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"I have no idea what I am doing" -Pat VerBleak
- Sep 27, 2017
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Welcome to the Ducks!
From HP, ranked #29:
Drew Helleson was a steady defender on the backend for the program, finishing with 23 points in 64 games. In the USHL, he produced 11 points in 28 games, including 4 goals. At international events, he wasn’t a big point producer but did have 3 assists in 7 games at the U18’s. He’s slated to play for Boston College next season.
Helleson is a cerebral modern-day shutdown-defender who plays a competitive and efficient brand of hockey. What defines Drew’s game is his hockey-sense and willingness to battle. When breaking down his hockey sense, his anticipation under-heavy pressure is well above-average. This allows him to make smart and effective plays around the boards during forechecking sequences and when he’s getting pressured both through the neutral-zone and at the offensive-line. His hockey-sense extends to his decision making in all three-zones. In the defensive-end, he looks for the safest route either by skating the puck out of danger-areas or finding the open passing lane; in the neutral-zone he rarely forces plays and lets the play naturally flow; in the offensive-zone, he doesn’t over-extend his skill-set which allows him to get pucks on net and turn it over at the blueline infrequently compared to some of the other defenders on both his team and overall in this class.
He’s s a strong and tenacious player that enjoys the physical aspects of the game, which compliments his sturdy frame. This quality allowed him to come away a plus player during board-battling sequences; there’s a fearlessness to his approach. His hockey-sense also extends to his spacing. Helleson kept an adequate-gap and was good at applying pressure and closing his gaps that forced further reactions to his play. His competitiveness and pace extend to his ability to recover. When he is caught out of position, he responds quickly and changes his gear to match the urgency of the play. Helleson wouldn’t be able to defend as successfully as he did if it wasn’t for his four-way mobility. He’s an efficient and fluid skater who is capable of acceleration quickly and generates plus straight-line speed. This compliments his edges and pivoting mechanics which are a plus and this allowed him to keep up with some of the faster forwards who attempted sudden direction shifts on him.
Helleson’s safer and more direct approach when dealing with the opposition in the defensive-end extends to the offensive-end, which doesn’t leave him with a highly-creative or offensively proficient game. He does have the odd play where he shows flashes of some talent but it’s not consistent. His hockey sense gives him the ability to make plus reads and activate at opportune times, but he’s not a flashy or dynamic player. Furthermore, his vision isn’t one of his better attributes in the offensive-zone. He can move the puck quickly and efficiently but it’s rare to see him make a high-end pass that’s threaded through multiple players. He hasn’t developed the ability to freeze opponents who are attempting to cover him at the line. As a result, Drew looks to quickly get the puck either to his open-teammate or fire a simple wristshot through traffic. One major benefit of Helleson’s clean and simple approach at the blueline is that he rarely makes mistakes that cause the play to go the wrong direction, which encompasses his style of play as a whole.
Helleson is the type of defender that consistently looks for the safe and effective play. It’s not the most exciting summary of a player but it emphasizes the attributes that we think could allow him to become a useful bottom-pairing NHL defenseman who can shutdown some of the opposing teams more skilled players.
“There is always a group of program guys who don't get their chance to shine offensively . He's in that group this year. I'm not saying he’s an offensive star but he has more to give.” - NHL Scout, March 2019
"Really good interview. I think he’s an underrated player too.” - NHL Scout, May 2019
"Projects as good solid middle pairing guy and like you said, he has good structure to his game.” - NHL Scout, May 2019
“I saw him a lot, he's ok but I’m not that high on him." - NHL Scout, June 2019
“Helleson was the structured force in chaotic situations when viewing the USNTD.” HP scout, Brad Allen, May 2019
“Not much conversation about this player with other scouts this season but what I do know is there is a huge range of opinions on him. Scouts either had him high or seemed to have no time for him. Every year it seems like a player comes out of the USNTDP with little fanfare but ends up surprising. Helleson would probably be my pick to be that guy this year. Teams need the meat and potato guys too, not just the flashy offensive guys.” - HP Scout, Mark Edwards, March 2019
“I spoke to a lot of scouts between the start of combine week and today, which is two days before our book release day. I can basically some up the comments in two ways: They either said something along the lines of -I like him, good player or they said something like - not a big fan.” - HP Scout, Mark Edwards, June 2019
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