Justin Barron (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A) Defense
Neutral Zone’s Director of U.S. Scouting Brian Murphy: Lanky smooth skating right shot defenseman who makes plays with his head up and while his feet are moving. Is a weapon on the power play as he can walk the line quickly in either direction, has a hard accurate one timer, quick release on his snap shot and his shots do not get blocked. Excellent at joining the rush as a late attacker & has the poise to carry the puck out of danger when needed. He thrives in transition and has an uncanny ability to hit the stretch man in stride.
Neutral Zone NHL’s Sotiri Athanasopoulos, March 2020: Barron is a highly touted prospect who is finally back after missing the last three months with a blood clot. It’s difficult to make a proper assessment on Barron after this game because he’s still finding his timing, getting his lungs and legs back and ultimately gaining his confidence. There’s no doubting Barron’s hockey skill or IQ- he’s good at escaping out of trouble, he’s poised with the puck and has good instincts all over the ice. Along with his instincts his awareness is at a high level as well knowing where the pressure is coming from when being attacked and finding the open space to get away from trouble. In this outing Barron had a great first period where he was leading the rush making plays. As the game went on most notably in the second period, Barron looked tired and played more conservative trying to keep things simple. In the third period and in overtime it looked like Barron got his legs under him again as he tried being creative on the point jumping in on a couple of cycles. Keep in mind that this was his third game in four nights therefore you can imagine how sore and tired Barron must have felt. There were many scouts in the building and there was no doubt in Barron being a top prospect moving forward. He’s a general on the ice who can take charge for his team and really depict the pace of the game. Game score: B
February NHL Draft Rankings: After missing 3 months with a blood clot, Justin Neutral Zone’s 15th ranked NHL draft prospect and our 5th highest ranked defender in our February draft rankings.
December 1st NHL Draft Rankings: In December Justin was Neutral Zone’s highest ranked defenseman and #7 overall NHL draft prospect.
QMJHL November NHL Draft Rankings, November 2019: Justin was Neutral Zone’s second highest ranked player in our November QMJHL draft rankings. He had ‘A’ grade.
Neutral Zone’s Ian Moran’s Scouting Report, November 2019: (1) Brain – Justin is a very smart offensive minded defenseman. He instinctively feels pressure and has the ability to make quick outlets, find the stretch pass option or can carry the puck out of trouble when needed. While defending line rushes or protecting his net he plays with his head on swivel and has the awareness to be patient or attack when needed. Offensively he pushes the pace and is at his best in the transition game. (2) Vision & Poise – He plays with confidence and does not force passes or point shots. He walks the offensive blue line very well and can find shooting or passing lanes in both 5 on 5 or man advantage situations. He prefers to make tape to tape passes in the defensive zone rather than blindly throw the puck around the boards. In breakout situations Justin works to be an outlet for his partner and does an excellent job at timing when to jump in the play as a weak side defenseman. During neutral zone transition he moves the puck quickly in both “D to D to the Weak Side” and “D to D to the Stretch Guy” situations and his passes are on the tape. (3) Feet – He has a smooth long powerful stride that is a true asset in the transition game. His opponents respect his skating ability and creates space through their apprehension. He is very smooth and quick when changing direction and his lateral movement is excellent. He has a tendency to play on his toes while defending a line rush or in a 1 on 1 situation, but we feel that his skating is at such an elite level that this trait will vanish during his first NHL Training Camp. (4) Compete & Effort – Justin is so smooth that sometimes it may look like he is not trying, but this is certainly not the case. He plays hard with the expectation to win battles. (5) Contact or Physicality – He is not a banger, but chooses to rather take smart angles that eliminate his opponent’s options. He will finish checks and is stronger than he lets on, but he is not a physical presence. (6) Release – He has a quick accurate release that creates rebounds. He patrols the offensive blue line with his head up and he has the ability to pick his spots and score goals from anywhere in the high slot. We have seen him beat goaltenders with any type of shot including accurate backhanders while driving down the left side. (7) One Timer Ability – He has a hard accurate one timer that hits the net and creates rebounds. He does not need a perfect pass to be a threat to score or create scoring opportunities. (8) Body Language – He wants the puck in scoring situations and expects to be used in key times during the game or series. (9) Special Teams Potential – Justin will run a first unit power play in the National League. He has the legs and vision to break the puck out smoothly and the poise to gain the blue line without dumping the puck in. His shot generates scoring opportunities and he has an elite ability to find cross box seems. He will play 5 on 3 minutes. He may not be a reliable killer now, but his skating, anticipation and high IQ will allow him to be used in penalty killing situations as his game develops in professional hockey. (10) Intangibles – 6’2 smooth skating right shot defenseman will always be at a premium. We feel that his skating and brain will allow him to be an National League defenseman who plays 25 minutes per night. Some draft peers may have better offensive skills while others may defend more physically. But when it comes right down to it, at this point we do not feel any will be able to impact the game at both ends of the rink quite as well as Justin.