WHL Prospect Watch: Clague expectations

Iain Morrell — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 22:03:39 +0000

The points are starting to come for Kale Clague of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Following an injury-ravaged rookie campaign in 2014-15, Clague rebounded with a solid performance in August helping Canada win gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial.

He appeared in only 20 games as a rookie due to a broken wrist sustained at the U17 World Hockey Challenge in November (2014) and a subsequent leg injury in February. His production in those 20 games was impressive though with four goals and 13 points, which set up expectations for his sophomore year.

The native of Lloydminster, Alberta and sixth overall selection in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft entered his draft year among the top-rated prospects in the WHL for the 2016 NHL Draft.

Paired in the opening weeks with standout blueliner Ivan Provorov, it appeared Clague was headed for a big year with five assists in his first six games and a healthy plus-9 rating.

However, his play slipped over the next couple of months and the offense dried up (25-1-2-3) - precipitating a fall down the rankings.

Since mid-December though, he has started to emerge and provide steady offensive contributions, buoyed by a Brandon club that has caught fire this month averaging just under six goals per game (5.8) in 10 games.

Over the past 28 games, Clague has three goals and 21 points, up to the levels that NHL scouts were expecting.

Equipped with good puckhandling skills and slick skating ability, Clague fits the trend towards mobile, puckmoving rearguards.

Light and agile with superb pivoting ability, he also moves well laterally both forwards and backwards, and quickly reaches a very good top gear thanks to a sharp first step and acceleration.

His play shows progress at both ends of the rink as compared to earlier in the season when frequent errors were raising questions about his overall hockey sense.

He is managing the puck better now and finding clean outlets, while also showing improvements in his positioning defensively. His confidence on the power play is steadily growing as he exploits his agility and skill to create space and open lanes.

The one incongruent aspect of his skating however is backing up in a straight line with enough speed to contain when defending the rush. Clague won't hesitate to turn forwards when threatened, which is when he becomes prone to getting beat inside.

Not particular large or imposing at 6-foot-0 and a slight 180 pounds, Clague is more a finesse defender who relies on skill and quickness. There's not much 'push back' to his game either even though he does compete.

NHL scouts need to determine how good a defender Clague really is and, most importantly, how he projects at the pro level.

Inevitably, he will need to build up his muscle and bulk up weight wise - as he gets shoved aside even at this level.

He is, after all, being sheltered to a degree playing behind a standout top pairing in Provorov and captain Macoy Erkamps who handle most of the hard defensive minutes.

The final month of the season and playoffs - Brandon currently sit second in the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference - will be especially critical for Clague to continue his improvement and show scouts more of the flash and sizzle he oozed as a 16-year-old.

It wouldn't be the first or last time a highly-touted defenseman waffled, wobbled and/or perplexed through their draft years - after looking like gems at sixteen, the most recent example being Rasmus Ristolainen of the Buffalo Sabres.

Wheeler’s Top 60 Prospects for the 2016 NHL Draft by League (November)

Scott Wheeler — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 13:00:18 +0000

Each season, I release three instalments of my rankings of the top 60 prospects for the NHL draft.

This year, these rankings will be divided by league and produced in November, February, and May, and available online at McKeen’s for the second time.

My top 60 is not to be confused with the official McKeen's Hockey top 30, which is published throughout the draft season.

Note on the rankings: The following rankings are compiled through extensive coverage and viewings of Ottawa 67's and Gatineau Olympiques home games, which provide the chance to watch and follow a hundred or-so draft eligible players in the OHL and QMJHL who make up the majority of the top end of the draft class. For prospects from the NCAA, USHL, NTDP and abroad, I make sure I have several viewings before the first publication of these rankings in November. These viewings are cumulative from this year and last (while scouting the previous class). Events viewed beyond the CHL include the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, World Junior Development Camps, the Subway Super Series, U17s, U18s, club play internationally, marquee U.S. events, college tournaments, and a heavy focus on a select few European players in SHL and Swe. Jr. games.

November’s Top 60 Prospects for the 2015 NHL Draft by League (overall ranking in brackets)

Ontario Hockey League (OHL)

Jakob Chychrun, Sarnia, D (#2)
Matthew Tkachuk, London, LW (#4)
Alex Nylander, Mississauga, LW (#6)
Olli Juolevi, London, D, (#10)
Alex DeBrincat, Erie, RW (#18)
Dmitri Sokolov, Sudbury, C (#20)
Michael McLeod, Mississauga, C (#23)
Logan Brown, Windsor, C (#24)
Mikhail Sergachev, Windsor, D (#26)
Max Jones, London, LW (#27)
William Bitten, Flint, C, (#28)
Sean Day, Mississauga, D (#31)
Adam Mascherin, Kitchener, C/LW (#35)
Victor Mete, London, D (#39)
Dante Salituro, Ottawa, C (#49)
Taylor Raddysh, Erie, RW (#50)
Kyle Maksimovich, Erie, LW (#51)
Travis Barron, Ottawa, LW (#58)
Nathan Bastian, Mississauga, C (#59)
Markus Niemelainen, Saginaw, D (#60)

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)

Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cape Breton, LW/C (#9)
Vitali Abramov, Gatineau, RW (#15)
Julien Gauthier, Val-d’Or, RW (#16)
Samuel Girard, Shawinigan, D (#21)
Luke Green, Saint John, D (#32)
Maxime Fortier, Halifax, RW/C (#36)
Frederic Allard, Chicoutimi, D (#37)
Pascal Laberge, Victoriaville, C (#42)
Matthew Boucher, Quebec, LW (#43)
Otto Somppi, Halifax, C (#45)
Brandon Gignac, Shawinigan, C (#48)

Western Hockey League (WHL)

Tyler Benson, Vancouver, LW (#12)
Sam Steel, Regina, C (#14)
Jake Bean, Calgary, D (#19)
Kale Clague, Brandon, D (#22)
Dillon Dube, Kelowna, C (#29)
Simon Stransky, Prince Albert, LW (#33)
Brett Howden, Moose Jaw, C (#38)
Max Lajoie, Swift Current, D (#41)
Libor Hajek, Saskatoon, D (#44)
Vojtech Budik, Prince Albert, D (#52)
Zach Sawchenko, Moose Jaw, G (#56)
Lucas Johansen, Kelowna, D (#57)

United States (NCAA, USHL, NTDP)

Kieffer Bellows, NTDP, C, (#8)
Clayton Keller, NTDP, C (#13)
Charlie McAvoy, Boston University, D (#17)
Chad Krys, NTDP, D (#25)
Luke Kunin, Wisconsin, C (#46)
Adam Fox, NTDP, D (#53)

Sweden (SHL, Swe. Jr.)

Carl Grundstrom, MODO, LW (#30)
Rasmus Asplund, Farjestad, C/LW (#40)
Sebastian Aho, Skelleftea, D (#47)
David Bernhardt, Djurgardens, D (#54)
Jonathan Dahlen, Timra, C/LW (#55)

Finland (Liiga)

Jesse Puljujarvi, Karpat, RW (#3)
Patrik Laine, Tappara, RW (#5)

British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL)

Dante Fabbro, Penticton, D (#7)
Tyson Jost, Penticton, RW (#11)

Switzerland (NLA)

Auston Matthews, Zurich, C (#1)

Russia (MHL, U18)

German Rubtsov, Russia U18, C (#34)

Just missed: Evan Fitzpatrick, Givani Smith, Otto Makinen, Beck Malenstyn.

Western Hockey League – McKeen's Hockey

WHL Prospect Watch: Clague expectations

Wheeler’s Top 60 Prospects for the 2016 NHL Draft by League (November)