Sunday Night Skate: Drafting Defense Edition

Welcome to this edition of Sunday Night Skate the source for all your SMJHL hockey talk. In tonight’s edition we delve into the upcoming SMJHL entry draft and take a look at what could be a very solid crop of young defenseman. We will break down some of the higher know prospects you’ll be seeing this year and talk about a few surprises that might make a name for themselves in the upcoming season. We are talking all draft, all defensemen, all night on this edition of Sunday Night Skate. Now say hello to you host Dan Fowler!

Dan: Thank you very much everyone for joining us for another exciting episode. As you already know we are talking about this year’s crop of young defenseman looking to a carve out a name for themselves in the world of pro hockey. Here to help me break some of these kids down is a good friend of mine and former defenseman Nicholas Walsh. Nick thanks for joining us.

Nick: Thanks for having me, I’m excited to be here.

Dan: Alright let’s jump right into this. Nick in about one weeks time several, if not all teams, in the SMJHL will be looking to draft a defenseman. This year promises to be an interesting crop. Tell us a little bit about your overall feel for this year’s defensive draft class.

Nick: Well Dan, as you know in my personal opinion defense wins championships. Scoring is great but in the biggest games of the year it’s usually the defense that steps up and delivers. Knowing that I think it’s very fair to say that most teams will be looking to add a future top blue liner to their roster. Now this year I think we have a very diverse group of kids coming in who each bring something unique. You’re always going to have the high end blue chip guys that everyone is going salivate over in the early rounds but I also think that there’s the potential for some really good sleep picks in this year’s group.

Dan: I couldn’t agree more. Let’s take a closer look at some of those players and let us know what you think. Nick let’s start with who you think could be the cream of the crop players this year.

Nick: Yeah, if you’re talking the cream of the crop I think you have to start with Morten Dahlstrom and Mattias Walhstrom. I think both players bring elite talent to the position and will be scooped up relatively early in the draft.
I’ll start with Dahlstrom first. Dahlstrom is who I have as my number one overall d-man in this year’s group. There is a lot to love about this Norwegian born prospect. As far as measurable go he has the perfect build for a young blue liner. At 6 foot 2 inches and 210lbs Dahlstrom has a great build to step in right away and be a force. Dalhstrom is probably best recognized for his checking ability which would be respectable even for an SHL player. The other thing this kid is well known for is his skating ability. This kid flies around the ice for a defenseman. He is constantly moving his feet and knows how to cover a lot of ice in a hurry. Pair that with his devastating checking ability and this kid mine a well be a heat seeking missile out there. I’ll tell you Dan I’ve seen this bruiser lay down some massive hits.


Morten Dahlstrom figures to be top overall defensemen

Dan: I hear you Nick. It’s hard to ignore a player like that who can set the tone for an entire game with a couple of big hits. Tell us a little bit about Mortens weaknesses.

Nick: Well, he’s a true defensive defensemen in every sense of the word and his skill on the offensive side of the ice could use some work. He is not a great puck handler and won’t be the guy you want carrying the puck up ice on offensive rushes. He lacks a depth and vision when it comes to passing the puck which makes him a somewhat ineffective individual to put on the power play. He also doesn’t have a great shot and struggles to keep the puck on net when he does decide to let one rip. All of these things are skills he is going to need to improve upon this year, but when it comes to defense he’s one of those guys who can completely neutralizer an opposing teams best scorer.

Dan: Give us a prediction of where we can expect to see him go in the draft.

Nick: Oh hes a first rounder for sure. Hes hands down the top dman in this draft and will probably carry that reputation right through to the SHL draft a year from now. I say 1st round, 3rd overall pick, pack him up and send him to Kelowna.

Dan: Tell us a little bit about Walhstrom.

Nick: Walhstrom is a much different kind of player then Dahlstrom is. Aside from there European roots and similar sounding last names the two players are completely different. Walhstrom is much more of the puck move point getter then Dahlstrom is. Standing at only 5 feet 11 inches Walhstrom doesn’t look like a very intimidating player at first but this boy is all skill. This kid is one of the best players in the entire draft, including forwards, when it comes to dishing the puck. Wahlstrom can make passes that would make a top line center jealous. He is the perfect player to grab if you want a quarterback for your power play. Even with his outstanding offensive talent thought Wahlstrom still players an excellent, very sound defensive game. He’s not going to beat the puck out of opposing players but he always seems to be in the right place at the right time to be able make a play on the puck.

Dan: Talk a little bit about his weaknesses.

Nick: Well like I said he doesn’t play the physical game. He doesn’t have the size or strength to bang with some of those big power forwards who rely on pushing their way through offensive zone to net goals. He will struggle to stop the bigger guys who just try to bully him around. His scoring isn’t overwhelming either. He is a better pure shooter then Dahlstrom will be to start but not by much. His lack of strength really comes out in what is a very weak slap shot and he relies more on skill moves like a forward would when trying to score.


Wahlstrom brings more offensive upside.

Dan: How about a prediction for draft day.

Nick: Still a first rounder in my opinion. I can see him going in the end of the first to either St. Louis or Detroit. Either team would be happy to have him on their power play. He won’t last long in the upcoming draft.

Dan: Ok well now that we’ve covered the high end guys let’s talk about some of those player who will be snagged up in those value rounds.

Nick: Alright Dan the name im going to throw out there is Jack Myer. Jack is a product of the red, white and blue born in Buffalo. He is another big bodied d-man at 6’3 218. I like this kid because he is a very well rounded player. Where the previous two guys overwhelmed us with some of the abilities Jack just plays a very sound overall game. Jack plays a solid defensive game where he is able to put some good checks on guys but also knows how to advance the puck in the offensive zone and has the vision and ability to find some his better scorers with good safe passes. He is not going to knock your socks off with any of these skills but he also isn’t going to have glaring deficiencies for opponents to exploit. He is a perfect player for some team to scoop up after the first round and build a nice solid defense around.

Dan: You say no major weaknesses but give us something he can improve on.

Nick: Well he isn’t overly strong Dan. He is able to put some good checks on guys but doesn’t really land those tone setting hits that can really life a team. He’s also not going to score a ton of goals early on in his career. He is pretty accurate with his shot but it’s not going to overpower or surprise many goaltenders at this level.

Dan: And a prediction for draft day.

Nick: He is a mid-second round, early third rounder for sure. Like I said he will be the perfect player for one of those teams that choose to go heavy offense early and then build a defense later. He will be a great grab in that 2nd to 3rd round range but don’t hold off on him to long. He plays to sound of a game to slip any further then the 3rd round.

Dan: Alright, well we’ve covered a few good players now but give us your sleeper pick. Who is the defensemen in this draft who might slide a little for one reason or another and still make and impact.

Nick: Sea Robinson hands down is that pick for me Dan.

Dan: Interesting. We don’t know much about Robinson due to his late entry into the draft. Give us a little info on this kid.

Nick: Well I love him Dan. First of all they won’t get any bigger in this draft. This kids stand 6 feet 6 inches, weighs in at 220lbs and looks even bigger when you put him on skates. He’s a product of New England prep school hockey, born and raised right outside Boston and this kid just lives for hockey. Originally Shea was expected to go to Boston University and terrorize the hockey easy competition but in a surprise announcement only a few day ago Shea came out and declared eligible. He’s kind of turned that scouts upside down as not many people were planning on having to do there research on him. Then all of sudden he changes his mind, declares for the draft, and now everyone has gone scrambling trying to find any tape they can get their hands on.


Robinson may be the sleeper pick of this draft

Dan: Tell us a little about his play.

Nick: Well he’s officially listed as a two-way d-man but right now his defensive game is more impressive. He is probably the 2nd best defensive blue liner in the draft right after Dahlstrom. Robinsons height gives him a great defensive edge. That long body with a longer stick in his hand really expands that defensive radius that he has and usually puts him only a few feet from any opposing player trying to move the puck. He’s also great at using that big body to crash the boards and lay some pretty nasty hits when necessary. Another part of his game I love his scoring ability. He has hands down the best shot of all the top defenders in this draft. I mean this kid can really crush a hockey puck and a lot of the time, if you have a good screen going, it’s just too much for goalies to keep up with.

Dan: Where do you see his weaknesses?

Nick: Well after the shot his offensive presence requires some work. He isn’t the best puck handler and like Dahlstrom isn’t the guy you want carrying the puck up ice. He’s also not the best skater. That big frame doesn’t really make for a speedy skater. Instead he relies on bigger strides that still get him where he needs to be just not as quickly.

Dan: Okay, well as your sleeper pick where do you see him going?

Nick: Well I think his surprise late entry will ultimately hurt his stock. If he had been present for some of those pre-draft exhibition games he might have had a chance to show scouts a little more and really bring up his stock. If he had been here from the start I honestly think Shea Robinson has first round talent. Unfortunately I think he will slip and give some team a steal in the mid rounds. I think Shea could land anywhere from 2nd to 4th round. Its possible someone will fall in love with him and draft him over Myers, and its possible his late entry will scare teams off until the 4th round. Either way some team is going to land a legit blue liner who I think will be a much higher pick in next year’s SHL draft then he will be in this one coming up on Wednesday.

Dan: Well that’s all the time we have for today folks. I want to thank my guest Nick Walsh for all of his expert analyst. We will see you all again after the draft when all of this shakes out. For Sunday Night Skate I’m Dan Fowler. Have a great week.

2166 Words

Solid article bud.

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