| Trey Taylor | Clarkson University | NCAA | L | D | 6’2″ | 190 | Clarkson | 2022 | Richmond, BC | 2002 | 2022-2023: Free Agent 2021-2022: C+ |
NCAA: Clarkson vs Brown, February 4, 2023: Taylor totaled 20:41 in ice time including 5:11 while on the power play and 3:45 while shorthanded. On the power play Taylor was active from the top of the umbrella looking to scissor while rolling to his right and fire a one-timer. He attempted three PP one-timers having two blocked and the the third was a 12″ rocket that generated a net front rebound. During 5on5 offensive transition we liked how after receiving a pass he moved his feet and rather than forcing passes into coverage he got the line(s) for momentum gaining dumps. Taylor worked to move up the ice setting his gap and when a pass was made he was moving towards his man with an extended stick looking to play the body. He finished the game +2 with 0 points, 4 shots, 4 PP shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 2 PIMs for a neutral zone hold after he got caught up ice, 0 hits, had 2 shots blocked, 5 giveaways, 4 takeaways and he won 47% of his 15 puck battles.
NCAA: Clarkson vs Lake Superior State, October 28, 2022: Taylor totaled 23:25 in ice time including 1:58 while on the power play. He did not play while shorthanded. He was not on power play #1, although he did setup shop at the top of the umbrella on PP #2. From the top his passes were hard and flat, but he looked fairly predictable and we found there were too many times when he drifted towards the player on either flank who he was going to pass to. He also had a power play snap shot blocked. After the block the puck did not immediately clear the zone, but it led to a mid-wall 50/50 puck battle and then an offsides. During 5on5 play Taylor looked poised and patient playing a very simple game. He worked to be an outlet for his partner in the neutral zone as well as below the goal line. As the weakside defender in defensive zone coverage we liked how he called for a few strongside post reverses while his partner and low forward were battling in the corner. By doing so he showed that he understood LSSU was overloading the strong side during corner battles. He finished the game +1 with 0 points, 0 shots, 0 hits, received 1 hard body check, 1 PP shot blocked, 4 giveaways, 3 takeaways and he won 33% of 9 puck battles.
Neutral Zone NHL. July 4, 2022: Why an NHL draft pick, he has leadership qualities. He is a 6’2″ defenseman whose overall two-way game developed nicely in the USHL as he finished with 43 points in 53 games. He won 59% of his puck battles. The combination of his puck poise and skating ability allows him to draw penalties. Why not an NHL draft pick, he is a 2002 whose in his third year of draft eligibility. He attempted 159 point shots. He had 37 of them blocked and an additional 40 missed the net. 115 of those attempts came on the power play with 48 of those being blocked or missing the net.
USHL: Chicago Steel at Youngstown Phamtoms, April 17, 2022: Taylor is in his third year of National League draft eligibility and we feel he has played his way into receiving long looks from NHL organizations. The left shot retrieved pucks with pace keeping his head on swivel to locate the easiest route out of the defensive zone. His passes were hard, flat and hit his intended target on the tape and in stride, He also showed the strength to protect the puck while a forechecker was on his back and the skating ability to get the net when he needed to. It is obvious that his teammates view him as a leader on the ice and he backed that up with solid decisions that put the team first. Taylor was a key component of the Phantom’s special teams. He also showed a very quick release from the point and on Friday night scored on a quick release snap shot. Although he is having a very solid offensive season we feel he is two-way defender who has the size, skating ability and offensive vision to play professional hockey after continuing to gain strength and explosiveness at Clarkson.
USHL: NTDP vs Youngstown Phantoms, Februsry 1, 2022: Taylor is a big defenseman that is solid defensively but uses his good skating ability, puck possession, and offensive skills to contribute offensively. He skates with good balance and a long, powerful stride that helps him jump into the play but get back defensively. He showed confidence and patience carrying the puck wheeling the puck up the ice and around the offensive zone. He uses his size and good balance to defend with ease rather than panicking or getting caught off balance. He can get under the opposing forwards’ skin due to his combination of size, strength, physicality, and defensive prowess. He scored a hat-trick in the 2nd game. He scored his 1st on the PP using a wrist shot from the right point through traffic to beat the goalie. He scored his 2nd goal on a one-timer in which he moved in from the left side and was able to step into a quick, snap-shot one-timer. His 3rd was the ENG. Grade: A-
USHL: Chicago Steel vs Youngstown Phantoms, December 10, 2021: Taylor is a big all-around defenseman who is a solid defender but also contributes offensively. He uses good body position and a long reach to defend with ease. An example of this occurred early in the game when one of Chicago’s skilled, shifty forwards challenged him on the rush 1-1 and he maintained good alignment with the attacking forward’s body and used his long reach to simply poke the puck away. Taylor makes simple passes to help his team exit the zone. He demonstrates good patience and puck protection with his ability to skate with the puck around the offensive zone, specifically on the power play. Taylor loves to wheel around the zone with the puck including within deep in order to promote movement on the power play. Another example of this occurred on Youngstown’s 3rd goal of the game in which he skated around and behind the net and then fed the puck out front leading to the goal. There was also another instance on the power play when Taylor used creativity and vision on a behind the back pass skating the other way behind the offensive zone net leading to an open net scoring opportunity on a 2nd period power play. He also had a hard, heavy wrist shot from point that gave the goalie trouble on several occasions. Grade: A
USHL: Youngstown vs Cedar Rapids, November 1, 2021: Taylor is a Clarkson commit, had an all-around superb game that stood out from beginning to end finishing with a goal, two shots on net, and was a +1 for the night. Taylor has a smooth and powerful stride. His first step is strong and separates him from opponents and creates space for himself as well as giving himself the ability to easily win puck races. Once the puck is on his stick, his speed is slightly above average, but he skates with confidence, precision, and power that allows him to pick holes in the opponent’s defense effortlessly. Taylor is also big and strong and when skating through traffic makes him hard to knock off the puck. Defensively, Taylor uses his strong skating ability and reach to control gaps. When exiting the defensive zone, he’s calm and collected with the puck. He never makes a panicked or rushed play and is in control with the ability to slow the play down to the speed he needs while his teammates skate to open ice. Taylor can beat the first man up ice, make a quick snapped outlet pass, find a seam for a stretch pass, or make soft 2-foot sauce passes into areas that only his teammates can skate into. In the offensive zone, he once again uses his skating ability and calmness with the puck to walk the blue line, create himself shooting lanes, and put hard accurate shots on net. He plays heads up hockey and is solid at quarterbacking the powerplay. This resulted in a goal for him as he once again created himself a shooting lane with his skating and hammered a shot to the lower right corner from the left circle. Grade: A
CJHL Top Prospects Game, February 26, 2020: Taylor had a strong showing at this game as a polished skating, well-rounded defenseman. He manages tight gaps, he takes away space from opponents and has good closing speed and angling to stop rushes in the neutral zone. He did a nice job keeping pucks in on the offensive zone and was solid defensively picking up bodies around the net, playing the body in the corners and winning 50/50 puck battles. He has a quick stick and was able to knock pucks off sticks and force opponents to low percentage areas. His best attribute has been his skating ability which allows him to play aggressive, step up on opponents and pinch at the offensive blue line. Quick on retrievals and clever puck movement. Underrated D1 prospect but he needs to get stronger and more engaged at both ends. Grade: B
BCHL Scouting Reports: Vernon Vipers, December 13, 2019: Taylor is a very smooth skating defencemen with great edge work allowing him to elude oncoming players without trouble. He has good offensive instincts which allow him to join the rush frequently and use his recovery speed to get back after the rush. His breakout skills standout as a strong suit of his, using his vision to locate the right play or using his skating to be a “one-man breakout”. At times his offensive tendencies cause him to be caught on the wrong side of the battle or be beat to the net by the attacking player. He reads the play quite quickly and makes fast decisions as well, which allows his 175lb frame to avoid the oncoming forecheckers. Additional strength should be something Taylor works on, as forwards continue to get bigger and stronger as he moves up in level. Grade: B
CSSHL Showcase, February 16, 2018: Trey is a physical/gritty defenseman. He was noticeable mixing it up with opponents on almost every shift. He likes to get under the other team’s skin and made some really nice hits. The 2002 displayed a quick stride and jumped in on the rush a lot for secondary support. He made crisp passes in all three zones and saw time on the penalty kill where he played very aggressive. He finished with 2 goals and 1 assist through 4 games. Grade: B+
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images