2020 round 7 #203 overall by Detroit Red Wings
| Chase Bradley | Sioux City Musketeers | USHL | L | F | 6’0″ | 181 | Connecticut | 2021 | St. Louis, MO | 2002 | 2019-2020: C |
USHL: Sioux City vs Lincoln, April 5, 2021: Bradley is a skilled offensive player who has good vision and likes to shoot the puck. He is a dangerous threat to score, which was evident after he scored two goals in the first period of this game. On his first goal, the University of Connecticut commit caught a pass in his spot on the powerplay and stepped into a hard wrist shot, burying it over the goalie’s shoulder. His second goal came after a quick transition play where he got behind the defense and finished the play off nicely on a breakaway with a quick snapshot. In the offensive zone he has good vision and uses it to find seams to create opportunities for teammates. Bradley was most effective on the powerplay where he was able to take advantage of the time and space to use his shot and vision to open up options for himself and teammates. Overall, he is a dangerous offensive player who is able to capitalize when given too much time or space. Grade: A
USHL: Fargo Force at Sioux City Musketeers, March, 2021: Bradley is another smooth skating forward for the Musketeers who is able to create offense when given too much time or space. The UCONN commit has great speed through the neutral zone and has the ability to beat defenders wide if they don’t respect that part of his game. That leads to bad gaps and allows for Bradley to make plays on the rush where he often elects to funnel pucks toward the net. In the offensive zone he works hard and does a good job of hunting pucks when his team doesn’t have control. Bradley uses his skating and reach to come back and put pressure on opponents, forcing turnovers which can lead to transition opportunities for his team. Overall, his skating is his best asset and he is most dangerous when he is allowed to get a head of steam coming through the neutral zone. Grade: B+
USHL: Sioux Falls at Sioux City, January 17, 2021: Bradley started this game strong for the Musketeers, creating a scoring opportunity on his first shift by creating a turnover at the offensive blueline and immediately attacking the net with the puck. He showed good creativity on the rush throughout the game as well, often driving the puck low before delaying to look for the second wave of attackers joining him. He created a great scoring chance for his team on one specific play, doing just that and finding a teammate in the high slot who just missed the net. On the forecheck he was aggressive and finished his checks. He played with an edge throughout the game and wasn’t afraid to hang around the net front to look for loose pucks and rebounds. Overall, the UCONN commit had a solid game for Sioux City and competed hard throughout. Grade: B+
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, May 2020: I like how Chase plays. He’s direct and very competitive. He doesn’t give an inch. I think there were times leading up to this year where Chase tried to do too much and it hurt his overall game. But this year he not only battled and fought for his ice, he won the battles and generated pro styled offense. By that I mean he wasn’t toe dragging at the blue lines or throwing hope passes into the slot. Chase used his physical gifts to over power his opponents and take the puck to the net. He kept his feet moving, fired pucks through screens and then drove the net for rebounds. Basically, he played an abrasive game that suits him well. It’s that style that he’ll have to play to be an NHLer. Grimy, hard nosed, no nonsense hockey. And he’s good at it.
2020 NHL Draft Left Wing Rankings, April 2020: After not being rated in Neutral Zone’s February Draft Watch List Chase is or 39th ranked left wing.
2020 Draft Prospects from different leagues who have Improved their Draft Ratings, March 2020: Chase is listed as a player who improved his 2020 NHL Draft stock during the 2019-20 season.
USHL – Omaha vs. Lincoln, December 2019: A left winger with good size, he showed quick feet on crossovers and a good stride. He showed good instinct on the penalty kill, staying in lanes and showing a good stick on the PK forecheck. His battle level on forechecks was high, finishing checks and winning pucks. Showed good speed on entry, looking to drag and shoot. Lost his cool a bit late in the game, receiving a misconduct. Grade: B+
USHL – Sioux Falls at Omaha, November 2018: The youngster played a simple and effective game. Did a nice job sneaking to the front of the net and burying a nice play from Austen Long to give the Lancers a very early lead. Speed pushed defenders back for easy zone entry. Had a nice quick release on his shot. Grade: B+
USHL Phase 1 Draft Grades, May 2018: Omaha Lancers Summary: After some head scratching moves in last years Phase I Draft, Omaha’s new staff led by GM David Wilkie and Director of Scouting Kirk Leudeke rebounded very well here. They started by taking two tenders who are not only skilled, high upside prospect but also have the grit, compete and physicality to play at the USHL level right away in Chase Bradley and local boy Cameron Berg. In the next round they stayed true to that style and picked the best skill/speed/compete level prospect available in RPI commit Michael Cameron. In the middle rounds the Lancers selected tall, versatile, high ceiling prospect Riley Stuart out of Phoenix Jr. Coyotes U15. Then they got Michigan State commit Tiernan Shoudy off the Little Caesar’s U16 team; a clever, slippery forward with great awareness and vision. The real value in the draft came in the later rounds acquiring two Minnesota prospects Blake Mesenburg out of Shattuck St. Mary’s and Blake Perbix out of St. Cloud Cathedral HS. Mesenburg was one of the top bantams in the country last year and struggled early in the season to make the adjustment to midget, but the hard shooting, strong skating, skilled power forward came on strong at the end of the year and made this a great value pick. Perbix played high school this season in Minnesota and showed his powerful stride, heavy shot and high hockey IQ. Both have a great chance of getting to this level in the near future. With their last three picks they took some shots up north including skilled puck moving defenseman Landon Kosior out of Tisdale Trojans Midget AAA program. Overall, this was a great draft for Omaha that not only added skill but USHL style players who fit the way they play.
USHL Phase I Draft, May 2018: Chase was the 12th ranked forward.
American OHL Draft Prospects, April 2018: Chase was the 25th overall ranked American born player for the OHL Draft
NTDP & USHL Futures Draft (2002s), March 2018: Chase was Neutral Zone’s 20th ranked forward with a 4.25 Amateur Star Rating.
HPHL U16 Plymouth, MI Showcase, February 2018: Chase was one of the more dangerous players to defend one on one. He can attack with speed as well as lateral movement. Slick and quick hands allow him to create his own shot. He showed he didn’t need much time and space to beat the goaltender. He will need to play harder away from the puck and consistently to reach his full potential. COLLEGE: NORTHEASTERN
Mid Term NTDP Bound Rankings, December 2017: Chase was Neutral Zone’s 15th ranked forward with a 4.5 Amateur Star Rating.
Oaks Labor Day (U16s), September 2017: We saw Chase play 3 games within 7 hours including back to back 16 and 18 games. He was force in the first game, scoring, getting chances and being a MAJOR physical presence. We saw his shot on display, which is not only hard but he has a very quick release, he protects the puck well and knows where to go and when. In the `18’s game right back to back, he threw some gritty hits and had some chances. His game does not wilt against older, bigger players. In the third game, he was gassed but we still noticed him. The upside is great as a big skilled power forward with real pro potential.
U14 USA Tier 1 Nationals, April 2017: Chase is a big goal scorer who played a direct, heavy game. He scored six goals in the five games. He is strong on the puck, can make every shot. He also understands where to go without the puck. Those are all things we would expect from a goal scorer. While that was his role here and he didn’t have any assists, we really liked his vision with the puck. He sees the ice well and made some nice plays in the middle zone. He projects as a power forward but there is more diversity in his game than first meets the eye. He was very good in the finals, scoring a goal that showed he could separate, change the angle of his shot and score on the rush. His skating is good and he uses all his length in his stride. He is still raw and has some work to do in his end but he was dominant for long stretches here. College: Northeastern
AYHL U14 Playoffs, MArch 2017: Chase is a big strong pro style player. He strong on the puck and plays a heavy game. His vision is good and he made some nice plays. His two way game needs a little work and he could be more consistent. His feet are a little raw and could get quicker but the rest is there. He was very strong on the cycle here and was tough to knock off the puck. His upside is very high.