C Brett McKenzie - North Bay Battalion, OHL (2016, 194th, VAN)

[Woodhouse]

Among the scouting combine attendees without a thread is North Bay's Brett McKenzie, so to kick off his thread, here are Brock's ranking and an ISS blurb:

20. Brett McKenzie - Forward - North Bay Battalion
Another personal favourite of mine for this year's draft. Anyone who is familiar with the OHL knows that Stan Butler eases in young forwards, making sure that they're responsible two way players before unleashing them offensively (see Nick Paul, Mike Amadio, Barclay Goodrow, etc in recent years). McKenzie is no different. A former 1st rounder of the Battalion, McKenzie has done exactly what Butler has asked of him thus far, but has more offensive potential than he has shown to the naked eye. As a midget player, he was known as one of the most skilled offensive players in the GTA, showcasing terrific skill with the puck and a tremendous release. As an OHL player, he's developed into a great two-way player who uses his speed to chase down loose pucks and go hard to the net. He has excelled playing down low, working the cycle and does a great job of opening up ice for his line mates. He's also become increasingly involved physically. Best of all, he was terrific in the playoffs this year, where I thought he was one of the Battalion's most consistent performers. Next year, I expect him to breakout big time when the leash comes off (so to speak) and he's able to utilize his creativity with the puck more.

“We currently have him in the fourth round; he’s a solid power forward type player that brings energy and size,†MacInnis explained of ISS's draft projection. “He plays a very solid 200-foot game, works hard and he has also got the pro size and he plays physical with it.

“Half the jobs at the NHL level are third and fourth line guys, and that’s what we see Brett developing into,†he continued. “He’s responsible in his own end, he’s physical, he can look after himself, protect his teammates and also chip in once in a while with the offence.â

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[Curufinwe]

He attended the draft, but was not drafted. He has been invited to the Flyers development camp which starts today.

http://flyers.nhl.com/v2/ext/01 - Publications/2015 Flyers Development Camp Roster.pdf

 

[DekeLikeYouMeanIt]

Among the big handful that should have been drafted. He'll have a big season in a bigger role.

 

[arsmaster*]

Pretty surprised he went undrafted. I like him. Won't be surprised if he's gone in the 3rd round next year.

The Battallion slow cook their guys, look at how well Nick Paul developed.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Has definitely had a bit of a breakout year, nearly doubling his point totals from last and looking pretty beastly everywhere. Lot of fun to watch.

 

[Josepho]

Bump.

Selected 194th by the Canucks in 2016. I didn't (and still don't) like the pick but he's gotten off to a pretty promising start with 11 points in 6 games. I've been trying to gather information on him but it hasn't really been easy. I've got two questions.

- I've received mixed reports on his skating. Some people are treating him like a total slug yet some people are saying he can really wheel when he wants to. From the very few shift-by-shift videos I've seen, he seems to have lackluster acceleration but respectable full speed. Would I be correct with this assessment?

- Apparently a reason for his underwhelming production last season was the fact that he was given virtually no time on the Power Play. Is anyone here capable of confirming or denying this?

 

[belair]

Bump.

Selected 194th by the Canucks in 2016. I didn't (and still don't) like the pick but he's gotten off to a pretty promising start with 11 points in 6 games. I've been trying to gather information on him but it hasn't really been easy. I've got two questions.

- I've received mixed reports on his skating. Some people are treating him like a total slug yet some people are saying he can really wheel when he wants to. From the very few shift-by-shift videos I've seen, he seems to have lackluster acceleration but respectable full speed. Would I be correct with this assessment?

- Apparently a reason for his underwhelming production last season was the fact that he was given virtually no time on the Power Play. Is anyone here capable of confirming or denying this?

He was given secondary PP time last season. Amadio's unit played a ton so you could cal his PP use limited. Their point men on the second PP unit were nothing to write home about either.

McKenzie is no slouch when it comes to his skating but his acceleration is certainly a weakness.

He's a perfect example of a guy who does everything well but nothing really stands out for him. But it's nice to see the points finally pile up for him. The Battalion are going to need him to continue to produce if they're going to go anywhere this season.

 

[ihaveyuidonttouchme]

hmm i've found that he has quite explosiveness legs
after that where i find him quite sluggish as his back tracking effort lacks at the end of his shifts and just looked super gassed