A glimpse into why is Jacob our 88th ranked 2020 NHL Draft prospect and our highest rated ‘B’ prospect.
Jacob Dion (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B) Defense
Another late 01’ birthday just like his partner Nickl has had a breakout year and teams are starting to notice. Although he may not posses the physical tools Nickl does, he’s extremely efficient in his play. There’s no panic in his game showing patience with soft touches on his handling and passing in the open seams. He had an extremely solid outing against Gatineau cashing in with a couple of assists distributing the puck extremely well. A couple of times throughout the game Dion would make a deceptive stick or head fake which gives him just enough room to feather a pass or find the open seam. He was deadly on the power showing off good lateral movement along with quick touches, slick stick fakes and a couple of good shots. Although his skating is not terrible, it needs to become more explosive and dynamic if Dion wants his style to correlate to the next level. His overall lateral mobility and quick feet are not an issue, it’s more the explosive power and strength chasing down pucks or getting into open ice. Game grade: B+ (Projected Round 5-7) NHL Comparison: Trevor Daley
From a January of 2018 report;
Jacob Dion #27 (L, D, 5’8”, 155lbs, Magog, Late 2001)- Dion is a skilled, two-way defenseman with quick hands, witty instincts and excellent passing ability. He breaks pucks out of his end quickly and efficiently and can stretch the ice with precision passing and vision. He was at his best on powerplay situations where he led the breakout and distributed pucks well along the offensive blue line.
From a January of 2019 report;
Jacob Dion #27 (D, L, Magog, 5’8”,155lbs, 2001)- It is evident that Dion is ready for the next step as he dominates offensively, leading all defenseman in the league in scoring. Playing on a high powered team like Magog, Dion is poised in all areas of the ice making great rushes and heads up plays. He is extremely effective in the offensive zone when he has room to move in from the point creating many chances by beating coverage. Playing the top of the umbrella on the power play, Dion opened up many seams and dished off some amazing cross box passes. He would definitely be playing in the QMJHL if his rights did not belong to a power house team like the Drummondville Voligeurs.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Player Evaluation: Sortiri Athanasopoulos