From my draft capsules:
RD Case McCarthy, US-NTDP
With an emphasis on speedy puck-moving defensemen in the modern NHL, many hockey writers have forgotten that NHL teams need blueline balance to succeed. The Devils have three young, puck-moving offensive high-end youngsters on LD in Ty Smith, Will Butcher and Jeremy Davies -- but they are all going to need partners on the right side who can cover for them during rushes and zone pinches. As Smith/Butcher/Davies are all under 6'0, they are all going to need a partner to muck in the corners and clear creases and make opposing forwards think twice about skating through the zone with reckless abandon.
Enter Case McCarthy. The 6'1-200 beast is far stronger than his size, much like Scott Stevens was at a similar size in his draft year. He plays with unmatched physicality for any D in the USHL. I have yet to see a clip of him losing a physical battle along the boards or in the crease. I have seen several instances of his laying out opposing forwards, many of whom spend the remainder of the game looking over their shoulder instead of going to the dirty areas to create offense.
Physicality is far from the only quality which makes McCarthy, in my mind, a can't miss second-pairing shutdown stud in the NHL. His smarts and positional play are simply off the charts. He is advanced beyond his years in cutting down angles and clogging up shooting/passing lanes; he is amazingly calm and plays a simple, effective game with the puck. McCarthy is nearly impossible to beat one-on-one -- flashy forwards will make a litany of moves and McCarthy never bites, just waits for the perfect opportunity to separate man from puck and send the biscuit up ice. Perhaps most impressive is that I don't think I've ever seen McCarthy take a dumb penalty, rare for a teenager who plays with such remarkable physicality. Part of this is that he does not need to recover after getting beat, since it is so rare that he is beat.
The stereotype for the physical, defensive defenseman is that they are slow and plodding. Not the case with McCarthy. He is an excellent skater, not a speedster, but certainly well above average for any defenseman and moreso for a defenseman of his playing style.
Players like Case McCarthy are crucial for a successful blueline. You do not want 6 of them -- as his offensive skills are limited -- but you certainly need one or two. The top player of this category in the 2019 draft is Matthew Robertson, who will be drafted in the first round in all probability. But after Robertson it's pretty much a two-horse (or "two-bull"?) race between McCarthy and Kelowna RD Kaeden Korczak. The Devils lack a player anything like McCarthy anywhere in the organization, and I could not think of a player who would make me happier for the Devils to select with their later 2nd round selections.