Prospect Info: 2022 192nd Overall Pick | RW Connor Kurth
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DistantThunderRep
Registered User
- Mar 8, 2018
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OMG, JBB look at his butt, its so big...he looks like one of those rap guys hockey players...
Brock
Registered User
We really liked him at McKeen's this year. From our draft guide:
McKeen's 2022 NHL Draft Guide - A contender for the later rounds last year, Kurth used the draft snob as motivation to return to the USHL as one of the league’s most improved players this year. He nearly doubled his production from a year ago with Dubuque and was consistently one of the league’s top performers (including a league leading 28 even strength goals). The University of Minnesota commit is almost assured to be selected in his second year of eligibility and is one of the top “re-entry” candidates available this year.
Forming a great duo with USHL scoring leader Stephen Halliday, Kurth was able to improve his quickness and balance this year to make him more effective playing through or around defenders. His offensive game has so many layers to it already. He can play with pace and excels as a puck carrier looking to drive the net, using his 215lbs frame to protect the puck. He can excel at a slower pace, as he slides in and out of traffic, using quick touches and his excellent release to operate as equal parts playmaker and goal scorer. Kurth is also an improving high-energy player who can excel on the forecheck and the backcheck, making him a difficult player to match up against because of his physically intense approach.
Like any second- or third-year eligible player, there are going to be doubts as to whether Kurth is simply taking advantage of younger competition and whether he has significant NHL upside. We would argue that he does. In fact, there are a lot of parallels between Kurth and how Jake Guentzel looked in his breakout USHL season with Sioux City that saw him earn a third-round selection (although Guentzel was only a late birthday and not a re-entry). At worst, Kurth has a chance to be an impactful energy player who can kill penalties and chip in with the odd goal at the pro level. However, at best, scouts may be underappreciating his offensive upside as a second-year eligible player and he could become a solid complementary offensive weapon on a scoring line. Minnesota will be a great place for him to develop further. - BO
McKeen's 2022 NHL Draft Guide - A contender for the later rounds last year, Kurth used the draft snob as motivation to return to the USHL as one of the league’s most improved players this year. He nearly doubled his production from a year ago with Dubuque and was consistently one of the league’s top performers (including a league leading 28 even strength goals). The University of Minnesota commit is almost assured to be selected in his second year of eligibility and is one of the top “re-entry” candidates available this year.
Forming a great duo with USHL scoring leader Stephen Halliday, Kurth was able to improve his quickness and balance this year to make him more effective playing through or around defenders. His offensive game has so many layers to it already. He can play with pace and excels as a puck carrier looking to drive the net, using his 215lbs frame to protect the puck. He can excel at a slower pace, as he slides in and out of traffic, using quick touches and his excellent release to operate as equal parts playmaker and goal scorer. Kurth is also an improving high-energy player who can excel on the forecheck and the backcheck, making him a difficult player to match up against because of his physically intense approach.
Like any second- or third-year eligible player, there are going to be doubts as to whether Kurth is simply taking advantage of younger competition and whether he has significant NHL upside. We would argue that he does. In fact, there are a lot of parallels between Kurth and how Jake Guentzel looked in his breakout USHL season with Sioux City that saw him earn a third-round selection (although Guentzel was only a late birthday and not a re-entry). At worst, Kurth has a chance to be an impactful energy player who can kill penalties and chip in with the odd goal at the pro level. However, at best, scouts may be underappreciating his offensive upside as a second-year eligible player and he could become a solid complementary offensive weapon on a scoring line. Minnesota will be a great place for him to develop further. - BO
