Justin Barron (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A, NZ NHL Draft Rank – 7) Defense
(1) Brain – Justin is a very smart offensive minded defenseman. He instinctively feels pressure and has the ability to make quick outlets, find the stretch pass option or can carry the puck out of trouble when needed. While defending line rushes or protecting his net he plays with his head on swivel and has the awareness to be patient or attack when needed. Offensively he pushes the pace and is at his best in the transition game.
(2) Vision & Poise – He plays with confidence and does not force passes or point shots. He walks the offensive blue line very well and can find shooting or passing lanes in both 5 on 5 or man advantage situations. He prefers to make tape to tape passes in the defensive zone rather than blindly throw the puck around the boards. In breakout situations Justin works to be an outlet for his partner and does an excellent job at timing when to jump in the play as a weak side defenseman. During neutral zone transition he moves the puck quickly in both “D to D to the Weak Side” and “D to D to the Stretch Guy” situations and his passes are on the tape.
(3) Feet – He has a smooth long powerful stride that is a true asset in the transition game. His opponents respect his skating ability and creates space through their apprehension. He is very smooth and quick when changing direction and his lateral movement is excellent. He has a tendency to play on his toes while defending a line rush or in a 1 on 1 situation, but we feel that his skating is at such an elite level that this trait will vanish during his first NHL Training Camp.
(4) Compete & Effort – Justin is so smooth that sometimes it may look like he is not trying, but this is certainly not the case. He plays hard with the expectation to win battles.
(5) Contact or Physicality – He is not a banger, but chooses to rather take smart angles that eliminate his opponent’s options. He will finish checks and is stronger than he lets on, but he is not a physical presence.
(6) Release – He has a quick accurate release that creates rebounds. He patrols the offensive blue line with his head up and he has the ability to pick his spots and score goals from anywhere in the high slot. We have seen him beat goaltenders with any type of shot including accurate backhanders while driving down the left side.
(7) One Timer Ability – He has a hard accurate one timer that hits the net and creates rebounds. He does not need a perfect pass to be a threat to score or create scoring opportunities.
(8) Body Language – He wants the puck in scoring situations and expects to be used in key times during the game or series.
(9) Special Teams Potential – Justin will run a first unit power play in the National League. He has the legs and vision to break the puck out smoothly and the poise to gain the blue line without dumping the puck in. His shot generates scoring opportunities and he has an elite ability to find cross box seems. He will play 5 on 3 minutes. He may not be a reliable killer now, but his skating, anticipation and high IQ will allow him to be used in penalty killing situations as his game develops in professional hockey.
(10) Intangibles – 6’2 smooth skating right shot defenseman will always be at a premium. We feel that his skating and brain will allow him to be an National League defenseman who plays 25 minutes per night. Some draft peers may have better offensive skills while others may defend more physically. But when it comes right down to it, at this point we do not feel any will be able to impact the game at both ends of the rink quite as well as Justin.