Neutral Zone – Men's
In-Depth Amateur Scouting Coverage and Rankings

Login/Logout

Tommy Pasanen

Tommy Pasanen (4 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C) Defense

Neutral Zone NHL’s Brian Murphy, May 2020: I like this player. He is direct and no nonsense. Big steady right shot defenders are difficult to find, never mind finding one who knows what he is. Pasanen is balanced through contact and very effective at ending a cycle either through physicality or brains. He takes good angles and has a long active stick which he disguises very well. His outlets are hard and on the tape and he does not attempt high risk low reward plays any where on the ice. Clarkson is a great place for him to continue his development.

Neutral Zone NHL’s Lenny Hoffman, March 2020: Tommy is an intriguing prospect who has upside to his game down the road. A large right handed defender that can be very difficult to find throughout the draft or free agency. He has great length and is put together very well which made him hard to play against. His game was simple with the puck and he made the simple pass and didn’t try to do too much with the puck. He added an offensive element on the power play with a heavy shot from the blue line that didn’t want to be blocked by defenders. For a younger defender he had a physical presence on the game and threw his weight around. He should be in consideration for a late round pick if someone is looking for a big defender with upside. GAME LINE: 0-0-0 (1 SOG) GAME GRADE: B

February NHL Draft Rankings: Tommy was ranked #252 in Neutral Zone’s February NHL draft rankings.

Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, December 2019: Tommy is a big right shot defenseman who, although does not get a lot of penalty minutes, has some bite to his game. In the defensive zone he is quick to contain the cycle and is not afraid to give an opposing forward an extra shot to the ribs for good measure. This may seem unnecessary, but we feel the subtle cross checks work in his favor as the game progresses. Opposing forwards look over their shoulder a little bit more quickly when he is on the ice and they seem to be a little more willing to make that foolish “hope pass” into the slot which more often than not results in a turn over. In transition, Tommy moves the puck quickly and does not over complicate things. He has the skill set to try fancy plays, but the brains to know better. He consistently makes quality tape to tape passes that allow his forwards to maintain top speeds and continue the attack where he has the foot speed to join the rush as the late attacker. In the offensive zone he is patient at the blue line and will activate for a high cycle, but does not force plays by crashing the net or back door. His uses his size and reach while defending line rushes and does not give up the lines easily. Opposing forwards are pinched off early and are often times forced to make poor dump ins. Tommy has a fluid stride and retrieves pucks with his head up. He also works to be an outlet for his partner during breakouts. At 6’4″ 220lbs Tommy has the size to be a very effective professional defenseman and we feel that NHL organizations will be watching him closely as the second half of the season kicks off.

Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images

Post navigation
Scroll to top