LW Jake DeBrusk (2015, 14th, BOS)

[R S]

This kid is definitely one worth starting to track for this coming June's draft. He really had a killer second half to the season last year and has continued that through this pre-season so far.

He's got good size and is a very solid skater. A bit hunched over in his skating style but he's powerful, strong and quick. He likes to hit and is the son of former NHLer Louie DeBrusk. His hands are fairly good and he possesses a good hard shot but his "pure offence" is the one thing to watch throughout this year. He processes the game well offensively, but does tend to float a bit in his defensive game.

If he can show that he can take his offence to that next level (he had 15 goals and 39 points in 72 games last year) and clean up some of his defensive responsibility, he is a guy that many teams will want to get their hands on.

I think he could climb to as high as the 2nd round for 2015.

Click to read more...

 

[R S]

Bumped.

His game continues to be on a nice incline developmentally-speaking. I've even seen him crack some top 30 overall lists, which seems a tad aggressive but is still impressive.

He has 13 goals and 25 points so far in 30 games this year in Swift Current. Here's what I said about him in the middle of November on my latest draft ranking:

10 (9) – Jake DeBrusk – LW – Swift Current Broncos – DeBrusk continues to sit in my top 10 as I think he’s a legitimate top 50 calibre guy overall in this draft class. He’s a strong skater, has a nice edge to his game and has a goal scorer’s touch around the net. This kid could be a total steal in a few years if he falls outside the top 60.

http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/11/2015-nhl-draft-rankings-second-edition.html

 

[Riggins]

Still hanging around a point per game with 21 goals now. Solid numbers for a WHLer in his draft year. No one seems to be talking about him much. Button has him ranked 27th.

 

[R S]

Still hanging around a point per game with 21 goals now. Solid numbers for a WHLer in his draft year. No one seems to be talking about him much. Button has him ranked 27th.

I have!

 

[ZeroPT*]

I have!

you think he goes in the 1st round?

 

[Aceonfire*]

Son of a former Oiler- Check
From Edmonton- Check
Plays in the Dub- Check

If he is around for the Pens pick or the Oilers 2nd you can bet they will take him.

 

[hoc123]

Son of a former Oiler- Check
From Edmonton- Check
Plays in the Dub- Check

If he is around for the Pens pick or the Oilers 2nd you can bet they will take him.

Poor guy.

 

[Mr Forever]

You just know he's going to be an Oiler, it's in his blood. Literally.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Does he drop the mitts like his dad used to?

 

[R S]

you think he goes in the 1st round?

Doubt it. I see him more as a 31-45 type guy personally. But he is trending upwards.

Does he drop the mitts like his dad used to?

No. He's physical and isn't afraid to hit but he's not a scrapper and is not at all the same player as his dad.

 

[Double Dion]

Does he drop the mitts like his dad used to?

I live in swift and I'm a 1st year billet so I go to all the games. The info from the scout or whatever he is isn't entirely accurate. Jake isn't a scrapper like louie was but he's been in at least 3 fights this year. He hits and mixes it up well. Good offensive skill and average defensively but the broncos use a high left winger so it makes him look worse than he is defensively and inflates the offense a bit. His shot isn't really an NHL level shot yet like Lowry. But everything else is there. Glen Gawdin is another one to watch from here. Probably more of a 3rd rounder whereas I see Jake going in the early 2nd round hopefully to calgary...haha

One other interesting thing he mentioned is that he was 5 foot 2 3 years ago and he was noticeably shorter last year. He might still be growing and might still grow into his body more. Makes him kind of an intriguing guy in my opinion. Most intriguing guy we've had in swift since Lowry and I include honka in that.

 

[R S]

I live in swift and I'm a 1st year billet so I go to all the games. The info from the scout or whatever he is isn't entirely accurate. Jake isn't a scrapper like louie was but he's been in at least 3 fights this year. He hits and mixes it up well. Good offensive skill and average defensively but the broncos use a high left winger so it makes him look worse than he is defensively and inflates the offense a bit. His shot isn't really an NHL level shot yet like Lowry. But everything else is there. Glen Gawdin is another one to watch from here. Probably more of a 3rd rounder whereas I see Jake going in the early 2nd round hopefully to calgary...haha

One other interesting thing he mentioned is that he was 5 foot 2 3 years ago and he was noticeably shorter last year. He might still be growing and might still grow into his body more. Makes him kind of an intriguing guy in my opinion. Most intriguing guy we've had in swift since Lowry and I include honka in that.

Lol, ok there. I've seen plenty of his games and enough to feel comfortable in my comments about him. I was asked if he plays like his dad. He doesn't.

Jake has 43 PIMs in 113 career WHL games.

Louie had 570 PIMs in his 181 career OHL games when he was a junior player.

Feel free to post your own opinions but try not to throw a guy under the bus for no apparent reason.

 

[Double Dion]

Lol, ok there. I've seen plenty of his games and enough to feel comfortable in my comments about him. I was asked if he plays like his dad. He doesn't.

Jake has 43 PIMs in 113 career WHL games.

Louie had 570 PIMs in his 181 career OHL games when he was a junior player.

Feel free to post your own opinions but try not to throw a guy under the bus for no apparent reason.

You said he doesn't fight. I've seen him fight 3 times, so your information wasn't accurate. It's not an opinion. An opinion is "he skates hunched over." I agree with that opinion. You said he has a good hard shot, that's sort of an opinion too. I disagree with that one. I think his shot is his main weakness. A fact is whether he fights or not. He's not an enforcer, but he does drop the mitts. Correcting inaccurate information is not throwing someone under the bus. You were asked if he drops the mitts. You responded no. It was inaccurate. You could say I've seen him play X number of games and he hasn't fought in those games or ask his coach if he scraps like other scouts do.

I won't even charge you for the education

 

[Mikey71]

Wow DD, you totally missed what RS was saying about his fighting and look kind of silly doing so, in my opinion. He was asked if Debrusk fights like his dad fought. I grew up watching his dad fight pretty much every single time London came here to the Soo and he was as pretty one dimensional as it gets. I read that as someone asking if the kid fought all of the time like his dad fought pretty much every game at least once. I didn't read it to suggest that he was saying the kid didn't fight at all. You are challenging something that isn't there. Going on about it makes you look even worse.

It is always great when posters have that little bit extra insight based on where they live, how they may be tied to a certain hockey situation/environment, but I respectfully suggest you do it in a less challenging way. It fills in a lot of blanks to the rest of us that don't see certain things or players as often. Hell, I have been there plenty of times too being in the local hockey circles here in the Soo playing with and against a few guys that went on to the NHL.

Cheers, and I look forward to more of your insight to WHL players since I don't get the opportunity to hear as much about them.

 

[Double Dion]

Wow DD, you totally missed what RS was saying about his fighting and look kind of silly doing so, in my opinion. He was asked if Debrusk fights like his dad fought. I grew up watching his dad fight pretty much every single time London came here to the Soo and he was as pretty one dimensional as it gets. I read that as someone asking if the kid fought all of the time like his dad fought pretty much every game at least once. I didn't read it to suggest that he was saying the kid didn't fight at all. You are challenging something that isn't there. Going on about it makes you look even worse.

It is always great when posters have that little bit extra insight based on where they live, how they may be tied to a certain hockey situation/environment, but I respectfully suggest you do it in a less challenging way. It fills in a lot of blanks to the rest of us that don't see certain things or players as often. Hell, I have been there plenty of times too being in the local hockey circles here in the Soo playing with and against a few guys that went on to the NHL.

Cheers, and I look forward to more of your insight to WHL players since I don't get the opportunity to hear as much about them.

He said he's not a scrapper. I read that as he doesn't fight. Ie. There is a difference between Iginla and McGratton. There's also a difference between Iginla and Tanguay. Jake is like Iginla, not Tanguay. He's not an enforcer, but he does drop the mitts.

When he said he isn't like his Dad at all, that implies he's a skill guy to me like Tanguay. He's more of a mini-power-forward. Like an Iginla or Darcy Tucker type. Scouts have a tough job, especially when they aren't regional scouts and only see 4 or 5 games a guy plays in a good year. He implied he was intimately familiar with the player and then didn't give accurate information. Most scouts I've seen talk with coaching staff and team personnel more than RS did. His comment on Jake having a great shot also didn't ring true.

 

[R S]

He's now up to 33 goals and 56 points in 53 games.

That includes 20 goals in his last 21 games.

If he manages to fall out of the first round, look out. Someone will get some value. I've called him a 3rd rounder...then an early 2nd. He could go top 20 or 25 at this rate. Killer instincts around the net. Some of the best I've seen out of a WHL player in the last few years.

 

[R S]

I still haven't seen him have a "bad" game this year.

I've caught him twice in the past five days and he was good in both. He now has 12 goals in his last 16 games, despite not scoring tonight. Obviously trending in the right direction.

Despite not finding the sheet tonight he was dangerous. Had 10 shots on goal before the second period was over. He does everything well on the offensive side of the puck. Very smart, decent skater, good shot, crashes the net and has very good spacial awareness and body positioning.

Wouldn't be shocked if some teams had him ranked inside their top 15 or 20. He's that good.

Ultimately I think he will be drafted in the 25 to 35 range.

 

[LastWordArmy]

Jake Debrusk is #32 on our draft board. Here is the scouting report.

http://lastwordonsports.com/2015/05/02/2015-nhl-draft-profile-32-jake-debrusk/

 

[Hockeypete49]

Jake Debrusk is #32 on our draft board. Here is the scouting report.

http://lastwordonsports.com/2015/05/02/2015-nhl-draft-profile-32-jake-debrusk/

Thanks. He would look good with the Flyer's 2nd pick in round one.

 

[puckfan13]

What a nose for the net this kid has. It's almost Parise-esque how he finds ways to be right in the crease all the time. Guys like Parise and Hornqvist, that's where I'd honestly put Jake's puck-hunting ability on rebounds and nose for the net.

In front of the net on the PP he can tip picks with great hand-eye or squirt off to the side to open up and jam pucks. He can snipe from out by the hashmarks but his best attribute is having that tenacious and greasy goal-scoring attitude around the net. Great at sniping in close to the goalie off the break or the rush, he has the skating to create off the rush. He has a little move where he'll shoot at the goalies pads quickly on purpose right as he gets over the blueline and jump past the d-man to whack the rebound in. He'll shoot for rebounds often from distance. He innately understands the angles, physics and geometry of offense. Kid plays to score goals, not to dangle around and make fancy plays, and he knows where to go to find them, it's not the fancy stuff, he probably could have had 25 or so goals scoring nice goals but he added 15-20 by being in the right places and working his butt off to hack and whack and tip pucks.

I think he can be a top-six complementary winger that is basically good for 25-25 (maybe more some years) anywhere you put him and is a dependable net front presence on the PP. A solid lengthy stride with some decent glide he can push things in the NZ at the Western League level right now and be dangerous off the rush. He is not physical but cuts off lanes with a good stick and closes in on defenders time and space with his skating.

 

[WTG]

Honestly I wouldn't mind if Canucks took him @23

 

[canucksfan100]

Dont see him being anything other than a 2nd/3rd line tweener in the NHL at best tbh

 

[WTG]

Dont see him being anything other than a 2nd/3rd line tweener in the NHL at best tbh

I don't think there are many 1st liners @ 23th overall

If we can draft DeBrusk and he becomes a regular 2nd liner I'd be ecstatic. Seems like a Burrows/Gallagher mix/clone.

 

[R S]

My final report on DeBrusk is below.

Final report on other WHL players can be found here: http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2015/05/final-whl-rankings-2015-nhl-draft.html

#5 Jake DeBrusk

Team: Swift Current Broncos
Position: LW/RW/C
Shoots: L
Height: 5’11.75
Weight: 174
GP: 72
Goals: 42
Assists: 39
Points: 81
Pts/Gm: 1.13
PIM: 40

Player Analysis: Jake DeBrusk is a pure goal-scoring winger for the Swift Current Broncos…owns a slightly hunched over skating stride, oddly similar to Montreal Canadiens 1st round pick Nikita Scherbak…skating has shown nice progression over the past calendar year…isn’t a super dynamic player but owns above-average top speed and fairly strong edges…despite good speed his acceleration is a tad clunky with his feet seeming a bit heavy at times, although I wouldn’t call it a major concern…clearly his biggest strength is his offensive hockey sense…owns elite-level offensive timing and finishing skill…arrives at the right spots at the right times…reads the play and is able to turn that into fantastic offensive spacing choices…is an absolute killer around the net and goes to the cage with immense regularity…is able to find loose pucks around the blue ice and finish plays off unlike any WHL player in this draft class...is strong on his stick around the net and couples that with fantastic body positioning around the crease…the way he finishes around the net reminds me a lot of guys like Brendan Gallagher and Joe Pavelski as they read the play well while also having both the desire and the skill to finish plays under duress…his wrist shot is hard and accurate with a very sharp release…has shown the ability to get his shot away off the rush while in mid-stride but can also lower his shoulder and drive it to the net…compliments his goal-scoring ability with smart playmaking skills…executes smart little chip plays when exiting his own zone…have seen him make some very impressive passes this year including touch passes in tight spots or saucing on the backhand…plays with smarts and his head up which often translates into smart little give and go plays when he’s given too much space…has seen time on the half-wall on the powerplay, allowing him to use his vision and shot to create offence…I have also seen him spend time in front of the net on the PP or down in the right corner so he can create on his forehand…owns some strong defensive instincts but play away from the puck remains a work in progress…have seen him watch the puck in his own zone at times and not be aware enough as would be ideal, but he did show strong improvement as the year went along…seems to do a lot of swooping around the defensive zone and would benefit for doing more stopping and starting…hockey sense translates defensively into the form of smart plays with his stick both in lifting opponents sticks and in unique stick angles to take away passing lanes…was trusted with more penalty killing time as the year went along but wasn’t on that unit in all viewings…defensive miscues are not for a lack of effort…owns a great motor and works hard…physical play exists but isn’t a huge part of his game but I have seen him connect on some big hits…had one viewing where he went to smoke a player but ended up getting the worst of it and landed hard on his ass, but it didn’t stop his motor the rest of the game and he continued to attack the opposition…his game has a lot of layers to it as he just does a lot of smart little things that can sometimes go unnoticed…is the rare player that has spent time at all three forward positions over the last couple of years but I like him best on the wing instead of the middle…was most commonly playing with either Glenn Gawdin or Colby Cave as his centreman this season…like with most of the top players on the Broncos the last few years, DeBrusk was given a mountain of minutes this year by head coach Mark Lamb…took a high and hard hit in game 3 of the playoffs this year, missing game 4 of the Broncos sweep at the hands of Regina…DeBrusk is the son of former NHL tough guy Louie DeBrusk…with that in mind I think he has more growth yet to come…just “looks” like a hockey player…a late 1996-born player…was remarkably consistent this season not only in my viewings but in his production…produced at over a point per game rate until Christmas but increased that to 1.24 PPG from January 1st up until the end of the year…led all first-time draft-eligible WHL forwards in goals with 42…finished 3rd among first-time draft-eligible WHL forwards in total regular season points…finished 4th among first-time draft-eligible WHL forwards in regular season points-per-game…was 6th among first-time draft-eligible WHL forwards in primary assists with 20…was involved in 36.45% of all Swift Current Broncos goals in the regular season, the 2nd highest mark of any first-time draft-eligible WHL forward trailing only Mathew Barzal…scored 18.69% of the Swift Current Broncos regular season goals, which was the highest mark of any first-time draft-eligible WHL forward…his mark of 0.68 even-strength PPG was the 4th best of any first-time draft-eligible WHL forward…his 26 even-strength goals in the regular season were tied for 1st among all first-time draft-eligible WHL forwards with Ryan Gropp also scoring 26 for Seattle…DeBrusk was only a 7th round selection of the Swift Current Broncos at the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft due to having a fairly small stature at the time…overall I see DeBrusk as a potential 1st round selection that I’m sure some teams have ranked as a top 20 guy…for me, he projects as a top 6 scoring winger with 30+ goal potential, but he will need to up his defensive intensity to carve out a bottom 6 role at the NHL level if his offence doesn’t translate fully…I expect DeBrusk to come off the board somewhere in the 25 to 35 range come draft day…

 

[EveryDay]

I believe it could be a good pick for the Habs at 26th.