Nicholas Sima

Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, March 6. 2023: Sima is a right shot right wing with an NHL frame combined with the skating base that an NHL development coach would love to work with. In the offensive zone he is a willing net front presence with the hand eye coordination to get his stick blade on point shots even when positioned as the high tip or bumper. He shows a quick stick on rebounds as well as above average anticipation when reading where those rebounds will be heading. I like that 63% of his shots hit the net and that he is not afraid of taking cross checks to the kidneys when standing inside of the royal road. Over the past two seasons 63.5% of his shots have hit the net, which sounds excellent, but it’s from this stat that we would like to see some changes and we have no doubt that National league are watching too. So far this season he has six total goals with all of them coming from within 8′ of the blue paint, and again we love that he can score from in tight, but the concerning thing for me is that through fifty-three OHL games he has only attempted 34 shots from inside of the house. If I’m running an NHL team and a 6’2″ and 190lbs kid has only attempted 34 shots from inside of the house I’d wonder what was going on. I’d also be a bit concerned that he’s attempted only 14 shots from the left side of the house so I’d be wondering if he can one-time pucks or if he relies on receiving the pass, making a stick-handle and then a sweeping wrister? And the last thing, and really the major thing for me, is that over the past two seasons he’s won only 42% of his 50/50 puck battles. There’s no doubt this 50/50 percentage impacts his offensive zone time, offensive production and in turn his power play time on ice which currently sits at 0:40 per game. Another concerning stat for me is that even though he has a big frame he’s on the receiving end of 1.13 hard body checks per game while giving out only 0.6 hits per game. I obviously know these stats aren’t the bible, but to me they are pretty telling and they really tell the story of where he is as a player and where he is in his off-ice development. Again Sima is 6’2″ and has the skating base to build on, but we feel to have a chance at a professional career he will need to continue working on his overall strength and adding some snarl to his game.

2005s: Ontario Bantam Prospects, April 14, 2020: A big forward with great edges to go along with a long powerful stride. When he passes the puck it is hard and accurate. Uses big body to protect puck and keep possession. Hard player for opposing defensemen to handle. Will net drive with or without puck. Grade A