| Kocha Delic | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | L | C | 5’10” | 183 | Sudbury Wolves | 2020 | Mississauga, ON | 2004 | 2022-2023: Free Agent 2021-2022: C+ |
OHL: Sudbury vs Flint. January 13, 2023: Delic totaled 19:49 in ice time including 6:02 while on the power play and 0:17 while shorthanded. We feel he was very fortunate to score an even strength goal after he tried a ridiculous play on a 1on1 where he tried to flip the puck to himself at the end of a Flint power play. We don’t really care about the attempted creativity of the “flip”, but we do care about him going for a skate behind Flint’s goalie after he lost the puck. At higher levels this lack of commitment to losing pucks will lead to a spot on the bench or worse. There is no denying his puck poise and flair, but we are not sure if the combination of his lack of defensive attention to detail away from the puck and his tendency to cheat on 50/50’s will off set his offense at higher levels, but he is fun to watch right now. He finished the game +1 with 1 goal, 3 shots, 1 PP shot, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 5/13 on face-offs, 4 giveaways, 4 takeaways and he won 57% of his 7 puck battles.
OHL: Sudbury vs Windsor, October 6, 2022: Delic totaled 17:25 in total ice time including 2:39 while on the power play and 0:38 while shorthanded. He scored a power play goal on a quick stick from the top of the crease that he put up under the bar. What we liked about the play was his compete on the offensive zone face-off as he won a 10′ race to a 50/50 puck and poked it to his defenseman which allowed Sudbury to stay in the offensive zone. He also earned secondary assist after a play where he showed speed by beating an opposing defender wide on a zone entry. He then protected then protected the puck with his body as he wheeled the net to use his weakside defenseman after rolling into the high slot. On the play he showed puck poise and strength, but we loved how after using his defenseman Delic sprinted to the net to be a screen. Delic had another quick stick one-timer that he did not score on, but (again) he showed the ability to one-time bouncing pucks with authority. He finished the game +1 with 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 2/8 on face-offs, 1 hit, received 2 hard body checks, 5 giveaways, 2 takeaways and he won 46% of his 13 puck battles.
Neutral Zone NHL: Why a draft pick, he has a high motor and can play with pace through the neutral zone. With or without the puck he keeps his feet moving which allows him to draw penalties. 66% of his shots hit the net. During the U18 World Championships, he scored 19 goals with twelve of them coming from within feet of the crease.. Why not a draft pick, during 2021/22 he played 65 OHL games averaging 2:37 of power-play TOI. In that power-play time, he attempted 54 power-play shots with 21 of them missing the net or being blocked. With his pace and work ethic, he averaged 0:40 in penalty kill minutes. He won 49% of his puck battles.
OHL: Sudbury Wolves at Niagara Ice Dogs, February 14, 2022: An undersised forward but Delic has quick hands and quick feet that helps him be an effective player for his team. Combined with his relentless work ethic, Delic always seems to be around the puck – quick to make a play or quick to generate separation. He is not a perimeter player, as he showed a willingness to play inside when needed, either at the offensive crease or below the goal line. Would like to see more offence generated when in possession of the puck in the OZ. Grade B
OHL: Oshawa Generals vs Sudbury Wolves, November 9, 2021: Kocha is an average sized forward who displays fast feet and a decent stick skill set. He displays speed, uses it to chip and get on defensemen fast and will at least finish with a bump on his man. Grade C+
PBHH Invitational, June 9, 2021: Delic was drafted in the early second round after a great season leading Toronto Titans in points alongside first rounder Nicholas Moldenhauer. He’s a heady playmaker with vision and a quick stick. He showed real speed here on the rush and 1v1 skill while at pace and has soft, slick hands to sauce passes over sticks in stride. He’s quick on draws, he gets back to support his defenseman and was excellent on the forecheck especially in the third game on a penalty kill where his forecheck caused 2 turnovers in the same shift and held the puck in their zone for 20-30 seconds. His hands are both smooth and elusive, he can change speed and accelerate wide on defenders or cut inside with slick moves and get pucks to the net. He scored a nice goal on a quick release snap shot in the third game and was consistently around the puck. He’ll be in the NHL Draft discussion for 2022 as he enters his OHL rookie year in 2021-2022 season. Grade: B+
Canada Youth Olympic Team (U-15) VS Lac St-Louis Lions, January 16, 2020: Nifty player who is extremely dangerous when the puck is on his stick. He played on a line with Fimis and showed great chemistry all afternoon. He’s effective at shielding the puck and keeping plays alive – he’s a possession type player who loves controlling the play, especially below the dots. He had some great shifts in this game stopping and turning on defenseman down low below the dots, making it difficult to contain him. Delic is solid and well balanced on his feet which enables him to hold off pressure and fight off checks to give him extra time with the puck. He scored a beautiful goal in this one after receiving a puck on the wing by Fimis, burning the defenseman wide finishing it off by doing a forehand backhand move.
Whitby Silver Stick, December 18, 2019: Delic has surprising speed for his size and strength and uses it to pressure the puck both in the offensive zone on the forecheck and in the neutral zone on the backcheck. He uses his strength to stay in motion below the offensive goal line and often brushes by defenders who do not have great body positioning on him. Ideally, Delic needs to attack the net more with the puck when he is down low in the offensive zone. Grade: B+
Battle of the Border, November 19, 2019: Delic has great speed and has a dangerous shot using various release points to surprise opposing goalies. He can drag it and get high velocity on it or he can release it quickly from the high slot. Delic delays and finds the high guy, displaying his vision with the puck on his stick. He needs to work on his puck handling skills in tight and be willing to shoot the puck rather deking in tight. GRADE: B+
Toronto Titans Early Bird Tournament Report – 2019 Minor Midget AAA, September 24, 2019: Delic a gifted forward with a strong work ethic Delic showed he has the potential to dominate in the age group. A powerful skater with excellent puck skills and hockey IQ – Delic was dangerous on most shifts this tournament. A nifty skater with quick cuts he trusts his feet and hands. He was slippery offensively and difficult to contain around the net. Delic played a hard 200 foot game and was consistently noticeable each shift. Delic checks a lot of offensive boxes for us with his skill and speed but we also liked his compete and willingness to win pucks. Delic has a good size/speed combination and was definitely among the top forwards in the tournament. A player we believe could dominate the GTHL this season offensively if he continues to develop. Grade: A-
Junior Chowder Cup, August 6, 2019: Delic was quite simply one of the best forwards at this event. He has a good frame to work with at the 2004 level at 5’9 170 and his best attribute is that he can really fly. He was easily one of the best skaters we saw over the course of the weekend. He can accelerate quickly and once he gets the puck he is a blur: a great first step and maintains that momentum through all three zones. More than a few times he burned the defense by simply outskating them: they couldn’t touch him on the outside edge as he reached the net. When he went into the middle he was both slippery and smart with the puck: he didn’t bite off more than he could chew and he looked to take the space the D gave him. He was smart about passing too, used great short area feeds in order to keep the offense moving. Without the puck, he was great at gaining separation and finds scoring areas to squat in. He made himself available in the zone as well: filling lanes on the rush and opening up his hips to accept the pass cleanly in-stride. He will be a hot commodity in his OHL Draft year. Grade: A-
World Selects Invite 2004 Division, July 10, 2019: Kocha had some of the best hands at WSI. He spun with the puck, made people miss, and sauced pucks all over the ice. He tipped a puck that was 12 inches off the ice. Great hand-eye coordination. His vision was also excellent as he was able to see the weak side in zone and the late wave on the rush. He is also really tough and has a nasty side which we liked. He is not a tall player but Delic showed pop when he hit and dug pucks out from dirty areas. His skating is strong and he gets around the sheet of ice well. We noted him at Silver stick as more of a north/south type. He did that here as he was direct and worked hard back to his end. The puck skills were not something we noticed before. He has a diverse set of talents and as a result, lots of upside. Tough, strong, skilled and prepared game. Grade: A-
Silver Stick Finals 2004s, February 10, 2019: Delic plays a pro-style. Big, strong and gets up and down the sheet well. Has some wiggle but understands how to protect the puck. Played very hard and was all over the ice here. Size/speed combination was almost unmatched and he drove the net hard. Worked back to his end and got sticks in lanes. Played the point on the power play and ran it well with Chen. Mature approach for a 2004. Skills with translate to the next level. Played with intensity, grit and has lots of tools. Grade: A-
Eastern Exposure Cup, November 7, 2018: Kocha was the best player in the event by far. The left shot forward is big and mean, and he plays the full 200 feet of the ice. He is hard to knock off pucks and competes every shift. Hockey IQ is very high and knows how to make plays in transition, really good job supporting the puck in his own zone. Scored a few really nice goals- can really fire the puck. Grade: A
Phot Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images