Size plays a crucial role in an NHL team’s success, providing physical and strategic advantages essential for the grueling nature of playoff hockey. The average size of an NHL player is 6’1.5″ and 207 pounds, a benchmark that underscores the importance of physical presence on the ice. This trend is exemplified by the recent Stanley Cup finalists: the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers, with average player sizes of 6’1″, 201 pounds, and 6’1″, 200 pounds, respectively. Both teams demonstrate that size is integral to competing at the highest levels, as neither has a defenseman under 6’0″ playing regular minutes in the playoffs. This physical stature allows players to endure the intense physicality of postseason play, win puck battles, and effectively defend against opposing forwards. Additionally, larger players can leverage their reach and body positioning to disrupt plays and maintain puck control, all vital aspects of a successful playoff run. As such, maintaining a roster with a balance of skill and size is a strategic imperative for any NHL team aspiring to win the Stanley Cup.
Here are Neutral Zone’s highest ranking highest-ranking skaters, 6’3″ and taller.
Please click on a player to read that player’s past reports and his comparable players;
Anton Silayev (D, R, 6’7″, 211, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, 04/11/2006) Silayev played 63 games against the men of the KHL, averaging 15:51 of ice time and winning 57% of his 50/50 puck battles. He also averaged 1.25 hits per game. The combination of his skating ability and 6’7″ frame has him as a chance to be a defender no super star wants to play against.
Cayden Lindstrom (C, L, 6’3″, 210, Medicine Hat Tigers, 02/03/2006) At 6’3″, 210 pounds, Lindstrom is a big, strong power center with excellent straight-line speed who averaged 2.2 hits per game. He is a bull with a low center of gravity to run people over. He scored 19 goals from within a stick’s reach of the crease.
Sam Dickinson (D, L, 6’3″, 195, London Knights, 06/07/2006) Dickinson is a 6’3″ minutes monster for London, where he averages 24:39 in total ice time. We find it invaluable that he took on 1.12 hits per game while winning 58% of his 50/50 puck battles. That tells us he will soon be ready to be a top two-way defender in the NHL.
Julius Miettinen (C, L, 6’3″, 203, Everett Silvertips, 01/20/2006) The 6’3″, 205-pound Finnish center left the comforts of Finland to play in the WHL during his draft season. That shows us confidence and leadership. He finished with 67 points in 66 games, including 31 goals, 23 of which came from the grime at the top of the crease.
Jesse Pulkkinen (D, L, 6’6″, 203, JYP, 12/27/2004) The 6’6″, 205-pound left-shot defender won 56% of his 50/50 puck battles during 2023/24 and dished out 1.33 hits per game. Pulkkinen is 2004 birth year who has taken a little bit longer to find his way, but played over twenty minutes per game in the Liiga while contributing to both special team’s units.
Dean Letourneau (C, R, 6’6″, 209, St. Andrew’s College, 02/21/2006, Boston College): Letourneau is 6’6″ yet can stickhandle and make defenders miss as if he’s 5’6″. There’s an easy argument to make for him having the best hands in the draft class.
Max Vilen (D, L, 6’3″, 190, Malmo Redhawks J20, 06/29/2006) Vilen is a 6’3″ left-shot defender who enjoys contact and dishing it out. He’s represented Sweden internationally and has SHL games under his belt. He will need a few years to put some meat on his bones, but he’s got the goods to be a middle-pairing guy once he does.
EJ Emery (D, R, 6’3″, 185, NTDP U18, 03/30/2006, North Dakota) Emery is still lean, but he is athletic and won 60% of his 50/50 puck battles with dishing out 1 hit per game. After a few years at North Dakota he could be turning professional somewhere close to 225 pounds. Shut down guy with some bite.
Charlie Elick (D, R, 6’3″, 201, Brandon Wheat Kings, 01/17/2006) Elick enjoys physicality and handed out 2 hits per game while averaging 21:06 of time on ice for Brandon this year. Of those 21 minutes, only 0:20 seconds were on the power play, which tells us he has the mindset to enjoy playing the hard minutes that he loves teammates.
Jack Berglund (LW, L, 6’3″, 210, Farjestad BK J20, 04/10/2006) Berglund is thick strong and powerful. He can bulldoze his way to the net while still having the edge control to engage in contact and then spin off into the open ice his contact generated. He won 53% of his face-offs, 53% of his 50/50 puck battles and averaged 1.08 hits per game.
Adam Jecho (RW, R, 6’5″, 198, Edmonton Oil Kings, 03/24/2006) The 6’5″, 200-pound righty has a smooth backhand-forehand head fake with a sliding right hand on the shaft of his stick release point that changes his release point and catches goalies leaning. He is still growing into his frame, but after a few seasons of off-ice training, Jecho could be a player who his drafting team can’t believe they got so late in the draft.
Simon Zether (C, R, 6’3″, 187, Rogle BK, 10/18/2005) The October 2005 wasn’t on the score sheet too often when playing 42 games for Rogle BK in the SHL, but he was captain of their J20 squad, where he put up 27 points in just 18 games. Overall, the 6’3″ righty won 55% of his 50/50s, which tells us he can contribute to the line-up without being on the score sheet.
Maxmilian Curran (C, L, 6’3″, 182, Tri-City Americans, 08/27/2006) After putting up 27 points in 18 games while playing in the Czechia U20 league during the 2023/24 season, Curran left his homeland to play for Tri-City in the WHL where he put up 32 points in 40 games including 27 assists. At 6’3″, 180 pounds, Curran is still quite light, but after a summer of hard training combined with knowing what’s heading his way in the WHL, Curran could explode for a dominant sophomore season.
Niilopekka Muhonen (D, L, 6’4″, 194, KalPa, 02/28/2006) It’s really difficult not to find joy in a 6’4″, 195-pound left-shot defenseman who won 57% of his 50/50 pick battles while dishing out 1.17 hits per game.
Gabriel Eliasson (D, L, 6’6″, 192, HV71, 09/09/2006, Michigan) The 6’6″, 190-pound left-shot defender isn’t going to wow you with end-to-end rushes and highlight reel dishes, but he is going to defend by constantly being in your way and then knocking you on your backside. During the 2023/24 season he averaged 1.52 hits per game while winning 55% of his 50/50 puck battles. He is scheduled to enroll at Michigan in 2025 and was drafted by Cedar Rapids in the 2024 USHL Draft. Eliasson could be a beast who turns professional at north of 225lbs.
Timur Kol (D, L, 6’3″, 198, Omskie Yastreby, 08/23/2006) is a 6’3″, 200-pound left-shot defender who was born at the end of August but played 23 games in the VHL and 2 games in the KHL during 2023/24. In our opinion, Kol just screams upside. He is just a few weeks away from being 2025 Draft eligible, yet he still won 53% of his 50/50 puck battles while playing against men during his draft year.
Spencer Gill (D, R, 6’4″, 185, Rimouski Oceanic, 08/17/2006) At the start of his rookie year in the QMJHL, Gill was 6’3″, 175 pounds. That year, he produced 4 assists in 41 games and looked the part of a CHL rookie. This year, he measured in at 6’4″, 185 pounds and produced 46 points in 65 games, including being third on the team in assists with 34 while winning 54% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Eric Nordmark (LW, R, 6’4″, 175, HV71 J20, 05/05/2005) Nordmark is long and still gaining the strength needed to consistently win battles (45% of 50/50s) but he has soft, deceptive hands and produced 46 points in 48 games while playing in the J20.
Will Skahan (D, L, 6’4″, 211, NTDP U18, 05/14/2006, Boston College) Skahan is big and mean. Literally big and with a mean streak. He plays with the edge required to win an NHL playoff series and this year he won 60% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Colton Roberts (D, R, 6’4″, 198, Vancouver Giants, 06/08/2006) Roberts is a 6’4″, 200-pound right-shot defenseman who can skate and will skate to defend. During his draft year he averaged almost 22 minutes of ice time per game while winning 57% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Harrison Brunicke (D, R, 6’3″, 184, Kamloops Blazers, 05/08/2006) The 6’3″, 185-pound right-shot defender won 54% of his 50/50 puck battles while averaging over 21 minutes per game and contributed to both special team’s units.
Tomas Lavoie (D, R, 6’4″, 225, Cape Breton Eagles, 03/31/2006) Lavoie is a 6’4″, 225-pound right shot defenseman who has always been near the top of his age group. He was drafted #1 in the QMJHL Draft in 2022 and has represented Canada on Canada Black at the WHC-17s. During his draft year, he won 59% of his 50/50 puck battles while averaging 22:07 in ice time.
Adam Kleber (D, R, 6’5″, 203, Lincoln Stars, 03/24/2006, Minnesota Duluth) Kleber is a 6’5″, 200-pound right-shot defenseman who put up 26 points in 56 games for Lincoln this year. That made him the leading scoring defenseman for the Stars. He also won 58% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Lukas Fischer (D, L, 6’3″, 173, Sarnia Sting, 09/09/2006) Fischer is long rangy and still light but that didn’t prevent him from winning 58% of his 50/50 puck battles and averaging just under 1 hit per game. He also was second on Sarnia with 28 assists in 68 games.
Daniil Anatsky (C, L, 6’3″, 214, SKA-Yunior Krasnogorsk, 06/17/2006) Skilled and big is a nice combination to have and Anatsky has it. During the 2023/24 season, he was third on SKA-Yunior in points, first in plus/minus, and first in penalty minutes.
Javon Moore (LW, L, 6’3″, 190, Sioux Falls Stampede, 12/07/2005, Minnesota): At 6’3″ and 190 pounds, Moore could do whatever he wanted physically in Minnesota High School hockey, and he did.
Alexei Rodionov (D, L, 6’4″, 183, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, 01/05/2006) Rodionov is a 6’4″, 180-pound left-shot defenseman who won 56% of his 50/50 puck battles in the MHL last year. He also produced 20 points in 44 games including leading the defensive core in assists.
Herman Traff (LW, R, 6’3″, 198, HV71, 12/31/2005) Traff is a 6’3″, 200-pound right-shot forward who can play both wings. If he were born a few hours later, he would be one of the most intriguing forwards in the draft class, as he has always been able to score goals and has eleven games of SHL experience. Instead of being born on 12/31/05, he is the youngest in 2005 age group and was not asked to represent Sweden internationally until this past season, where he produced 5 points in 8 games.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images