| Owen Gallatin | Fargo Force | USHL | L | D | 5’8″ | 168 | Minnesota Duluth | 2021 | White Bear Lake, MN | 2002 | 2020-2021: College F/A |
USHL: Fargo Force at Sioux City Musketeers, March 17, 2021: Gallatin had a solid game for the Force registering a goal in the contest. He is competitive and showed a solid work ethic for the entirety of the contest. On his goal, the Minnesota Duluth commit jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone, quickly transitioned the puck to lead an odd man rush up ice, distributed the puck at the blueline, and then drove the net hard where he found a rebound and buried it. He has good feet and used them to beat his opponents to the net where he was simply hungrier than them. Gallatin works hard in puck battles and is strong on his stick, winning a number of 50/50 contests for the puck. Overall, he had a solid game for Fargo and was consistent with his work ethic for the entire sixty minutes. Grade: B+
USHL: Fargo Force vs Waterloo Blackhawks, January 12, 2021: Gallatin is a mobile, calm defenseman that had a solid game on both sides of the puck for Fargo. On the defensive side, the Minnesota Duluth commit uses his feet well to angle opponents into tight areas. He also controls his gap well, which allows him to shut down rush attacks against at or before his own blue line. In the offensive zone the Fargo defenseman is active from the point. He likes to make scissor plays down the wall and looks for shots to step into after passes from low in the zone. On the powerplay Gallatin distributes well from the point and plays with his head up, taking shot lanes if they present themselves. Grade: A-
USHL: Fargo Force vs. Sioux Falls Stampede, October 21, 2020: Gallatin played a nice game from the blueline for Fargo. He moved the puck well in the offensive zone along the blueline and distributed the puck well on the powerplay. He won some good battles below the goal line in his defensive zone and was also able to make some nice plays to break the puck out of his own end. Gallatin contributed to the offense in this game with an assist and a pair of shots. He played a very steady game in this contest and didn’t necessarily stand out all the time throughout the game, but that can be a good thing as a defenseman. When he did stand out he looked good as he distributed well from the blue line and made good, crisp passes. Grade: B+
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, May 2020: Owen was drafted 1st overall in the 2020 Phase II USHL Draft. He is a player who I think has a chance to be an NHLer. Sure he’s got some things to work on, but Minnesota-Duluth thrives on turning out professional / NHL caliber defensemen. This scouting evaluation was originally published on January 19th, but I still feel the same way about Owen and his bright future. Smart National Hockey League teams will keep Owen on their minds moving forward because he is a smart hockey player and it is incredibly tough to teach brains.
USHL Draft Recap, May 8 2020: Owen has played two seasons with the USA Development Team. He is an undersized, high IQ puck mover. His feet are both quick and agile and he sees plays developing early. He will be a major help on the power play for Madison despite his NTDP stat line not showing what he’s capable of offensively His touches are soft and his passes are accurate. He does not panic under pressure. He will matriculate at Minnesota-Duluth in 2021. He has some NHL draft upside although he ranks low on most lists but NZ has him as a C+ prospect an late consideration.
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, January 2020: (1) Brain – Offensively Owen sees plays developing early. He understands angles and how to make opposing forwards cross their feet. This allows him to generate open space and passing lanes that his forwards can accelerate through without the fear of being stepped up on. Defensively, Owen relies on his brain to maintain net side positioning. He rarely get trapped on the wall and when he does he wins the puck battle to create transition. (2) Vision & Poise – Owen is calm under pressure. He plays with his head up and his hands are always ready to make plays. He does not panic while under duress and makes tape to tape passes. (3) Feet – Owen has excellent agility and lateral mobility. He maintains strong gaps on the defensive blue line and can walk the offensive blue line very quickly. (4) Compete & Effort – Owen plays hard and consistently wins stick battles. (5) Contact or Physicality – Very strong and has a powerful base. He can pinch off the cycle in the defensive zone and gets to the net front early to maintain box outs. He is not an undersized banger, but he has pop and generates power when making body contact. (6) Release – He has a quick accurate shot from the point and hits the net. His shots seem tippable and they do not get blocked. (7) One Timer Ability – We have not seen Owen one time many pucks.(8) Body Language – He is a competitor and does not get frazzled.(9) Special Teams Potential – Although Owen is not putting up huge numbers with Team USA, we feel he has high level power play potential. He has an excellent first touch, handles poor passes very well and gives passes that are easy to handle. He walks the blue line well and can run an umbrella. He also has the brains and quickness that will allow him to play on the weak side. (10) Intangibles – Over the past two years Owen has improved every time we see him. He looks stronger and quicker. He has always showed confidence in offensive situations, but he is really showing an understanding of how to play the defensive game. He is no longer mesmerized by the puck in defensive situations and is becoming a reliable defender. We feel a smart General Manager may draft and stash this puck moving defender because of his improved play away from the puck. He’s four to five years away from turning Pro, heading to University of Minnesota-Duluth and Duluth is doing an excellent job of preparing their players to be Pros. Owen is physically suited to play in today’s NHL and we feel he is an ideal late round selection.
NTDP Evaluation Camp Report, March 29, 2018: Gallatin is a small, nimble, crafty defender with agility, quickness and vision. He is able to shake off opponents and carry the puck to open ice and make tape to tape passes to move the puck up ice. Here he skated with his head up, made several nice passes that started odd man rushes or clean breakouts. On the power play, he showed both the poise and the hockey sense to wait for the right lane and move it quickly and accurately. He doesn’t have great power on his shot at this point given his stature, but he gets it off quickly and through traffic. He’s smart, he’s savvy with the puck and he has the footwork to play tight defensive coverage against any opponent. The knock on his game is his size and defensive zone play; he manages gaps well and does a nice job keeping opponents to the outside off the rush but in zone he struggles with bigger, stronger opponents. A highly effective agile, puck mover but has areas of his game he needs to improve upon to produce at the next level. College: Minnesota Duluth
U14: Minnesota High Performance, May 2017: We think Gallatin could break out pucks without a defensive partner! Owen plays a very intelligent, puck possession, offensive minded game. He routinely outlets pucks up ice and can avoid the first forechecker without breaking a sweat. Carrying the puck he can be evasive with his strong edges and shifty skating ability. Great vision, elite player. Only thing holding him back is his stature right now, but he’s only fourteen.
Minnesota Bantam AA State Tournament, March 2017: A breakout defenseman who uses his high hockey sense to head man pucks and run the power play from the point. He lacks in the size department, but that doesn’t hurt how he avoids the forecheck and escapes pressure. We like how shifty he is with the puck and his elite vision. A captain of the team, Owen demonstrated leadership by his actions and was the most valuable defender to his team in the tournament.