Prospect Info: Hurricanes select C Jack Drury #42 OA

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I think Drury returns to Harvard in his junior year. The Fox and Drury situations are quite different in the sense that Fox was unwillingly traded here in the Hamilton/Lindholm/Hanifin deal, while Drury was hand-picked by our organization in the high-2nd round. For that reason, there's considerably more attachment between our organization and Drury than there ever was with Fox.

Fox was hand-picked by Calgary though and wasn’t going to sign there, which is why they were so willing to toss him in the deal. He was going to the Rangers even if he wasn’t traded to the Canes. I’m not saying Drury will do something similar, but I’m not sure the fact that the Canes picked him has that much impact on his decision.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Seems to me every drafted player that ultimately went UFA rather than sign with the team that drafted them was hand picked by their organization and still left.

I just think with sought after players, it's like they always say. The closer you let them get to free agency, the more likely they are to want to see what it has to offer. It doesn't have to be some thing where he wanted it all along. If they feel good about him and want to take a gamble and let him go back, they can, but there is some risk.

 

[spockBokk]

My thoughts on Drury, without having coffee yet this morning:

-I wouldn't be surprised if he does come out this year. There will be a need for players in Charlotte and there's not much else he can prove at the college level.

-I'm not worried if he doesn't sign this spring. If he doesn't sign at the end of his junior season, yikes, time to worry.

-However, I think CAR will be an attractive destination for him. The 3C or 4C likely is his to lose after some seasoning in the AHL, and regardless of whether or not they make the playoffs this year, the team is certainly trending up and has tons of young talent.

-Lastly, I wouldn't discount the "character" connection. As cliché as it may sound, he doesn't seem like a kid that would pull a "Fox" or even a "Priskie".

 

[A Star is Burns]

I think there are plenty of other prospects vying for similar roles. Not sure I'd call it his to lose.

 

[spockBokk]

I think there are plenty of other prospects vying for similar roles. Not sure I'd call it his to lose.

I'll add to the "his to lose" thought-I say this as out of all the CAR prospect pool, Drury is the most like Brind'Amour. He's an RBA type player, through and through, and I think that quality of his game will give him a leg up on the Geekie/Loustarinen types.

 

[The Stranger]

Harvard got a schellacking last night at against BC. 7-2. I was not able to watch this game and can't find any good the highlights (Harvard has some, but they don't show any of the goals for BC).

Very tough night for Drury. Zero points and a minus 5 in the game.

David Cotton with one goal and one assist and Spencer Knight saved 26 of 28 shots for BC.

 

[My Special Purpose]

Harvard got a schellacking last night at against BC. 7-2. I was not able to watch this game and can't find any good the highlights (Harvard has some, but they don't show any of the goals for BC).

Very tough night for Drury. Zero points and a minus 5 in the game.

David Cotton with one goal and one assist and Spencer Knight saved 26 of 28 shots for BC.

Cotton > Drury

End of thread.

 

[NotOpie]

-However, I think CAR will be an attractive destination for him. The 3C or 4C likely is his to lose after some seasoning in the AHL, and regardless of whether or not they make the playoffs this year, the team is certainly trending up and has tons of young talent.

Signing at the end of this season feels like it would make the most sense for Drury if he wanted to get a leg up on something of a faster track to the NHL. The current center depth in Charlotte is essentially Luostarinen, Geekie, Lorentz, and Bishop (both Mattheos and Kuokkanen can also play pivot). In 21-22, you've got Aho and Staal under contract. That would give Drury a year in Charlotte (next season) to prove he's better than one or more of those guys. Geekie is also a guy who could shift to RW. The point is, if I were him and was going to sign with Carolina, I'd do it after his season is over at Harvard this year.

For those of you thinking he'll go to Uncle Chris's Rangers, they are in a similar position with Zibanejad and Kakko as the likely NHL centers for that season. The difference is that their prospects cupboard is much barer.

I won't be surprised if Drury finishes at Harvard and goes UFA.

 

[Lempo]

Signing at the end of this season feels like it would make the most sense for Drury if he wanted to get a leg up on something of a faster track to the NHL. The current center depth in Charlotte is essentially Luostarinen, Geekie, Lorentz, and Bishop (both Mattheos and Kuokkanen can also play pivot). In 21-22, you've got Aho and Staal under contract. That would give Drury a year in Charlotte (next season) to prove he's better than one or more of those guys. Geekie is also a guy who could shift to RW. The point is, if I were him and was going to sign with Carolina, I'd do it after his season is over at Harvard this year.

For those of you thinking he'll go to Uncle Chris's Rangers, they are in a similar position with Zibanejad and Kakko as the likely NHL centers for that season. The difference is that their prospects cupboard is much barer.

I won't be surprised if Drury finishes at Harvard and goes UFA.

I have hard time seeing a Harvard guy coming to prove himself in AHL. Ivy League > bussing around for $70k.

If he signs this spring, he's 20 and it will be 3 year ELC, the first of which they will let him burn now. Signing in the next year at 21, his ELC will still be 3 years. The year after that, 2 years.

They should push for it this spring, if they will.

 

[Canes]

I think there are plenty of other prospects vying for similar roles. Not sure I'd call it his to lose.

Yeah, Luostarinen and Geekie will be knocking on the door for the bottom 6 center positions as soon as next year. Then there's Ryan Suzuki and Jamieson Rees. Necas could also follow the Aho path even if it's doubtful for now. Basically, I wouldn't be surprised if he saw the crowded pipeline and decided he wants to pick where he plays in 2022 or whenever he makes it to UFA. That's the risk you take with college bound guys.

 

[geehaad]

Just go ahead and get it over with: trade him to NYR for a 2020 second and a conditional 2021 third.

 

[NotOpie]

Just go ahead and get it over with: trade him to NYR for a 2020 second and a conditional 2021 third.

We'd be trading with ourselves to get that 2020 2nd....we already own it.

 

[geehaad]

We'd be trading with ourselves to get that 2020 2nd....we already own it.

Dammit NotOpie...

 

[Lempo]

We'd be trading with ourselves to get that 2020 2nd....we already own it.

 

[AD Skinner]

Who does the 2020 2nd work for?

 

[geehaad]

Who does the 2020 2nd work for?

Thinking it'd be "who does the 2020 #2 work for?"

Sorry, just had to show that turd who's boss.

 

[My Special Purpose]

I think Drury returns to Harvard in his junior year. The Fox and Drury situations are quite different in the sense that Fox was unwillingly traded here in the Hamilton/Lindholm/Hanifin deal, while Drury was hand-picked by our organization in the high-2nd round. For that reason, there's considerably more attachment between our organization and Drury than there ever was with Fox.

Sometimes ...

Drury was "unwillingly" drafted by Carolina. Honestly, I don't know where you get this stuff. If Drury's plan was to graduate from Harvard, he doesn't give a flip who drafted him, the math is still the same. Thinking these guys have some built-in loyalty because we handed in a slip of paper with their name on it is patently ridiculous. We have *no* more advantage over the player in this situation than we did with Adam Fox or any other college player. And the player has no more advantage over us than Adam Fox did.

 

[NotOpie]

Sometimes ...

Drury was "unwillingly" drafted by Carolina. Honestly, I don't know where you get this stuff. If Drury's plan was to graduate from Harvard, he doesn't give a flip who drafted him, the math is still the same. Thinking these guys have some built-in loyalty because we handed in a slip of paper with their name on it is patently ridiculous. We have *no* more advantage over the player in this situation than we did with Adam Fox or any other college player. And the player has no more advantage over us than Adam Fox did.

Agreed....the NCAA drafted guy has to look at the team that drafted him a bit closer given that he's likely a bit more developed physically, more mature (hopefully) in general. One has to think they consider a lot of factors, but the foremost should be: "....how quickly can I get into the NHL line up.", and "....is the team on the right trajectory to be a contender".

We potentially check off both of those boxes for a guy like Drury, assuming he believes in himself enough to feel he can beat out guys like Bishop and Lorentz. That said, a team like the Rangers could potentially be in similar circumstances (and have an even easier path to the NHL center position). In the end, these guys have to do what's in their best interest...and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Jack Drury felt it was in his best interest to test the UFA market.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Every situation and person is different. It's impossible to say what combination of factors motivate a guy, or if there is even only one main motivator. Some guys want to get to the league as quickly as possible. I'm sure some guys do feel a loyalty to the 1 out of 31 teams that drafted them instead of 100s of other options. Some want a team that has a track record of good development. Some want to be in a hockey market. Some don't want to be in one so they aren't hassled all the time. Some want nice warm weather. Others might prefer a cold climate they've always lived in. Some may want to be near friends, family, former teammates, coaches, whatever. And it goes on and on.

The teams and all the different players and coaches they interact with for years have to just hope they learn a little bit about what makes them tick and make the right moves to get them in the fold. It's the real life version of the old NCAA football recruiting mini games. At the end of the day, these are 18-22 year olds, and they can have so many different priorities, and they are prone to changing in an instant. Sometimes, you may do everything right like in a Fox situation, and there's just some factor out there that is impossible to overcome. Probably another reason why having as many darts as possible is the best strategy.

 

[bleedgreen]

Letting Drury percolate another year in college made a lot of sense two months ago and it doesn’t change now because he rung up numbers on teams like Yale.

Let him work on the skating and get as much confidence as he can in NCAA offensively in all situations. In Charlotte they’re going to teach him to chip, chase and defend because that’s going to be his role. He already does that fine. Those who want to see him as a legit third line center with some pop....he’s exactly in the right spot to get there. He’ll never been given a better chance to develop offensively. Maybe our skating coaches would be better as a pro, but I doubt it’s worth it to sign him just for that now.

 

[Canes]

Letting Drury percolate another year in college made a lot of sense two months ago and it doesn’t change now because he rung up numbers on teams like Yale.

Let him work on the skating and get as much confidence as he can in NCAA offensively in all situations. In Charlotte they’re going to teach him to chip, chase and defend because that’s going to be his role. He already does that fine. Those who want to see him as a legit third line center with some pop....he’s exactly in the right spot to get there. He’ll never been given a better chance to develop offensively. Maybe our skating coaches would be better as a pro, but I doubt it’s worth it to sign him just for that now.

If ringing up numbers on Ivy League schools isn't a good thing, then why should he go back another season to do it even more? Just because a guy takes a bigger step in his development than you thought he would doesn't mean you have to continue on the original plan. He can work on all those things you listed in Charlotte. At some point, there's nothing left for guys to do at the college/junior level and they risk stagnating their development by staying too long.

It's hard to say what the organization thinks about it though because even if they do want him in Charlotte next year, it's not their decision to make.

 

[bleedgreen]

If ringing up numbers on Ivy League schools isn't a good thing, then why should he go back another season to do it even more? Just because a guy takes a bigger step in his development than you thought he would doesn't mean you have to continue on the original plan. He can work on all those things you listed in Charlotte. At some point, there's nothing left for guys to do at the college/junior level and they risk stagnating their development by staying too long.

It's hard to say what the organization thinks about it though because even if they do want him in Charlotte next year, it's not their decision to make.

If there’s one sentence that makes no sense to me in the hockey prospect world, it’s “he’s got nothing left to prove”.

AHL isn’t a great offensive league imo. It’s not a great place to develop offense. Kids occasionally put up numbers there but they more learn how to play the physical style , be smart, play defense.....the things Drury already excels at. What he’s not used to is putting up big numbers and being relied upon at a level at least as high as ncaa. He’s been doing it for all of two months. He’s not likely going to automatically carry that into the AHL. He’s putting up a year where next year he’ll be that guy from the get go with a bull’s eye on his back. The numbers don’t matter, it’s the role. It’s carrying the puck into spaces he never did before. It’s running the pp. Its learning how to make the big offensive play in the last minute at this level. 30-40 games isn’t enough.

He most likely won’t be given that role in Charlotte, they have guys ahead of him. They’ll want him to be energetic checker Drury. Defensively responsible Drury. He can do that anytime, he already does it.

Pro’s work on defense and checking in the AHL. Let him be creative. Having “nothing left to prove” is how you get Brandon Sutter.......close but not quite.

Putting up numbers in the NCAA is a great thing. It’s just not a thing that translates automatically to the NHL. Not without positive reinforcement.

 

[The Stranger]

I think most here are subscribers to the Athletic...here's the Wheeler write-up on Drury:

6. Jack Drury, C, 20 (Harvard University)
Drury just keeps getting better and better and better. He’s a competitive, driven two-way centre who has gone from solid USHL player with a two-way element to dominant USHL player to solid freshman with a two-way element to dominant sophomore. The foundation is already there. He doesn’t give up on plays without the puck, he supports offensive and defensive zone structure effectively as his line’s centre, he makes calculated decisions with the puck as a give-and-go player rather than a carrier, lowering his level of risk in the process. In those ways, he’s different from most of the Canes’ other prospects. But he has also continued to add a new tool offensively. It seems like every year he shows me a new element. This year, that has been a more aggressive approach as a shooter (driven in part by his alignment with playmaking wingers, which speaks to his ability to adapt). He doesn’t have a ton of flair to his game but if one of Suzuki or Rees becomes the Canes’ second-line centre of the future, don’t be surprised if Drury becomes the 3C.

 

[bleedgreen]

I had read that. That’s pretty much where he’s expected. Third center maybe. Not an awful list but plenty to debate about.

 

[emptyNedder]

Not an awful list but plenty to debate about.

Drury is scoring at Harvard. However, his scoring is almost non-existent in international play (except for the Hlinka on a team that had anemic scoring). In 12 WJC-20 games he has 1 goal and 1 assist. Compare that to Wallmark who played 14 games and had 14 points.

The WJC isn't everything, but looking over the leaders list is likely to give you a great idea of who will be productive in the NHL in 5 years. That alone is why I was surprised to see Wheeler have Drury above Bokk.

It's possible that Drury's trajectory is similar to Oscar Sundqvist and he becomes a solid 3C type. But Sundqvist is an exception while Rourke Chartier is more the norm.