I like this kid. I like him a lot. I know people gave him a hard time for choosing to stay at Hermantown rather play with the NTDP, but I look at it like it’s a positive.
Scouting Reports
Drew Commesso
Commesso is a very simple goalie that is always square to shooters, corrals his rebounds and gives his team a chance to win every single night. He’s a great prospect for NHL teams as he is smooth, poised and very confident in the net.
Jake Boltmann – The Process
Jake is a very interesting prospect. I have no doubt that he’s going to get drafted, it’s just a matter of how high.
Luke Evangelista
He entered the OHL as an offensive machine and has blossomed into a true 200′ forward playing for Coach Hunter in London.
Brett Berard
He’s an antagonist and he’s very good at getting under his opponents skin. There is little doubt that he will get booed when playing on the road.
Owen Fowler
There are other players who are prettier and can pull off a backhand toey in pickup hockey, but Owen is a competitor. He makes the right play. He puts the team first. He has leadership qualities and is the type of player that NHL coaches want in their line-up.
Patrick Guzzo
(10) Intangibles – He is a tough kid who can play through pain. Early in the season we saw Patrick take an errant stick to the face breaking his nose. There was blood all over his face, his jersey and the ice. He went to the bench, had his nose filled with stuffing and continued playing hard two way hockey. This seems like something every player should do, but we can tell you they don’t.
2020 NHL Draft Left Wing Rankings
The honest reality of the NHL is a player is going to have training camps, rookie camps and being called up to make an impression on the GM and the Head Coach. To do that you likely have to possess a skill or group of skills that really stand out. This could be playmaking ability, scoring ability, skating ability, toughness, high compete, etc. However, players with a skill set to hang their hat on have a higher chance of getting a shot in the league. Some players on the list, particularly on the bottom half, have 1 or 2 traits that are NHL caliber and that could get them a shot at the NHL but they’ll have to improve the rest of their game to stay there.
Tanner Dickinson
Does Tanner have the metabolism that will let him get to 170lbs? Does he have the off ice habits to train hard enough to get there? Because if he does, Tanner will be a 3rd rounder who has an NHL career instead of a 3rd rounder who only plays a handful of NHL games.
Donovan Sebrango – The Process
The second year defender continued to show excellent development while playing in a top pair role for the Rangers. The Rangers were one of the hottest team in the OHL from December through March and Sebrango was a key in their success.
Nate Hanley
(6) Release – Can shoot with his feet moving and is unpredictable. Nate has the ability to shoot through defenders legs while in tight areas and when playing the off-wing he has the accuracy try to go short side shelf from awkward angles. Nate is a dynamic player with the puck on his stick. He is unpredictable and can fire the puck quickly and accurately, yet has the soft hands to adjust his stick at the last second for back door passes.
Some standout forwards from the 2019 Nationals & how they’ve developed over the past 12 months
He plays hard. Finishes everything in his site. Can play multiple positions and play them well. He’s developed a bullet of a curl and drag snapper and has the ability to put it where he wants it. We love his enthusiasm, passion and effort. His NHL Grade has bounced around this year, but after thinking about his upward trajectory we have little doubt that he lasts past the 3rd round.
Cade Webber – 2019 round 4 #99 overall by Carolina Hurricanes
Over the next few years Cade’s development will be incredible and by the time he turns Pro he won’t even look like the same player.
Bennett Zmolek
He was not on our February Draft list, but with his improvement and upward trend it’s hard to believe that a team wont take a chance on him in the 6th or 7th round in June.
Wyatt Schingoethe
(10) Intangibles – Wyatt is hard to play against. Plain and simple. He grinds his opposition down and is the type of player who will score a big goal in a seven game series. While at Denver we know his quickness will improve and this will only raise his potential, but he will make his money as a dependable third line guy who makes life miserable for the other team’s top players.
Dylan Holloway
(3) Feet – Dylan has elite speed right now and we feel he will only get faster, quicker and more agile after a few years of high end training at the University of Wisconsin. He is in contention for the quickest first step in this draft class.
Tim Lovell
(10) Intangibles – For the past two years Tim has heard the talk that he is too small to succeed at the next and all he does is keep succeeding and proving people wrong. We love that mindset and we love his hockey IQ.
Dylan Peterson
(5) Contact or Physicality – Another area that improves every time we see him play. He finishes his checks with authority and knocks opponents on their backsides. He is beginning to understand that at his size he can intimidate opponents and we love it. He will take runs at defenseman, possibly finishing his check a little too late, knowing that they will hear foot steps later in the game leading to turnovers.
Jacob Truscott
(4) Compete & Effort – No issues here. He is a competitive player who has had success at every level. Jacob wants to win. Even when he was a young free wheeler he was willing to battle for ice, block shots and play a high compete game.
Nolan Krenzen
Nolan has always had offensive capabilities, but we feel he is a defender who has improved his play away from the puck while playing for David Wilkie in Omaha.
Zach Plucinski
(8) Body Language – After a big hit Zach doesn’t skate around looking for high fives.