Prospect Info: 2020 OHL Prospects Report - Carolina

[Brock]

My annual look at Carolina's OHL prospects. Posted some videos in that twitter thread too.

Happy to answer any further questions.

Click to read more...

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Blake Murray improved, sure, but this draft could be a real coup for the team if he really develops into a middle 6 power center.

 

[emptyNedder]

My annual look at Carolina's OHL prospects. Posted some videos in that twitter thread too.

Happy to answer any further questions.

Brock. Thanks as always. Enjoy your takes throughout the season.

Not sure if I read between the lines correctly, but it seems like you were as much being skeptical of Suzuki/Rees as you were praising Murray.

Rees looks to combine skill with effort. However, I think the next frontier in analytics is how important it is to win special teams minutes. Having players take penalties will been seen as a big hurdle in the next 4-5 years.

 

[Unsustainable]

I think I’m highest on Rees, he’s got a bad rep and they punish him too easily. Can’t wait to see what he does with the AHL.

 

[Brock]

Brock. Thanks as always. Enjoy your takes throughout the season.

Not sure if I read between the lines correctly, but it seems like you were as much being skeptical of Suzuki/Rees as you were praising Murray.

Rees looks to combine skill with effort. However, I think the next frontier in analytics is how important it is to win special teams minutes. Having players take penalties will been seen as a big hurdle in the next 4-5 years.

I suppose that's a good way to put it. Suzuki was much better for me in Saginaw than he was in Barrie. I think it was great for him to not have to be the primary creator, like he was in Barrie. I think that helped to cut down on some of those turnovers, especially in the neutral zone. And I also believe that it helped his play away from the puck, as he was forced to work hard to play with a guy like Cole Perfetti, who is going to demand more attention. I'm really excited to see how he continues to progress with the Spirit next season.

Rees, well...I do actually really like him as a player. From a production point of view, his season was great. But there was more than meets the eye for me. The turnovers. The penalties. The suspensions. The injuries. I think he would be best served simplifying his game. Use his speed. Get pucks in deep and recover. Play physical but more in a straight line (rather than skating around seeking it out). I really do think that he's going to be an NHL player so long as his body holds up. It just depends...is that going to be in a Daniel Paille kind of capacity (they played similar styles in the OHL), or can he be more of a TJ Oshie kind of top 6 player?

Murray just had a very good year from a development standpoint. I think he did a great job to prove that he should have never slipped to the 6th round in the first place. Big centers who can shoot the puck like he can, do not grow on trees. This year, I felt like the top speed and the lateral mobility improved a lot. Next year, let's see if those first few strides can become more explosive. If he continues to work on his skating, there's definitely reason for optimism regarding his pro expectations.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I suppose that's a good way to put it. Suzuki was much better for me in Saginaw than he was in Barrie. I think it was great for him to not have to be the primary creator, like he was in Barrie. I think that helped to cut down on some of those turnovers, especially in the neutral zone. And I also believe that it helped his play away from the puck, as he was forced to work hard to play with a guy like Cole Perfetti, who is going to demand more attention. I'm really excited to see how he continues to progress with the Spirit next season.

Rees, well...I do actually really like him as a player. From a production point of view, his season was great. But there was more than meets the eye for me. The turnovers. The penalties. The suspensions. The injuries. I think he would be best served simplifying his game. Use his speed. Get pucks in deep and recover. Play physical but more in a straight line (rather than skating around seeking it out). I really do think that he's going to be an NHL player so long as his body holds up. It just depends...is that going to be in a Daniel Paille kind of capacity (they played similar styles in the OHL), or can he be more of a TJ Oshie kind of top 6 player?

Murray just had a very good year from a development standpoint. I think he did a great job to prove that he should have never slipped to the 6th round in the first place. Big centers who can shoot the puck like he can, do not grow on trees. This year, I felt like the top speed and the lateral mobility improved a lot. Next year, let's see if those first few strides can become more explosive. If he continues to work on his skating, there's definitely reason for optimism regarding his pro expectations.

This is all really great info. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[bleedgreen]

With Rees I’m not concerned very much about penalties and definitely not about the suspensions. It’ll be a bit different in the pros and he’ll have plenty of good people around him, as well as natural maturation. Simplifying his game will also come naturally as most junior scorers have to do that, Rees looks like a guy who will spend some time in the minors so that adjustment will happen there, or obviously he won’t make it. I think the move to pro will be easier for him than maybe Suzuki as Rees has elements to his game that help make the move over to role player. Suzuki will likely make it or not make it off being a skill guy.