Prospects – McKeen's Hockey

AHL: Jacob Larsson (San Diego – Anaheim)

Tom Dorsa — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 14:15:14 +0000

Jacob Larsson, a first round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2015 (29th) was ranked as the third best prospect in our ranking of Ducks prospects at the beginning of the season.

After being returned to Sweden last season after appearing for both the Ducks and the San Diego Gulls, he is establishing himself on the Gulls following off season knee surgery. Tom Dorsa provides a detailed report and expects Larsson to make the transition to the NHL in the next calendar year.

A note on the 20-80 scale used below. 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.

Jacob Larsson	2015 Draft (29th - Anaheim Ducks)
Position D, Shoots L	H/W: 6-2" 190 lbs
Stats to date (GP-G-A-Pts-PIM)	San Diego Gulls, AHL (14-1-6-7-6)

15 October 2016: Anaheim Ducks Defenceman Jacob Larsson (51) skates with the puck during the second period in the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

Skating: Larsson is an extremely gifted skater. Great acceleration highlighted by his intensely superb foot quickness and first few steps. The Swede gets to where he is headed quickly thanks to his high-end speed that rivals the best skaters in the division. He adjusts well to plays on his skates; very reactive foot quickness and agility. Has solid pivoting power that allows for him to gain speed or check up in stride without losing momentum. His only issue from a skating standpoint is his inability to pace himself; he can get flat-footed and beat late into his shifts. Grade: 55.

Shot: Good, not great, shot that can improve by a lot. Skilled at adjusting his body to take one-timers off of suspect passes. Wrister is decently fast, but not blazing although it is extremely accurate. With time and space to unleash a wrist shot, Larsson can do some damage for the Gulls, especially when he steps into his shot to increase velocity, which he does well. Also has a good set of fake shots that lose defenders quite often. If his slap shot improves like his wrist shot suggests it can, Larsson can become a tier-one offensive weapon. Grade: 50.

Skills: Larsson has quick hands that he uses well in a variety of ways. Holds the stick tight and keeps the puck near his body to better elude defenders. He is good at assessing plays and acting accordingly as the puck-handler. Good at drawing defenders, allowing him to either finagle through traffic or pass and generate shots. Needs to round out his skills game a little more than he has now, but clearly has the talents to take over games from the blueline. Grade: 50

Smarts: Larsson is a pretty smart player for one that plays a notoriously risky game. Nearly always dictates his team’s pace when on the ice with his superb vision and well-versed offensive gameplay. He is often out defending late-game leads, which indicates a level of trust within the coaching staff. Does not play very tight gaps to the opposing forward, he lets his length and active stick do the job. Can sometimes get too greedy and put the puck in bad spots; needs to balance his enviable vision with an improved decision-making process. Grade: 50

Physicality: Larsson is very physical skater for his size and experience, or lack thereof, in North American pro hockey. His 6-2" frame gives him great length, which he uses well to get his body in front of defenders for loose pucks. Likes to step in front of shots and pass attempts, and also is not afraid to bump and bang behind the goal. Clears the crease like a seasoned veteran, just needs to do so a little more often to complete his defensive game. Grade: 55

Summary: Jacob Larsson is another talented defenseman in an organization famous for churning out skilled blueliners one after another. He is a beautiful skater with a good sense for doing anything he can to assist efforts in putting the puck in the net. Alongside Marcus Pettersson in San Diego, the Ducks will enjoy years of more groundbreaking puck-movement from the rearguards in orange and black. Larsson’s first full year in North America has been a bit of a struggle as he has battled some injuries, all the while dealing with the undying expectations of being a first-round selection, but he has handled things well when healthy and confident. His ceiling as an NHLer could be a 50-point defenseman – it is fair to say he is good for 30-40 yearly once he makes the show. Expect Larsson to compete for an Anaheim roster spot in the coming calendar year.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 52

Ten QMJHL prospects to keep an eye on for the 2016 NHL Draft

Scott Wheeler — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 13:00:47 +0000

This time last year, I previewed 10 QMJHL prospects worth watching in the 2015 NHL Draft. A season later, nine of them were drafted and have become recognizable names for many NHL franchises.

The Boston Bruins took Jakub Zboril, an offensively gifted Czech defender 13th overall

The Detroit Redwings took scoring left-handed winger Evgeni Svechnikov 19^th overall. This preseason he was the last junior prospect cut from Red Wings camp.

Two-way defensemen Jeremy Roy slipped in the draft, snatched up by the San Jose Sharks with the first pick of the second round.

Later in the second round, the Colorado Avalanche selected Nicolas Meloche, another strong QMJHL defender.

The Pittsburgh Penguins took Daniel Sprong, an exceptionally gifted scoring winger, 46th overall.

Another gifted Czech, passed up for his country’s World Junior squad at Christmas, played his way to a 48^th overall selection by the Ottawa Senators.

The Tampa Bay Lightning took Dennis Yan, a Russian-American import draftee, 64th overall after putting up more than a point per game as a rookie.

Guillaume Brisebois, an intelligent man-on-man defender, was also taken early in the third round by the Vancouver Canucks.

The Carolina Hurricanes selected towering centre Nicolas Roy in the fourth round.

Despite leading his low-scoring Saint John Sea Dogs team in scoring, Nathan Noel was the only player who went undrafted. Along with diminutive scorer Dante Salituro of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, Noel’s pass over in the draft became one of the notable talking points of the 2015 crop of talent young players.

This year, despite lacking the depth that gave the QMJHL more legitimate draft-eligible prospects than they’d had in recent memory, the 2016 crop offers a number of exciting young prospects.

Unique to this class are a number of forwards with tantalizing size and a matching skillset, something that the last year’s crop lacked up front beyond Svechnikov.

Here’s the 10 2016 NHL draft prospects you should keep an eye on this season:

The cream of the crop:

Pierre-Luc Dubois, LW, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

Dubois scored both of the opening goals of the gold medal game for Canada against Sweden at Hlinka Memorial this summer. The big winger wore an ‘A’ for Canada.

He pursues loose pucks relentlessly and keeps his head up while pivoting his body positioning to make plays. Because of his puck pursuit, he’s able to follow the puck offensively to finish off plays and sneak in and out of the slot to open up chances. He’s the type of player who, despite being immensely talented, is always in around the net, sliding pucks in along the ice instead of up high. Dubois’ a surefire first round talent.

Julien Gauthier, RW, Val-d’Or Foreurs

The lone draft eligible player at Canada’s summer WJC camp, Gauthier’s a net front presence who slides out into the slot to receive passes opportunistically. He’s active to hop on loose pucks but also prone to bobbling the puck.

Gauthier’s sound defensive game and ability to kill penalties compliment his ability to score with power moves and a strong shot. As one of the draft’s oldest players, he’s physical and removes his mark from the puck along the boards with ease.

Vitali Abramov, LW, Gatineau Olympiques

A unique prospect, making his QMJHL debut this season after a 13^th overall selection in the 2015 CHL Import draft, Abramov has taken the league by storm early on after spending last season with Russia’s U17 program and Chelyabinsk of the MHL.

He hasn’t been hyped like Gauthier and Dubois, but he derserves to be. Here’s my full scouting report on the extremely talented young Russian.

Not afraid to handle the puck in dangerous areas at the blueline .. can stop on a dime .. lots of movement in his shoulders when he skates, pushing off heavily from his heels .. played on a line with little QMJHL speedster Alex Dostie .. likes to use inside-out move off the wing and beat defenders wide .. unafraid to look cross-ice .. will push puck off heal to the outside in order to one touch it to himself and cut past defenders for a shot .. often double shifted in order to play PPs as a rookie .. given trust by Benoit Groulx early on in the season .. will cut off the boards and shoot if available or no-look drop the puck down the goal line .. fires shots hard and low under the goalie’s pad or five-hole .. adept at controlling puck into his body with the toe of his blade .. incredible puck skills, likes to use the back of his toe to slide puck through his legs off the rush .. good balance on the inside of his skates, uses it to work quickly at the top of the crease and beat goalies in tight .. turns quickly and sharply on his edges, leaning heavily on his crossovers without losing balance.

Potential risers:

Luke Green, D, Saint John Sea Dogs

Probably the closest to rising into that core group, Green is an offensively gifted offensive defensemen who can shoot as well as he can pass and carry the puck. A gifted handler, Green can manage the game and a powerplay from the backend. The former QMJHL first overall selection (2014) isn’t a physical defender, but he’s efficient at closing gaps with his skating and an active stick defensively.

In his rookie season, Green finished third among 1998-born players and second among defenders with 36 points in 60 games on the backend in Saint John.

Frederic Allard, D, Chicoutimi Sagueneens

Allard, a small but offensively gifted defensemen, is another late 1997 birth date, and has an extra season in the QMJHL under his belt as a result, breaking 30 points last season. He will be counted on as the team’s top defender this season and is capable of putting up 40+ points from the backend. Allard doesn’t have a heavy shot, or shoot often, but he handles the puck extremely intelligently and is a talented cross-ice passer at even strength and on the powerplay.

Otto Somppi, C, Halifax Moosheads

Selected 19^th overall in this year’s CHL Import Draft, Somppi spent last season playing with Jokerit’s U20 program, where he posted 13 points in 38 games after putting up 12 points in just three games with the U18 program. Internationally, Somppi has also excelled at the U17 level.

This season, as one of Halfiax’s go-to offensive weapons, Somppi has gotten off to a strong start. The big, physical pivot is an excellent passer.

Pascal Laberge, C, Victoriaville Tigres

After being moved from the Olympiques to Tigres in his rookie season, Laberge took his game up a notch and played a more prominent role with his new team. This year, he’ll play a starring role and will be expected to be the team’s engine. A high-energy pivot who forechecks and backchecks hard to create turnovers and open up the play.

Will look pass before thinking shot but could stand to add some weight to an NHL frame and take the puck to the net more often.

Samuel Girard, D, Shawinigan Cataractes

You don’t often see 5-9 defensemen enough excitable attributes to warrant burning a relatively high NHL draft pick on but if Girard can continue to play as dominantly as he did down the stretch last season and early this year, he’ll be worth it.

Girard can both handle and pass the puck as well as any QMJHL defender can in this draft class and his elusiveness allows him to twist and turn his way up us for clean offensive zone entries. One of the more exciting defenders to watch.

Brandon Gignac, C, Shawinigan Cataractes

Gignac, a forward, was outscored by aforementioned defensive teammate last season when he put up 40 points in 63 games.

Still, he’s no slouch, and is posed for a breakout campaign as a point per game scoring threat this season. Another 1997-born player, Gignac’s extra season will give him an added boost as he enters his draft year. This year, he already has nine points in his first six games.

Maxime Fortier, RW/C, Halifax Moosheads

Teammates with Somppi in Halifax’s next wave of dynamic playmakers, Fortier is off to a strong start to the season, with eight points in his first six games.

A shooter, Fortier throws everything he can on net in order to create chances, and already has 31 shots (second most in the QMJHL this season). Halifax isn’t expect to be competitive, but Fortier will get his fair share of touches and a chance to become a go-to guy.

Coyotes’ Christian Dvorak a hidden gem in deep system

Scott Wheeler — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 12:00:12 +0000

Sometimes, as a team enters a rebuild and the first and second round picks pile up, you can lose sight of legitimate NHL prospects.

For the Arizona Coyotes, this is a good problem to have.

Lost in a prospect pool that now features high-end forwards such as Dylan Strome, Anthony Duclair, Max Domi, Nick Merkley and Brendan Perlini is another young power forward with transferable tools that may enable him for NHL success: Christian Dvorak.

Dvorak, a product of the OHL's London Knights, isn't even among his NHL affiliates five strongest prospects despite having scored at a staggering 1.65 points per game pace this season.

More a product of one of the strongest prospect systems in the NHL right now, Dvorak's place on the so-called organizational depth chart is still nothing to laugh at.

In fact, after his breakout season in the OHL, and a 13-point 10-game playoff stint before losing in the second round, Dvorak impressed Coyotes' brass enough to get a shot with the Portland Pirates of the AHL during.

Finishing the season with two points in his first -- and only -- two pro games in the regular season, Dvorak also dressed for five playoff games, registering a lone assist in the team's first round playoff exit.

Still, despite just three points in his first seven pro games, the 2014 second rounder was impressive and earned his time in the lineup on a night-to-night basis as a 19-year-old.

Don't be surprised if Dvorak sticks in the AHL and continues to turn heads or play his way into the conversation with some of the organization's other top prospects.

If not, he'll be primed to return to the OHL and join a London Knights team that will likely lose Max Domi, but has added top 2016 prospects Max Jones and Matthew Tkachuk to a core of forward that will also almost certainly include fourth overall 2015 selection Mitch Marner.

Marner, now a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect, spent considerable time on a line with Dvorak this season as one of the better tandems in the OHL.

A year more mature and stronger, the two players will likely be among the league's leading scorers if they are to return to London and play together.

Find a complete scouting report for Dvorak below.

Christian Dvorak (Arizona Coyotes):

Heavy skater but has a elite top speed once he gets going .. quick hands in tight .. takes a ton of shots and his accuracy helps him find the back of the net with them often .. likes to open goalies up and shoot or slide five-hole .. exploded in 2014-2015, turning heads as a lethal scoring threat .. suffered a knee injury playing on London’s third line in his draft year, but quickly found a niche with prospect Mitch Marner in 2014-2015 .. good wrist shot with high kickpoint .. named OHL Player of the Month in back-to-back months (December and January) .. has the ability to be an offensive threat at the next level but needs to continue to put it all together .. played a solid two-way game on a London team that struggled in their own zone defensively .. added some muscle in the offseason and came back to assume a role as London’s power forward, playing in a relatively small top-six .. not a big player, but deceptively strong, can outmuscle opposing defenders off the rush or in one-on-one battles for loose pucks .. knee issues are behind him, oozes the potential for further growth.

Morrissey and Lazar building on Hlinka momentum

Iain Morrell & David Burstyn — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:48:38 +0000

Josh Morrissey and Curtis Lazar were big contributors in Canada's fourth straight gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka this past August - and have carried their strong play into the start of the WHL campaign.

Morrissey, who led Team Canada with seven assists in five games in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, is producing at a similar clip for the Prince Albert Raiders, currently sitting atop the league with a 5-0-1 record.

The Raiders knocked off the defending champion Oil Kings 4-1 on Thursday night in Edmonton. Morrissey iced the game with a slick heads-up play to knock the puck past an opponent and then fire a rink-length strike for an empty-net goal.

Josh Morrissey (D), Prince Albert - wearing an 'A' as a 17-year-old .. won three team awards during a standout rookie year in `11-12: scholastic player of the year, rookie of the year, best conditioned .. a smooth and agile skater with exceptional lateral agility .. displays impressive poise and skill as a puckmover .. slippery and skilled .. talented at creating initial space for breakouts, utilizing his skating strengths to advantage .. makes sharp stops and directional changes to shake off initial pressure .. will hold the puck that extra second in order for plays to open up - and delivers an accurate lead pass .. also gets rushed into making poor decisions under the threat of heavy physical checks at times .. can architect plays from the back-end - however is also just as capable of taking it end-to-end .. quite an innovative decision maker - and somewhat high-risk, high-reward .. able to pull off moves that other defensemen wouldn’t even imagine .. shines on the power play .. adept at 'walking the line' and spraying passes in all directions .. exploits his superior pivoting ability to create lateral passing lanes for himself - able to receive and distribute while spinning on the spot .. lacks mustard on his slapshot, but does pack an effective wrist shot that manages to get through traffic .. aggressive closing gaps in the neutral zone .. can labour to keep the play in front of him however .. more of a tracker defensively .. cuts down angles and forces the play outside with his speed but doesn’t always contain .. needs to work on positioning - staying goal-side on checks - establishing an early edge .. targeted on cross-court shoot-ins - opponents dump the puck into his corner and force him to chase the forechecker on the cycle .. gets drawn away from protecting and defending the crease-front area .. does compensate with good, active stickchecking .. benefits being paired with a physical, stay-at-home type - such as Harrison Ruopp - who can patrol the front of the net .. strength needs to fill in - generously listed at six-foot in height - and still wispy all over - and easily knocked over from behind.

Curtis Lazar (C), Edmonton - leads the Oil Kings with four goals in his first five games .. failed to bulge the twine in this contest but still showed off a complete game and level of intelligence that will make him a high pick next June .. just a 'hockey player' in every sense .. not overtly mean, yet fiercely competitive and diligent - with deceiving toughness .. a natural playmaker - quick to indentify openings and execute - finds seams before they close .. possesses tremendous situational sense - an ability to make a rapid assessment and create on the spot .. his skating is a work in progress as he can look a tad choppy and sluggish in terms of first-step quickness .. difficult to derail once he gets a full head of steam however .. boasts soft hands and a heavy shot that he uses productively to create rebounds when there are no other playmaking options .. excels executing on the transition as he is adept at taking passes in full flight without breaking stride .. character player - takes hits to make plays - battles along the glass and willingly engages in contact .. puts his mid-sized body in some uncompromising spots yet absorbs hits exhibiting surprising resilience .. shows a keen appetite for the puck and a desire to make plays .. keeping the engine running full throttle will be critical though .. tends to emit bursts of playmaking verve - only to deflate briefly .. perhaps the most impressive part of his game is a defensive conscience and positional maturity that belies his age .. comes back deep in strong support positions - doesn't appear overwhelmed or rushed .. provides physical support as well - will deliver stiff hits along the boards in his own zone - intelligent physical management ..

Mason Geertsen (D), Edmonton - the term 'beast' quickly springs to mind - as the mammoth six-foot-four, 220-pound defender plays a bruising style .. hard to play against, brings an imposing and developed physical game .. battles 1-on-1 and finishes checks with authority - displaying impressive technique driving his powerful frame into opponents while keeping stick and arms down .. gets opponent hearing footsteps .. gets around the ice adequately enough with a wide, chunky bow-legged stride .. not particularly quick off the mark, yet attains decent cruising speed .. struggles backing up and sustaining solid gaps .. must work on his defensive postures as well .. gets drawn out of his lanes chasing hits - a type of heat-seeking missile, focussed solely on making contact .. does a solid job moving the puck though, keeping his outlet game simple and safe.