The 2021 NHL draft is two weeks away and the anticipation of who is going first-overall is coming up. While there are a lot of great defenseman that are in the early rounds, there are not too many reports on some of the mid-round defenseman.
With this draft year being messed up due to COVID-19, scouts were really limited to views on certain guys, because some leagues didn’t even play.
Below is a list of some defenseman that have potential to be solid NHL pick ups, some earlier than expected.
Owen Murray (D, R, 5’10”, 181, Green Bay Gamblers, 12/01/2002, UMass Amherst)
Canadien-born defenseman Owen Murray played his first junior season in America with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. He’s not a big defenseman standing at 5-foot-10, but he has good speed and can make smart passing plays on the ice. Neutral Zone scouts rate him as a four-star player, having lots of praise on his game. “Murray is a skilled offensive DMan that plays with passion. Lightning fast & involved up ice a lot. Shuts down, rushes quickly & anticipates at an elite level. Smart stick and high ceiling.” The University of Massachusetts Amherst commit may go early than projected.
Shai Buium (D, L, 6’3″, 209, Sioux City Musketeers, 03/26/2003, Denver)
Buium came to Sioux City from Shattuck St. Mary’s U18 Prep and was an impactful player on the Musketeers roster this season. The 4.25 star rated player is a solid height standing at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds. Buium, who has Israeli roots, can bring a strong offensive to a team. He is very good on transition play, making smart decisions out of the zone. He is also very reliable defensively. Neutral Zone scouts think highly of Buium, “the Denver commit has elite edges and this allows him to excel in every facet of the game. Defensively he closes space quickly and can recover effectively on mistakes because his skating ability allows him to. With the puck on his stick he is very difficult to contain.” He is a bit less under the radar and should go in the first half of the Draft.
Luke Mittelstadt (D, L, 5’11”, 175, Eden Prairie HS, 01/22/2003, Minnesota)
Brother of NHL player, Casey Mittelstadt, Luke split this season between playing in high school and the USHL with the Stars. The University of Minnesota commit is a good puck-moving defenseman with speed and smart instincts. Mittelstadt, a 4.75 star rated player, “ rarely makes mistakes, he plays an honest two-way game, he defends extremely well and gives up very little space for his opponents to do anything against him. He’s lockdown and shutdown on 1v1’s, he defends as well in the corners as he does around the net as well as against the rush. He makes smart pinches at the blue line and takes the right angle to squeeze off opponents and keep pucks in the zone.”
Guillaume Richard (D, L, 6’2″, 170, Tri City Storm, 02/10/2003, Providence)
Canadian-born defender, Guillaume Richard, had a solid season with the Tri-City Storm. Richard plays a great two-way game, who can move and shoot the puck well, and also be reliable on the back-end. The Province College commit is a 4.5 star rated player. He is a “strong defender who is heavy on pucks and physical clearing the front of the net. Won stick battles consistently and always made a crisp breakout or transition pass. Moved well in the back end for Team Quebec zipping tape to tape passes through seams on the powerplay as well as blasting shots from the point through traffic.”
Luca Fantilli (D, L, 6’0″, 175, Chicago Steel, 12/30/2002, Michigan)
Fantilli played his first season in the states, alongside his brother Adam. The University of Michigan commit and 3.75 star rated defenseman, “Fantilli is a good-sized, skilled defender out of Kimball Union who showed good poise with the puck at the blue line and touch on his passes. He can side step forecheckers and made skilled passes up the ice on the breakout. He needs to continue to develop his defensive game and get stronger but he’s got a lot of raw talent and is making a smooth transition to the USHL.”
Ty Gallagher (D, R, 6’0″, 188, NTDP U18, 03/06/2003, Notre Dame)
Gallagher has a very solid season with the US U18 team. In 48 games played, he racked up 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points. Gallagher can play a reliable defensive game with good instincts and stick-checking skills. The Boston College commit and 4.25 star rated player for Neutral Zone “ possesses the puck well under pressure, making smart decisions, spinning off forecheckers and moving the puck up the ice.”
Nolan Allan (D, L, 6’2″, 195, Prince Albert Raiders, 04/28/2003)
Davidson, Saskatchewan born, Nolan Allen, is a very good defender in his own end. Allen played this season split between the Albert Raiders of the WHL and the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the SJHL. He can read plays well and shut down the opposition. While he will need to work on his offensive game a bit more, Allen can skate well and make good passes on transition play. Allen is currently a 4.75 star rated player for Neutral Zone. “Allen is a strong skater, good speed to jump in plays and to shut down and close defensively. Great vision, picks apart forechecks well breaking pucks out. Played smart with the puck in all three zones.”
Ethan Del Mastro (D, L, 6’4″, 210, Mississauga Steelheads, 01/15/2003)
Steelheads defenseman, Ethan Del Mastro, possesses a big size, standing at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. He is a 4.5 star rated player for Neutral Zone. “He knows how to use his size and stick to take away time and space like he is a veteran. In today’s game I was very impressed with his confidence and composure with the puck. He never just wrapped the puck along the wall because he felt the panic of pressure.” He is a physical player who could be an intriguing pick for an NHL club.
Oscar Plandowski (D, R, 6’0″, 190, Charlottetown Islanders, 05/18/2003)
Right-handed defenseman Plandowski plays a very good offensive game, with strong puck moving skills. He can skate and shoot the puck very well, as well as making smart passing decisions. Plandowski is a 4.5 star rated player for Neutral Zone. “Puck moving defender with smooth skating ability. Poise with the puck and never seemed to panic finding the right outlet pass, clearing the puck or even protecting the puck and skating it out of his own zone. Played in all situations, made crisp tape to tape passes, jumped into play when he needed to and was rarely out of position.”
Logan Mailloux (D, L, 6’3″, 215, London Nationals, 04/15/2003)
Mailloux was drafted by the London Knights 33rd overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. Due to Covid shutting down the OHL this season, Mailloux played with SK Lejon in Sweden. In 19 games, Mailloux scored seven goals and eight assists for 15 total points. Mailloux can play a good defensive game, being physical on the back-end and breaking up plays. He already has good NHL size, standing at 6-foot-3. The 4.25 star rated player “is a big, strong defender who plays like a player ready for the next level. Every pass was tape to tape and he did a terrific job moving the puck out of his zone. He has an OHL ready shot; he can absolutely rip it from the point. Mailloux is dynamic offensively.”
Other notable defenseman:
Jacob Martin (D, R, 6’0″, 190, NTDP U18, 07/20/2003, Wisconsin)
Aleksi Heimosalmi (D, R, 5’11”, 170, Assat U20, 05/08/2003)
David Gucciardi (D, L, 6’1″, 185, Waterloo Black Hawks, 10/09/2002, Michigan State)
Theo Angesved (D, 5’11”, 172, Undecided/Unknown) – Frölunda HC J20(J20 Nationell)
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images