Woodhouse
Registered User
When the puck is on his stick, Hurley is as skilled as any player in the draft. He finished last season with Muskegon (USHL) after a full season with Edina High School in Minnesota. With time and space he’s deadly, showing off his smarts with great decision making and ability to set up his teammates. His speed and acceleration is up there with the best in the draft, including some high-end Europeans. Measuring six feet and 165 pounds, he has decent size but some scouts have criticized his tendency to keep himself to the outside, and shy away from the high-traffic areas. His birthday is late, and he could end up being the youngest player drafted.
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“I’ve heard from more college coaches about him than for most any player we’ve had,” said Edina coach Curt Giles. “They can see what kind of quality player he is. A lot of players can play with their heads up and do a lot of things at different speed. The neat thing about him is he can go at full speed, and he can see the play and read the play. Connor is quick. He’s deceptively strong. He’s stronger than he looks. He can do everything, he can pass the puck, he can shoot the puck and he can skate. He’s one of the first ones in the locker room and he’s one of the last ones to leave. He gets along so well with his teammates. He’s a fun kid to be around.”
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Youngest player in the draft as his birthday is the cut-off mark. He is a good two-way centre with surprising speed, good vision and a strong work ethic, and tempered physicalty. Strong on the puck and ellusive on the run, he is a smart and creative centre who has a quick shot to go with the quick motor. Excellent agility, lightning jump and a fluid strong stride get him wherever he wants to be. Needs to get stronger.
FC
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Hurley is a very strong skater who uses his edges well, shows good lateral agility and has good speed with excellent first step acceleration. He will only get stronger on his feet once he adds more muscle to his lower frame. Hurley has the look of a future NHLer as he can play in any role given; checker, antagonist or offensive force. A dangerous offensive player, he possesses high-end hockey sense, great hands, impressive creativity and sharp instincts. He’s dangerous with the puck on his stick because he can kill the opposition by making plays to a teammate or by getting off a hard shot.
HF
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2012-13: Hurley made his USHL debut with Muskegon and led Edina in scoring as a junior as the Hornets captured the Minnesota AA state championship. In 14 games with the Lumberjacks (including three USHL playoff games) he scored 1 goal with 8 assists and was minus-one. Hurley skated in ten games with the USA NDTP's U18 team prior to the high school season, scoring 1 goal with 1 assist. Playing on Edina's top line with Dylan Malmquist and Andy Jordahl he scored 20 goals with 32 assists in 31 games. Edina defeated Hill-Murray, 5-2, in the championship game. Hurley committed to playing college hockey at Notre Dame in 2014-15 and was ranked 45th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.
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Connor has played the last two seasons for Edina High School proving to be a key offensive contributor for his school. He has also enjoyed stints with the U.S. National Team Development Program and finished the season playing with his brother on the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. Connor really jumped out at us in our early viewings of him. He is capable of doing so many different things in a shift. He handles the puck well and displays good vision creating offense for his team. He provides an excellent work ethic when he’s on his game forcing turnovers regularly and displaying a solid physical game finishing his checks. Hurley has had a few moments of inconsistency where we noticed him taking a shift off here and there, but it wasn’t a major concern. Connor has the high end upside of a power forward who can play a second line role. However to reach that potential he has a long way to go. He is fairly lanky and needs to add a lot of muscle to his frame. He has certainly shown us clear top six offensive potential at times, but these have been flashes and they have not occurred on a consistent basis. Connor likes to pass the puck, but has a laser of a shot and needs to utilize it more often. A safer and more reliable projection would be to see Connor ending up as a third line winger who uses his size and shows flashes of offensive production. He also has provided a very steady two-way presence in viewings of him playing with the USNTDP and Muskegon. Regardless, Connor has a lot of potential at the top level and is committed to Notre Dame University this coming fall of 2013.
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Hurley is the top high school prospect in this draft class. He possesses many high-upside tools, and he could be 5-10 spots higher on my rankings if not for the conservatism I tend to apply to high school prospects. He is an above-average skater, arguably high end, with great speed and acceleration. He is a skilled individual with the puck as well, displaying a high level of creativity and playmaking vision. Hurley processes the game well, making quick reads. He can flourish when he is given space. He plays a decent power game, as he will muscle off checks and make power moves, but he could stand to gain some strength. One NHL scout says that he tends to play too much on the perimeter. He is certainly a player who a team may look towards for significant upside, but he will likely take a while to develop. He is committed to attend Notre Dame in the fall.
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Committed to Notre Dame for 2014, Hurley is a playmaking forward who dominated the Minnesota high school ranks with 43 points in 25 games en route to leading Edina to the state title. Hurley is a natural centerman who plays a power game in the mold of a Rick Nash type. At the NHL Combine, Hurley showed his strength and endurance by finishing seventh in peak power output and fifth in push-ups. Scouts love his hard-driving skating game, and those combine results become all-the-more appealing with Hurley's 9/15/95 birth date making him the youngest player in the draft. He'll play a developmental season with Muskegon (USHL) before heading to South Bend the year after.
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Speedy and talented playmaker .. more a ‘pass-first’ type - who prefers to tap his stickhandling and passing prowess .. makes some picturesque set-ups as he has the requisite vision and patience to outwait defenders and slip a pass into open ice for a streaking teammate .. outstanding skater - with explosive first-step quickness and electrifying top speed .. glides effortlessly to high gear on a long, silky-smooth stride .. a wide skating stance aids his ability to spin off checks, absorb hits, and shield the puck .. energetic, hard-working - plays a responsible two-way game .. showed steady improvement in his defensive play .. stays alert, his head constantly on a swivel .. demonstrates keen instincts away from the puck - understands where to go and always finds open ice .. plays with energy and operates at an accelerated tempo, but isn’t overly physical .. picks and chooses times to finish hits - yet rarely do his bodychecks accomplish much .. showed little progress during the second half, after sparkling early last season, and was not the same dominating factor when thrust into USHL action .. gets let down by his shooting and finishing abilities .. a reluctant shooter who lacks confidence in a modest shot .. can bear down harder on chances - and develop more of a ‘killer’ instinct around the net .. an intriguing ‘upside’ pick with solid long-term potential .. his skating and playmaking foundation should be augmented as a slender good-sized frame builds mass and strength .. the youngest player eligible being born on the draft cutoff date.
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Hurley has been seen as a top-notch recruit since he burst onto the high school hockey scene in 2011-12 with 58 points as a sophomore for Edina. Teamed up with linemate Dylan Malmquist, the pair have sliced up the state, leading to a state title in 2013. A Notre Dame recruit, Hurley has been subject of attention from plenty of schools, media outlets, and now the NHL. "Connor is quick," Edina coach Curt Giles told the Hockey Hub in December. "He’s deceptively strong. He’s stronger than he looks. He can do everything, he can pass the puck, he can shoot the puck and he can skate." Soft hands, speed, and passing ability make Hurley a solid prospect. He dished out 32 assists last year and added on 20 goals. Grand Rapids coach Bruce LaRoque smiled when talking about facing Hurley in December. “Him and the rest of the group of Edina Hornets,” LaRoque said. “They come at you in waves and certainly he’s a skilled player. I’d like to watch him – you don’t get a chance as a coach.”
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Hurley had a whirlwind season, having played on four different teams between his Minnesota elite league squad, Edina High School, the U.S. National Under-18 Team and Muskegon Lumberjacks. Hurley’s draft stock is trending down a little bit as playing in junior late in the year may have shown a few more of the cracks in his game, but he still has plenty of development ahead of him. A strong two-way center who has good offensive skills and solid skating, Hurley has some obvious upside due to some solid hockey sense. He’ll need some work and I believe Hurley will end up playing in the USHL full time next season before heading to Notre Dame. I like the base skills in his game and expect him to continually grow as a player. He should be a solid prospect for whoever nabs him.
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Hurley's best assets are that he's an explosive skater, with incredible vision and passing ability. He's got pretty decent size, and a frame that could still fill out a little more, and he can play the center position, which is always valuable in the NHL. If there's a downside, it's that Hurley can be a bit too passive with his play. On a very deep and talented Edina team, there were times where he seemed content to just be one of the guys, rather than the type of standout you'd expect a late first/early second round NHL draft pick to be at the high school level. I wrote this about him after a game in late December: "The night was a little light on college coaches, which meant most of the scouts in the building were of the NHL variety, there to see Edina junior standout Connor Hurley. There's no doubt Hurley is a dynamic skater. He created Edina's first goal while on the penalty kill, when he outraced an Eden Prairie D down the ice to a cleared puck, and passed it over to a teammate for an easy goal. One of the concerns about Hurley is his lack of strength and ability to handle physical play, but that hasn't been as big an issue for me so far this season. Granted, he's playing high schoolers in a league known for its lack of hitting, but I think he's handled what physical play he's seen fairly well. The big concern for me is that at times, he seems almost afraid to shoot the puck. He's a phenomenal passer, but there were definitely times that he was almost dared to shoot, and didn't, or only would as a last resort. The few times he did shoot, his shot wasn't great. That's a concern, but does seem like something he could improve with time. Overall, I didn't move him much one direction or the other [from the early 2nd round] on my draft list after this game."
A/V Club
Draft-Day Interviews
2013.03.20 – Bryan Fongers interviews Connor Hurley after rejoining the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks. <3:17>
2013.06.30 – Connor Hurley meets with the media after being selected 38th overall. <3:07>
Full Games (Log)
2012.11.24 – Edina at Wayzata (Turkey Trot Championship). <119:49>
2012.12.26 – Edina vs St. Thomas. <59:18>
2013.01.05 – Edina vs Hill-Murray. <60:28>
2013.01.08 – Edina at White Bear Lake. <127:02>
2013.02.02 – Edina at Minnetonka. <62:25>
YouTube Clips
Draft-Day Interviews
2013.03.20 – Bryan Fongers interviews Connor Hurley after rejoining the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks. <3:17>
2013.06.30 – Connor Hurley meets with the media after being selected 38th overall. <3:07>
Full Games (Log)
2012.11.24 – Edina at Wayzata (Turkey Trot Championship). <119:49>
2012.12.26 – Edina vs St. Thomas. <59:18>
2013.01.05 – Edina vs Hill-Murray. <60:28>
2013.01.08 – Edina at White Bear Lake. <127:02>
2013.02.02 – Edina at Minnetonka. <62:25>
YouTube Clips
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