generally very fluid in the defensive zone and on rushes, as he makes good use of his skates being all over the place. What also helps his four-way mobility in the defensive zone is his edgework, granting him the ability to turn quickly and change direction to meet the lightning-fast attack of Hockey East teams. I would only classify his edges as just above average, as he doesn’t separate himself in the offensive zone with them, and it doesn’t make him impervious in the defensive zone.
At the blueline, Nycz is just okay, skating-wise, he seems less confident and relies on his more offensively inclined pairings to dictate offensive pressure. When he eventually does add to the offensive pressure, it will usually be him gravitating to the wall for a shot or a wall pass. He is not an offensive defenseman and doesn’t have the instincts to attack pressure and activate in the zone, but there have been flashes that he can do those things at an average level semi-consistently in the future. In the defensive zone, Nycz is generally more aggressive, using a bit more skating finesse to attempt to breakout the puck. Without the puck, he is a little less aggressive, often dealing with a man in front of the net or on the periphery of a wall battle, looking for a loose puck.
Finally, in the neutral zone, Nycz is quite active, either opting to aggressively pinch and catch the zone entry early with his active stick or hanging out waiting for the dump just outside of the offensive zone. A last tendency I’ve found with Nycz is that he doesn’t do great with pressure in tight, he is great with evading pressure in open ice, but doesn’t have that same skating confidence when in small areas. Overall, Nycz has solid enough speed, dexterity, and awareness to become a very competent skater at the NHL level with more time in the NCAA.
Here are two breakouts into zone entries done single-handedly by Nycz. He shows his ability to accelerate quickly and smartly evade pressure mid-skate. The second does include a slip-up at first, and I should mention that his success rate as a breakout defenseman has only very recently become above average as he has grown as a skater in college. He should be more of a threat next year at UMass.
Here is a neutral zone shift by Nycz, where he shows off some solid skating on a regrouping effort. His skating is solid, staying with the play even after his first attempt doesn’t see a re-entry. Nycz ends the play with a long pass, which frustrates me because I wish he would attack the neutral zone again with his skates.
Here is a defensive zone puck carry for Nycz, where he spinoramas twice to try to gain space, but then throws a bad pass to a wall option.
Here is Nycz getting caught flat-footed in the defensive zone against a quick Providence team and getting beaten by speed twice. He tends to be stationary in the defensive zone and gets caught off guard when challenged with speed, something he will need to work on in the coming years.
Here is a rush defensive sequence in which Nycz makes the wrong decision and bites on the opposing blue line for no gain. He will take bad angles to try to stop pressure some of the time, and it becomes very frustrating to watch. However, I will note that he became way more conservative and smarter as the year went on.
GRADE: 55
Shot
Landon Nycz has a powerful shot, but still has a lot to learn as a shooter. Nycz’s strength is not at all in question, generating great power from his size and good balance on his skates. His power is real. When he is in position, Nycz can fire off a powerful shot that causes rebounds and is overall hard to stop. This applies to his wrist shots, one-timers, and slap shots, having good mechanics when in position and having a quick release. However, at less than ideal angles, Nycz loses a lot of power and a lot of accuracy on his shot. I mentioned before that he has a tendency to panic and throw the puck when pressured, and that doesn’t change in the offensive zone, as he just chucks it towards the net when pressured heavily.
He also has shown some worrying habits at the blue line when it comes to shooting. Nycz drifts to the perimeter and wall on occasion to take his shots, which almost always are off-target and will often have him look off a better option due to pressure. Another issue with Nycz’s ability as a shooter is his inability to find seams. He only scored once this season, very early on, and since then, he has struggled to get quality shots on net when pressured. Nycz often cannot shoot pucks through oncoming shot-blockers, and his success rate with finding the net has suffered since. Landon Nycz has all the “tools” of becoming an average shooter in the NHL, but there is much work to do in breaking the many bad habits he has exhibited throughout his collegiate season.
Here is Nycz’s only goal of the year. It is a clever shot with the stickhandling and double screen, and it finds its way through, however, Nycz shows off his tendency to drift to the wall, showing signs of the habit that handicaps his ability as a shooter.
Here are 3 more examples of Nycz’s shots from the point off of offensive cycles. The first clip was a great feint shot that led to him getting space and making a much better shot. The second clip is a weak shot against a weak Simon Fraser opponent, where he drifts to the wall yet again. The third clip ends this part on a high note as he gets the puck and passes it off to create space for a better one-time shot from a great position. I show these to show how Nycz has several options when at the point, and he has a ton of potential to show the good shots consistently.
Here are 3 more clips of Nycz’s most successful shots: shots off the rush. He finds the most power, quickness, and confidence in these chances. Clip one is him taking advantage of being the last man to enter, and he fires a powerful shot in space. Clip two was another very solid shot off the rush that became a great rebound chance, unfortunately, no one was around to clean it up. Clip three was Nycz firing a wrist shot off the rush, though he gets knocked down, the shot is quality, and the goalie has to freeze the puck to control it.
These last two clips show Nycz’s blocked shots. Clip one shows Nycz entering the zone with space and firing a quick shot, but it goes off the defender's knee, and he ensures the possession stays with UMass. Clip two shows Nycz getting off the wall for a shot, but it is a weak shot while he's pressured, and it turns into a rush the other way.
GRADE: 50
Skills
Nycz’s stick skill has honestly been quite surprising. He has been quite capable of making some impressive moves in his game to help him break out or activate. However, Nycz’s handling needs much more work to become a facet of his game. When in motion with the puck, Nycz is a smart stick handler, conservative with his movements, but he has the requisite skill and finesse to get the space he requires on the rush to make plays. Give it another two or three years, and his rush game could be very deadly at the NCAA level and certainly above average at the NHL level.
His success rate falters when in the offensive zone, however. I have mentioned before Nycz’s tendencies at the blue line, and they do not help him when he tries to demonstrate stick skills there. Nycz can run out of room to create space when he gravitates to the wall, and when pressured, he will not even try to evade pressure but instead throw the puck down behind the net. This leads to some turnovers in his own offensive zone. However, Nycz became considerably calmer and composed at the blueline as the season went along. Nycz also exhibits his stick skills in the defensive zone, adding to his deception when breaking out of the zone.
Lastly, he falls victim to the same tendency that plagues all skaters who have above-average stick skills, he tries to do too much with the puck, and it will get him into trouble. I am less concerned with this habit, as many skaters naturally fix this the longer they stay in college. Overall, Nycz’s stickhandling will not be the hallmark of his game, but it just adds an offensive layer that not many opponents will expect him to have.
Here is an example of Nycz’s skill when he activates in the offensive zone. Though he doesn’t do it often and doesn’t exhibit tremendous hands, he gets around the defender with skill and fires a close-angle shot. Its a good view of what his game could look like should he activate more often.
I used this clip in the shooting section, but I really enjoyed this shot feint move he makes here at the blue line.
Here are three neutral zone skill clips that show how effective Nycz is off the rush.
Here is a bad mistake at the blueline where Nycz cannot dig the puck out of his skates and causes a turnover. He still has to iron out kinks in his game like this and really tighten up his game at the blue line. However, I will give Nycz some credit because he has become way more solid with his stick in the last few games of his year.
GRADE: 52.5
Smarts
Landon Nycz exhibits some pro-level intelligence in his game that helps him offensively, however there is still much more that he needs to learn and grow from this season to round out into the reliable two-way defensman mold that he is trying to become. In the neutral zone and when entering the offensive zone, Nycz does a great job at exploiting gaps with his skating and puck protection, an ability that will help him when he eventually becomes more confident activating in the offensive zone. Though his success rate at exploiting gaps isn’t as high in the defensive zone, he does make good use of the space given to him and has shown flashes of improvement.
There is much more work that Nycz must put into his passing game, however. He has been really struggling in this area of his game, especially under pressure. In the defensive zone, he often tries to attempt long ice passes to hit a forward entering the zone, but he has not had much success with these passes. Additionally, he will crack under pressure and make some ugly passes, not just in his own zone but in the offensive zone as well. Nycz will gain a lot if he gains some confidence when challenged by pressure, but that is never a guarantee.
Defensively, Nycz has not always taken the best angles to opponents on rush defenses, but has gotten very good at using his reach to smother pressure along the wall and behind the net. That habit is fine at the NCAA level, but he will need to get better at sizing up his opponents on the rush to take full advantage of his active stick and large size. Finally, he has some solid sense in the defensive zone, finding passing lanes, but he seems a step behind in getting to those lanes on occasion. Adding more pace to his in-zone defense will go a long way in helping his shut-down game.
Here is a clip of him jumping into the ice-length pass and creating a shot out of it. Nycz has the speed and processing power to make these plays and disrupt opposing offensive chances at the neutral zone, he just needs to do it consistently.
Conversely, here is a really bad read by Nycz that leads to a turnover and goal by Northeastern. He misjudges how close his teammate is to him, and he pays for it.
Here is another failed breakout that Nycz turns into a successful breakout by staying with the play. His success rate in his freshman season was not the highest, but he has been making progress in the second half, shifts like these show it.
Here is a clip of Nycz’s active stick and how he puts his reach to work. He can get out of position or not be perfectly in the position to block or kill plays, but his reach makes up for it, and he can kill those plays regardless.
I had these clips in the skating section, but these defensive mistakes on the rush and in-zone, respectively, were worth repeating here in the Smarts section.
Here is Nycz getting beat on zone entry, but he makes up for it by “smothering” his man along the wall before he can make a play.
GRADE: 52.5
Physicality/Compete
Nycz has exhibited an average to above-average physicality and compete in his freshman season at UMass, but there is reason to believe that he will become more physical with more confidence, strength, and ice time. His physicality is not explosive, but he gets the job done, taking opponents out of the play once they have entered the zone, mainly getting to his man a second late. Nycz will need to play with more pace to fully take advantage of his large size and inclination to put defenders on their butt. Though he can be off a step at times, Nycz can really disrupt opponents in open ice as well. He is no stranger to draping himself all over attackers to get them off the puck, a style of play that has led to UMass being hard to enter the zone against. Overall, Nycz’s physicality has great potential to be feared at the NHL level, but he will need to up his pace and take better angles to make that happen. Altogether, he should be just above average physically when he makes the jump.
Nycz’s compete has been similarly just above average, with flashes of high compete followed by moments of him standing still. Offensively, Nycz exhibits great moments of supporting his team’s rush and breaking the puck out by himself, showing great initiative. However, some of that spark goes away in the offensive zone. Part of that loss of “umph” comes from a lack of confidence when pressured, but he was showing more activation later in the year, and more confidence will come with more ice time next season. His neutral zone compete has similarly been solid, showing moments of killing plays at the opposing blue line and pinching on rushes. However, he can be a step behind and take bad angles at times. When he gets beaten wide, Nycz tends not to chase his opponents but rather tries to trap them behind him along the boards, which will work in the NCAA level, but does not work at the NHL level. He will need to play with a higher pace of play when defending the rush and in his own zone. Finally, Nycz follows the play well in the defensive zone, but he can often get caught flat-footed and look slow. Nycz will need to show more effort in the defensive zone to get the most out of his size and round out defensively.
Here is a clip where Nycz gets beat wide but is able to use his body to kill the play along the wall. This is a great use of his reach, and he adds another hit at the end for good measure.
Here, Nycz gets beat on a zone entry but traps his opponent, blocks the shot, and hits him hard along the wall.
Here is a clip of Nycz that I wish I could see more often. He drives behind the net to collect the puck under immense pressure from an opponent to try to get possession. He doesn’t win the battle, but he ties up his man and gives a tremendous effort.
Here are two clips of Nycz engaging physically at the entry to his own zone. The first clip is a nice open ice hit, and the second clip is a nice pinch to put an opponent in his own bench and then follow up with another hit along the opposite boards, showing great compete.
Here is a great example of Nycz being behind an opponent but still taking him out of the play to kill a quality rush.
GRADE: 55
OFP: 53.375
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.