Jacob Rombach (D, L, 6’6″, 202, Lincoln Stars, 04/01/2007, Minnesota)
Jacob Rombach is a towering, defensive-minded blueliner who leverages his size, reach, and defensive anticipation to close space and suffocate opposing forwards. He is a projectable stay-at-home defenseman with pro traits in his gap control, puck retrieval efficiency, and shot-blocking willingness. However, a lack of consistent physicality, limited offensive upside, and average puck skills may restrict his ceiling to a depth NHL role unless key areas are developed. Still, with his frame and defensive instincts, he presents a strong value pick in the mid-to-late rounds as a low-risk, system-reliable prospect.
Why Rombach Should Be an NHL Draft Pick
1) Elite Defensive Tools
Rombach is one of the most positionally sound, defensively committed defenders in the USHL this season. He plays 2:16 per game shorthanded — a heavy load — and finishes with 8 takeaways, 1.28 shot recoveries, and 1.64 shot blocks per game, all excellent indicators of defensive stickwork, anticipation, and self-sacrifice. He consistently breaks up odd-man rushes, sets his gap early off the rush, and clears pucks under pressure.
2) Size, Reach, and Gap Control
At 6’6″, Rombach naturally erases space. He maintains a strong inside shoulder position, defends with a long active stick, and tracks well laterally despite not being overly explosive. In multiple international settings (Hlinka, WJAC), he successfully kept NHL-caliber prospects to the perimeter with body position, stick placement and patience. His 61% puck battle win rate is strong and a true indicator of future success.
3) Reliable Transition Play
While not flashy in transition, Rombach is quietly effective. He averages 86% pass completion and consistently absorbs forechecks to move pucks calmly. He’s willing to hold the puck an extra second, draw in a forechecker, and make the right read. His 0.17 pre-shot passes per game indicate he plays within his limitations, but his 4.3 giveaways/game suggest a solid handle under pressure for a primarily defensive defender.
4) High Floor, Low Risk
He plays a simple, structured game. There’s no deception or dynamic offense, but he doesn’t need it to provide value. He projects to be a PK-first, late-game defending type, especially on a roster that needs a long, steady defender who can hold leads and block shots.
Why Rombach Should Not Be an NHL Draft Pick
1) Lacks Bite and Physical Edge Despite Frame
For a 6’6″ defenseman, Rombach’s 0.5 hits/game and 0.6 hits received/game are underwhelming. Neutral Zone staff’s evaluations support that — he closes space but often defaults to pinning rather than punishing. He rarely initiates contact with authority, and his hit totals were especially low at the Hlinka and WJAC. For a player of his stature to stick in a shutdown NHL role, he must become more intimidating and assertive.
2) Limited Offense and Minimal Power Play Value
Rombach sees almost no power play time (0:09/game) and contributes minimal offense: 3 goals, 15 assists in 57 USHL games and only 0.17 scoring chances/game. His shot attempts (1.98/game) and shots on goal (0.88/game) are low for his minutes, and his shot lacks the velocity to generate rebounds at higher levels. He needs to add a more threatening shot to round out his offensive toolbox.
3) Skating Still Raw
Rombach moves well in a straight line for his size, but his stride remains gangly and lacks acceleration. He does not recover quickly when beaten wide and lacks the agility below the dots to adjust quickly in tight. His success defending 1v1 relies more on timing and reach than mobility. If his skating doesn’t take another step, faster NHL forwards will expose him off the rush and below the tops of the circles.
4) Processing Limitations in Pressure Situations
While his retrieval game is strong, Rombach can look rushed under intense forechecking. His Hlinka performance showed moments of indecisiveness or throwing pucks into traffic when under duress. At the WJAC, his 79% pass completion was well below his USHL average, suggesting concerns about translatability against faster and more disciplined teams.
Projection and NHL Outlook
Projection: Bottom pairing defenseman with penalty kill utility; 2nd-pair ceiling if physical edge and skating improve
Developmental Focus:
Add 15–20 lbs of functional muscle and increase physicality in all zones
Continue to improve his skating stride, agility and explosiveness (especially first 3 steps)
Improve shot mechanics and willingness to create net front chaos by improving velocity
Build confidence making plays under pressure
Draft Grade: 4th–5th Round
Verdict:
Rombach is a structure-loving, low-maintenance defender with NHL traits. While not dynamic, his reach, IQ, and ability to kill plays will give him a long runway to develop. He’ll need to get stronger, meaner, and faster to stick as an NHL shutdown guy, but his toolkit is worth a bet in the middle rounds. On a development path that emphasizes simplicity and physicality, he could grow into a dependable penalty-killing defenseman on a middle-pair, especially for an organization that values defensive structure and size on the backend.
Photo credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images