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***hhh81*** · 10-23-2018, 01:34 PM

A late round steal or hometown bust? A look at the true rookie SMJHL defenseman draft class

Harry Hemmert

Associated Press - Boston, MA

While the top of this year’s SMJHL Entry Draft will be highlighted by recreates and players with long pedigrees of success in the SHL, this year’s true rookie pool includes a crop of intriguing American-born defenseman with SHL ambitions.

A Western European battle for attention and pride

Among the recreate class, many have their eye on Hungarian phenom D Sanyi Kocsis. In the last four years he’s dominated for HV71’s U20 and senior teams, and now he’s set his eyes on North American hockey. Due in part to playing against men at 17 in Sweden, hockey prognosticators project Kocsis to be the first European defenseman taken in this year’s draft, though another hopes to challenge him for that position.

This year’s crop of European S45 defensive prospects is far from deep, but Cassius Darrow intends to make it a memorable one.

“I come to win games. If a team drafts me, we will win,” Darrow said when asked to comment on his decision to forego a professional contract in his home country of Germany to play North American junior hockey.

Both Darrow and Kocsis consider themselves two-way defenseman, willing to jump into the play and make things happen offensively. Of the two, Kocsis is more polished and a better offensive player than Darrow right now, but Darrow has an intensity and will to win you cannot teach.

“If I had to pick a player to step in and help us win a game tomorrow, [Kocsis] is better right now. Darrow is a project, but I’d be scared to pick against him. That kid has fire and drive,” Gerhardt Jackson, an eliteprospects.com scout familiar with both players, said of these two European standouts.

Star Spangled Awesome or a Broken-Down Ford: The Americans
However, it’s a crop of American-born defenseman who may speak to the depth of this year’s draft. Hailing from St. Clair Shores, MI, Dominic Montgomery has gained some attention for his all-around game among recreated players.

“Right now, he has skills in a lot of areas. He’s a solid passer and has a quick skating stride. He shies away from physical play, but he’s quick enough to usually be in good defensive positioning,” Dave Coulier, Director of Midwest Scouting for CSS, said of Montgomery.

The Michigan-born player is far from the only American hoping to hear their name called this week. A group of five USA true rookie defenseman will battle to be their nation’s next stars. We sat down with Dave Coulier, Director of Midwest Scouting for CSS and former AHL All-Star turned professional scout Cody Goloubef to profile these players:

Slip McScruff – DD – USA

6-1, 215 lbs

CG: McScruff is a physical shut down defenseman. Despite his focus in his own end, McScruff has shown some skill with the outlet pass. He’s not a great skater, which is an issue.
DC: I agree. His skating leaves a great deal to be desired, and he’s smaller than other stay at home defenders in the draft, which might take the spotlight off him. He’ll never be a big point producer, but he’s shown the little things to think he might have enough to be a successful SMJHL player. He plays a strong physical game, but rarely gets penalized. He should be able to step right in on a junior team’s third pairing, ideally with a more mobile defensive partner.
CG: He probably isn’t ready right now to play big minutes, but I could see a team draft him with the thought he can fill in as a 7th defender this upcoming year.

Steven Stanley – TWD - USA

6-1, 210 lbs

DC: He’s a solid defender and skater, but is a bit of a project. His main weakness right now is a complete inability to handle the puck. I can’t see him being much of an offensive threat, at least right now. That’s why CSS doesn’t have him ranked.
CG: When pressured, he hasn’t shown the ability to carry the puck up ice and turns the puck over more than you’d hope. He’s shown a willingness to play a physical game and is working to build his strength to gain leverage and win board battles, which is encouraging. Some time with a SMJHL coaching staff may go a long way to rounding him into form on the offensive end. I know a few teams have interviewed Stanley and think he could be a good value pick later in the draft.
DC: I’m unconvinced. I saw him a lot this past season, and he didn’t impress me much. His struggles to handle the puck lead to a lot of turnovers and didn’t let him use his ice vision and passing.

Chuck Freedom – DD - USA

7-2, 360 lbs

DC: HOLY MOLEY WHAT A BIG BOY. It’s hard not to think of Big Buff when you see him, and I’m mostly talking about his weight. He’s about as big as an NFL lineman, which is scary.
CG: Easily the best pure defender among the American prospects, but I agree. His conditioning so far does give a little pause. Still, he has the look of a great stay-at-home defender.
DC: Definitely. He has no offensive game to speak of, but he’s surprisingly a solid skater and puck handler. There were a number of times I was shocked how he won a puck battle and started moving up ice quickly. But that passing… geez. Have you ever seen a gardener try to dig moles out of his rose bushes?
CG: The Dustin Byfuglien comparison is an apt one, though Buff was a better passer. Freedom really struggles to move the puck. He’s also not as physical as you’d expect, but there’s room for him to add that dimension to his insane wing span and strong positioning. I think he’s going to be a really good penalty killer, even this year.

Nat Emerson – DD - USA

6-4, 250 lbs

DC: Emerson is nasty out there. He’s easily the most physical player among this group, and he has great size. If he worked on his skating a bit, he could grow into a human eraser in the d-zone. I’m concerned how penalties might get in the way of his development, though.
CG: Emerson is a good defender and skilled passer. His puck handling is only adequate right now, which fits into his focus on his own zone. His biggest weakness right now is his skating. He’s a slow, big-bodied defender that can struggle to keep up with smaller, quicker scorers. When he gets the jump in position and space on those players, they are in for some pain. He has been known to take the occasional dumb penalty, but I don’t think that’s as big a concern.

Patrick Stevely – TWD - USA

5-11, 180 lbs

CG: The smallest of the American-born rookies, Stevely plays the sort of game you’d expect from a 5-11 teenager. He’s not overly physical and doesn’t search for his own shot, but he’s a highly skilled passer and an adequate defender and skater. He’s been working on continuing to improve his skating, endurance, and strength, which will help him compete on and off the ice.
DC: We really like this kid. He hasn’t played against the best competition to date, but he’s a decent skater. He has a ways to go, but he’s probably the most likely to stick on a powerplay unit among these American prospects. His passing is really good. He’ll have to work on learning the game better and spend time in the gym, but he could be a steal late.

Who do you think is the best prospect right now?
DC: I don’t think there’s a question—Chuck Freedom is a monster. Anyone who comes into his space and tries to score is going to get pushed around. He’s so good positionally and can cover so much ice, it’s almost Zdeno Chara like. If he adds a physical game and keeps working on his skating, he’s going to be a monster.
CG: I have to agree, Freedom is the standout. He’s more than ready to jump into even a veteran junior lineup, ideally with someone much more offensively gifted than he is. He might get drafted over a few recreated players. Even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear Freedom’s name called in the first two rounds of the SMJHL draft Thursday.

If you were a SMJHL general manager, are there any players you would avoid drafting on Thursday?
CG: No, not really. I think there are a few projects among the group, namely Emerson and Stanley, but no one I think shouldn’t get drafted. A deep, veteran squad could help both of those players learn and grow in the game so they can fill roles as more players move on to the SHL.
DC: Steven Stanley is a mess when the puck is on his stick, which isn’t what you want from someone who tries to pinch in offensively. He has the furthest way to go before being a quality hockey player. I wouldn’t want to take the time and money to help him get there. It’s concerning to have a jack-of-all-trades that has one glaring weakness like Stanley does.

Is there any player who might surprise hockey fans next year as an offensive dynamo?
CG: I doubt it. Several of these prospects have a good first pass and can handle the puck decently, but none of them have shown a lot of nose for the net. It’s really going to come down to who gets what opportunities next season. Stevely could definitely do some damage if he regular gets power play time.
DC: Agreed. There isn’t a standout offensive rearguard in this class, but it’s still a solid group.

Thank you again to our scouting correspondents, Cody Goloubef and Dave Coulier!
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Tune into the SHL Network Thursday, October 25th, for our wall-to-wall coverage of the S44 SMJHL Draft! The draft takes place at 7:30 EST, but the pre-draft show begins at 5:00pm!