Ozzy Wiesblatt (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A-) Forward
Neutral Zone’s Ian Moran, June 2020: I love how Ozzy brings it every night, every shift. There is no doubt that he is a leader and a player that coaching staffs love to have on their bench. He’s got very good offensive skills, he sees the ice well and in transition he uses his speed for zone entries and clean possession. I’m not sure how fast he is from goal line to goal line, but he is incredibly quick in tight areas and his lateral agility is excellent. There is zero doubt that Ozzy approached the game like a professional already and he has a relentless attitude when it comes to wining battles. He thrives in the give and go game where he uses his linemates to his advantage all over the ice. I don’t think his shot is a rocket, but he disguises his release point very well and he has the ability to out wait goalies before going bar down. Ozzy has very good puck poise or mature game sense because he seems to thrive under pressure. I feel that he is responsible without the puck and once he physically matures he will be a 200 foot National League player that will be a top 6 contributor.
Neutral Zone NHL’s Donald Godreau, June 2020: Weisblatt plays with an incredible motor. From the moment the puck drops, to the final buzzer, he plays at an incredible pace and effort level, seemingly never growing tired from his first shift to his last. His skating is strong. He has a nice long stride and generates good speed out of his turns, digging in deep and exploding out of them. He has great pop out of his initial burst and cross overs, and likes to play at top end speed where he can make opponents uncomfortable. With the puck, he’ll drive into the zone where ever he sees weaknesses. He will drive wide if he thinks he has a step, or he’ll blast through the middle if he sees a gap. He has good puck handling skills, and has nice control when at speed. He isn’t necessarily an elusive player in terms of his change of pace and direction. Though sometimes he will show some patience with the puck, he likes to overwhelm with speed first, and really likes to get his excellent shot off on the rush where he can use his quick release and hard snapper to overwhelm goalies. He isn’t afraid to use defenders as screens, or even shoot pucks in between strides or off his back foot. When in zone, Ozzy does well in the cycle. His quick feet and lower body strength allow him to protect the puck, and escape quickly out of tight areas, in these battle areas is where we see his vision best, where he will make plays out of the corners or off the half boards with solid passing, and good vision. Away from the puck, Weisblatt plays with a good positional understanding. He charges back hard on the back check in straight lines, and creates good back pressure. On the forecheck he is a second and third effort player in his pursuit of the puck. He has a knack of exposing opponents who aren’t ready to work. Grade: B+
2020 NHL Draft Right Wing Rankings, May 2020: Ozzy was the 9th highest ranked right wing in Neutral Zone’s right wing rankings. Early in the 2019-20 season Ozzy was our 14th highest rated right winger.
2020 Draft Prospects from different leagues who have Improved their Draft Ratings, March 2020: Ozzy is one of 17 players who have improved their draft grades during the 2019-20 season. Ozzy now has an ‘A-‘ Neutral Zone NHL draft grade.
WHL – Prince Albert Raiders NHL Prospects (2/14/20): Ozzy picked up 2 assists and was dangerous all game. He has high level poise with the puck and excellent vision. He showed game awareness while attacking the offensive blueline and was able to gain zone entries with ease. If the Bronco defenders had a tight gap Ozzy used his speed to drive the man deep to create space for his teammates in the high slot. When the defenders respected his speed, Ozzy faked the deep drive and cut to the middle of the offensive zone creating space for himself. He was effective on the forecheck with one of his body checks leading directly to a teammates goal. On the power play Ozzy attacked seems with both his body or the puck. On one PP goal he was running the mid-wall, recognized the killers were sleeping and attacked the center of the box. This opened up the goal line where Ozzy made a clean pass which led to a clear back door goal. He was dangerous all game and was rewarded for his efforts. Game Grade: A-
Ozzy Wiesblatt single game evaluation, February 15, 2020 vs the Brandon Wheat Kings: Played first line minutes.. good on face-offs.. very smart offensively.. plays with poise and has excellent vision.. went end to end setting up Ilya Usau for a weak side one timer goal (showed poise & composure on goal, losing puck in NZ, fighting through traffic, attacking the down the off wing and throwing backhand sauce).. very shifty through neutral zone, plays with his head up and can make players miss.. strong along the wall and during the cycle, attacked the net with defenders on his back, showed good strength.. knocked a few Kings on their butts when finishing checks.. very dynamic with the puck, but showed game awareness by continuing to make smart plays rather than trying to turn it into point night.. responsible D-zone coverage, did not cheat, battled in front of his net to tie up sticks and maintain net side positioning Game Grade: B+
February NHL Draft Rankings: Ozzy was ranked 66th in our February rankings, but his Neutral Zone draft rating had improved to a ‘B+’.
December 1st NHL Draft Rankings: Ozzy was Neutral Zone’s 53rd ranked 2020 NHL draft prospect with a ‘B’ Neutral Zone draft grade.
WHL – Ranking the 2020 NHL Draft Prospects, October 2019: Ozzy was Neutral Zone’s 10th ranked Western Hockey League player and our 5th highest rated forward.
Mac’s AAA Midget Holiday Tournament, January 2018: A hard nosed player who plays with great explosiveness and strong edges. His work rate is fantastic and he can be incredibly frustrating to play against because he doesn’t stop with the pressure until he gets the puck. He has the ability to finish as well, with a nice wrist shot, and a deceptive slap shot that is accurate, but not a booming type. Grade: A-
WHL Cup (2002s), October 2017: Ozzy plays with great intensity on the forecheck and puts pressure on puck carriers whenever he is on the ice. He gets real low in his skating stride and generates lots of speed out of his first initial steps. His edge work is also strong, and he is one to win the 50-50 battles more often than not. Offensively he has good vision of the ice and looks for teammates, but his blue collar like effort is more of his style rather than finesse. Grade: B+