Tanner Dickinson (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B-) Forward
Updated Scouting Report Comments in BOLD
(1) Brain – Tanner has always processed the game very well from an offensive stand point. At a young age he understood creating mismatches by changing speeds or cutting laterally through the zone. He was one of the first players we saw in this age group who shot with not only the purpose of scoring a goal, but also creating chaos and rebound opportunities for his line mates. Although he has grown up playing center, we project Tanner a a wing in professional hockey. The switch to wing will relieve some of the defensive zone responsibilities and allow for Tanner’s offensive instincts to take over. We still feel this is the truth. The eventual switch to wing will allow him to cheat a little bit more as well as limit the grinding on his slight frame.
(2) Vision & Poise – He sees the ice very well. In every type of offensive situation Tanner plays with his head up and has a very low panic point. He has the ability to settle a bobbling puck quickly and make soft sauce passes that are easy for his teammates to handle. High end skill set. Still true and we feel these skills will only improve as he gains experience.
(3) Feet – He has very good edge control and can spin off of contact as well as any draft prospect. He needs to improve his speed and quickness, but we feel both will improve as Tanner matures and trains properly. Tanner is still not a burner, but he absorb contact very well and can spin off the check into the vacated or open scoring area with ease. Again, we feel his straight line speed will improve as he trains with a purpose.
(4) Compete & Effort – Tanner gives it on the offensive side of the puck. It is not that he doesn’t compete on the defensive side, but growing up his skill set allowed him to cheat and he still has this tendency. Again, long term the switch to wing will work in his favor and allow him to be opportunistic. Still feel the same. He’s always been such an offensive catalyst that he’s been able to cheat away from the puck. The switch to wing will alleviate these tendencies.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He is not a physical player now, nor do we expect him to be one later. He is however strong on the puck and battles for ice in the scoring areas. Same.
(6) Release – He can shoot with his feet moving and through screens at a high level. He may not have a bullet, but he does have a deceptive release point that can cause rebound issues for goalies. Same, but a skill that will improve with added strength.
(7) One Timer Ability – He does not have a bullet, but he has an expanded shooting area and can get good wood on poor passes. We feel his consistency will be an asset as he matures and he will develop a much harder shot. Same.
(8) Body Language – Tanner expects to produce.
(9) Special Teams Potential – Tanner’s offensive skill set, anticipation and opportunistic offensive IQ make him a natural power play option. Yup.
(10) Intangibles – We have no doubt about the style of player Tanner will be when he turns pro. We do wonder if he has the body type to be a consistent NHLer. Obviously Tanner is not going to weigh 154lbs when he is in his early twenties, but how much stronger will he get? The days of needing to weigh 200lbs are over, but the National League is still a grind and will Tanner have the frame to withstand the physical grind when it’s time to be a pro? Read the above again. Does Tanner have the metabolism that will let him get to 170lbs? Does he have the off ice habits to train hard enough to get there? Because if he does, Tanner will be a 3rd rounder who has an NHL career instead of a 3rd rounder who plays a handful of NHL games.
Soo Greyhounds NHL Prospects, February 26th 2020: As we’ve stated in our earlier reports, we do not question how quickly Tanner can process the game. We do question how quickly he gain the strength to adapt to an 82 game NHL season.
February NHL Draft Rankings: Tanner was ranked #126. The long wear and tear of an OHL season was taking it’s toll on the 154lbs first year forward.
December 1st NHL Draft Rankings – Who are our Top 64 rated draft eligible players?: Tanner was ranked #63
Soo Greyhounds at Sarnia Sting, November 2019 (Individual Game Report): A first year left winger center for the Greyhounds, Dickinson played an excellent game for the Greyhounds this evening on left wing. Dickinson is a lanky, slight forward who is sneaky quick with a great first step in transition. We really liked his puck skill in this game in all 3 zones. In his defensive zone he was efficient along the walls and handled pucks very effectively under pressure to start the breakout. As a first year forward he was poised under pressure and broke down fore-checks well. Through the neutral zone he is sneaky quick and gets to top speed after a few steps. His hands and vision allow him to find the players around him effectively. Dickinson had an effective night on the power play this evening and found a number of players with good open looks. He scored a great goal on a two on one where his adjustment and change of pace gave him a great angle to the net. A player we will continue to watch. As he develops his overall core strength he could evolve into a front line offensive player. Game Grade: B- Other players evaluated: Jamieson Rees, Jacob LeGuerrier, Jacob Perreault, Rory Kerins, Cole Mackay, Jaromir Pytlik,
NHL Scouting Report, October 2019: A look at the 10 different aspects of Tanner’s game that have made him a 2020 NHL Draft prospect.
USA Hockey Select 16 National Development Camp, July 2018: After about 20 viewings of Tanner Dickinson over the past two seasons this was without question his best performance; a player who entered camp as a ninth-round USHL draft pick by Green Bay and ended up leading the entire camp with 6 goals and 3 assists for 9 points in 5 games. His stick skills are elite and he was able to stick handle in and out of traffic and around defenders at will. He scored in nearly every way imaginable; he scored on a wraparound, he scored on one-touches when driving the net on 2v1’s, he scored shooting through defenders legs using them as a screen and picking corners and he scored in tight off quick deke moves. His hands are so smooth and elusive; he catches pass effortlessly on his backhand, he can sauce a pass anywhere on the ice in stride without having to slow down and he makes defenders look foolish who play the puck on him. While he’s only 136 lbs he’s slippery and hard to get a body on and has just enough shiftiness and quickness to maneuver his way through a crowd and come out with possession. While his goal scoring may have been his most obvious skill here; his passing ability was equally as impressive. He threw low shots on net to generate rebounds which were scored upon, he made two cross crease saucer pass assists on the rush and came out of the corners and fed the slot for assists. A highly skilled, creative, instinctual forward who was exciting to watch here as he was making plays every shift. College: Ohio State
USHL Phase 1 Draft Grades, May 2018: Green Bay was able to acquire five players in our top 50 rankings including two players in the top 20 in big bodied, skilled power forward Jackson Kunz (#12 Ranked) and long, athletic, multi-dimensional defender Casey Roepke (#14 Ranked). After a strong start they were able add great value in the middle rounds where they acquired good-sized sniper Johnny Waldron out of Chicago Fury and tall, athletic, smooth skating, versatile defender Jake Ratzlaff out of Rosemount HS and quick, shifty, elusive playmaker Alex Servagno. There next pick was underrated Jarod Crespo, a mobile, two-way defender with strong edges and a clever stick. With their final three picks they took raw, high upside prospect out of Salisbury Matthew DeBoer, younger brother of NTDP forward Jack DeBoer and son of NHL Head Coach Peter DeBoer. They closed out the draft in the state of Michigan taking savvy, play maker Tanner Dickinson and under the radar Michigan HS prospect Tanner Rowe. After losing their #2 overall pick last year to the OHL, Green Bay elected to take all their picks from the US this season and were able to acquire a good chunk of the top 50 US prospects while rival teams took their chances in Ontario and Western Canada. A very good draft for Green Bay which sets them up well for years to come.
2002 USHL Phase I Draft, May 2018: Tanner was ranked #108
U15 Nationals, April 2018: Tanner is smart player who sees the ice very well. He needs to get stronger, but that will come with time. He does a great job on the power play with his passes and getting himself open. Grade: C
Top 200 American OHL Draft Prospects, April 2018: At this point Tanner had dropped to a 3.5 Star Rating. Other players rated as a 3.5 Star at this time in their development who have garnered Neutral Zone NHL’s eyes this year are Jaden Grant, Mikey Citara, Grant Riley, Matt Basgall, Ryan Beck, Garrett Szydlowski, Jacob Bauer and Owen Michaels. While Zakary Karpa, Aden Bruich, Lukas Gustafsson, Luke Weilandt and Zach Bookman were all rated 3.25 Stars or lower.
NTDP & USHL Futures Draft Top 115 American 2002’s, March 2018: Tanner was the 55th ranked forward heading into the USHL Draft in the Spring of 2018. As always there are players who’s ratings have changed, but at this time Tanner was still a 3.75 Star along with Jackson Nieuwendyk, Mark Estapa, Ben Schoen, Carter Mazur, Kyle Kukkonen and Tanner Kelly. Each of these players are currently a 4 Star Rating or higher.
2002 Mid Term NTDP Bound Rankings, December 2002: At this stage of his development Tanner was rated a 3.75 Star and was on the outside looking in for the 2002 version of the NTDP. There were some familiar 2020 Draft eligible names who were on the outside looking in including Phillip Tresca, Ben Schoen, Cameron Berg, Joe Miller, Alexander Servagno, Tanner Kelly as well as eventual NTDP Team member Hunter McKown.
U14 USA Tier 1 Nationals, April 2017: Tanner was fast on the line rush. His first step allowed his to separate quickly in transition and in space. His lateral movement is excellent and he is athletic. He was able to make plays at full speed and his shot seemed to give goalies trouble. His quick stick and offensive sense made him tough to stop 1v1. He is thin and as his frame fills in, he will only get better.