RDs left in order of STI's rankings. (Numbers are his overall player rank):
27. RD Aleksi Heimosalmi, Assat Finland Jr. despite being undersized without elite skating, Heimosalmi has defied the odds to become a complete defenseman who can dazzle with his high-end passing and end-to-end rushes.
28. RD Jack Bar, Chicago USHL I couldn’t love this kid more — lacking fanfare because a lack of any singular dynamic quality, Bar is simply excellent both offensively and defensively — a 6’2-195 all-purpose stud with very good skates and an elite hockey IQ.
38. RD Vincent Iorio, Brandon WHL this 6’3-195 defender has improved his skating, defensive acumen and play with the puck dramatically in the past two seasons — if he continues his stratospheric development arc, he projects to be a stellar, all-situations 3/4 D who also gets heavy minutes on the PK and the 2PP.
40. RD Jake Martin, US-NTDP every year people wonder how elite defensemen like Jake Slavin and Mark Giordano fall to the later rounds, but the answer is easy — because draft pundits pay too much attention to scoring totals for defensive-minded blueliners. All Jake Martin does is play air-tight defense and make outstanding decisions with the puck. He’s a stud who is going to play a ton of tough minutes in the NHL.
53. RD Scott Morrow, Shattuck-St. Mary’s USHS mix of size (6’2-195), elite skating and high-end offensive skill is tantalizing, but his lack of any real competition to date or defensive commitment make him a pick without a lot of risk — though there is no denying the potential payoff is humongous.
66. RD Ty Gallagher, US-NTDP a player who gets the most out of his nature-given skills, Gallagher is not dynamic offensively or a true-shut down defender, but he plays with extraordinary intelligence and extreme competence in every facet of the game.
75. RD Ryan Ufko, Chicago USHL the fourth player in my rankings from the powerhouse Chicago Steel program, Ufko is undersized and lacks blinding speed but is a clever offense generator and responsible defender.
89. RD Jack Matier, Ottawa OHL a player for Devils fans to know, since he’s a RD playing for the Devils biggest draft pipeline in recent years — Matier is huge (6’3-185) and skates pretty well, his defense is sound and though his offense needs work, this is a kid who could be available in the 4th/5th rounds.
94. RD Brent Johnson, Sioux Falls USHL this is a lightning-quick skater with tremendous offensive ability who is often ranked in the first round because of comparisons to players like Shayne Gostisbehere — however, also like Gostisbehere he struggles mightily with any iota of physicality and all things defense.
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And a player I want us to get, a personal favorite, because of his Dad Shane, no idea if he will pan out, and not a position of need at RW, but:
95. RW Josh Doan, Chicago USHL another NHL legacy, Sean’s son might lack the top-line upside but he’s a smart player with size and grit who actually skates better than his father at the same age. A very high floor as a 4th line grinder, if his offense develops he could be a middle-six candidate.
I hope we snag at least a few of these RDs, but the odds of the better rated ones are pretty slim at this point.