Tanner Kelly (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — Free Agent) Forward
(1) Brain – Tanner has been a point machine in midget hockey and at USA Hockey Festivals, but we have always noticed him because of his brain. He doesn’t cheat to the offensive side and he is very good at reading passing angles to break up plays. We don’t think Tanner will get drafted. We do however think that he is someone who will get better over his time in Junior and while playing at Michigan State. We also think he’s smart and for us the player with a high hockey IQ is always worth tracking.
(2) Vision & Poise – He loves to extend plays while looking for the late guy or second wave of the attack. Tanner does an excellent job involving his defensemen.
(3) Feet – Tanner will need to continue developing his explosive first step, but he has the stride and low base to develop it through training.
(4) Compete & Effort – He is a hear working player who does not quit on pucks. We’ve been watching him play for a long time and he as a knack for popping the opponent’s stick while backchecking and stealing the puck.
(5) Contact or Physicality – While he is undersized and not a threat to put you through the boards, he does not shy away from traffic and will initiate contact.
(6) Release – He can get shots released quickly and accurately. His first touch is very smooth.
(7) One Timer Ability – We have not seen Tanner attempt enough one timers to make a comment.
(8) Body Language – He is involved and yaps. We really do not have a problem with talkers.
(9) Special Teams Potential – His puck skills and poise will lead to power play time as he continues to develop physically and get stronger.
(10) Intangibles – We’re not going to lie, we like how Tanner plays. We know that he will not get drafted this year, but we feel that he is the type of player who will look dramatically different next year while playing juniors. And we know he will look dramatically different after two years developing at Michigan State and we feel smart thorough NHL teams will keep an eye on Tanner as he continues to mature.