LD Elijah Roberts - Kitchener Rangers, OHL (2017 Draft)

[Josepho]

This is someone I've followed for a while and I think he's worthy of a thread. In the limited viewings I've seen of him, I have seen a player with a decent skillset and great offensive instincts. He's pretty small but he makes up for it with his fantastic skating ability. It's pretty tough to gauge where he'd go in the draft, but I'd say somewhere around the 145-170 range. Then again, if a guy like David Quenneville drops to 200th overall, then anything can happen.

Apparently 5'10" according to the Kitchener Rangers website

http://www.kitchenerrangers.com/roster/10/57

Click to read more...

 

[93LEAFS]

Absolutely love this kids skating when he plays, saw him live in pre-season and he really stood out. I think with a strong year he can get into the 3rd or 4th in the range Mete was selected.

I'm watching a decent amount of Kitchener this year due to them having Bracco (only teams I've been watching more of are Knights, Windsor and Steelheads). Kitchener has a great first line, and Roberts has a chance to put up a lot of points with them. Not really sure if he will be an NHLer though, his size is just so limiting. It seems the smaller D who make it tend to be heart and soul guys like Kris Russell, and I don't really see that in Robert's game.

 

[Josepho]

Absolutely love this kids skating when he plays, saw him live in pre-season and he really stood out. I think with a strong year he can get into the 3rd or 4th in the range Mete was selected.

I'm watching a decent amount of Kitchener this year due to them having Bracco (only teams I've been watching more of are Knights, Windsor and Steelheads). Kitchener has a great first line, and Roberts has a chance to put up a lot of points with them. Not really sure if he will be an NHLer though, his size is just so limiting. It seems the smaller D who make it tend to be heart and soul guys like Kris Russell, and I don't really see that in Robert's game.

I definitely wouldn't say that -- Small and Skilled OFDs have been gradually becoming more prominent in the league with guys like Vatanen, Krug, Barrie Ellis and to a lesser extent Gostisbehere. I don't really see a future NHLer in this guy either, but it'll be for reasons other than "not a heart and soul guy". As of now, I think a guy with his skillset is absolutely worth the risk in the 5th round.

 

[93LEAFS]

I definitely wouldn't say that -- Small and Skilled OFDs have been gradually becoming more prominent in the league with guys like Vatanen, Krug, Barrie Ellis and to a lesser extent Gostisbehere. I don't really see a future NHLer in this guy either, but it'll be for reasons other than "not a heart and soul guy". As of now, I think a guy with his skillset is absolutely worth the risk in the 5th round.

I think those guys are all bigger, but I agree with your point, and maybe Elijah's growth hasn't stopped. I thought Kris Russell was closer to 5'8, which I was incorrect about. Roberts seemed to be about 5'7 when I saw him, he's noticeably smaller than Bracco and Mascherin who aren't very big themselves.

Just wondering, who is the shortest defender in the league, my guess is Krug who's listed at 5'9. Either way, he's an exciting jr player, and I'd love for this thread to be bumped in 6 years, my 1st post in the thread is mocked and ridiculed.

 

[Tim Raines]

I've seen just about every game Roberts has played dating back to the end of his midget year.

The good:
- Phenomenal skater, great top-end speed, great turning radius, excellent acceleration
- Aggressive at jumping up in the play and getting himself in decent offensive position
- Has a lot of confidence and competes hard and isn't scared of anyone

The bad:
- Needs to work a lot on his shot as it's a bit of a muffin and opponents know it
- Has some real trouble defending within 10 feet of his own net and gets caught spectating on a number of goal-mouth scrambles

At his size, he really needs to clean up those last two points a lot to be a pro prospect, but his elite talents in the first category definitely make it a possibility. Very strong coaching and a dedication to his shot are what he needs.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

I've seen just about every game Roberts has played dating back to the end of his midget year.

The good:
- Phenomenal skater, great top-end speed, great turning radius, excellent acceleration
- Aggressive at jumping up in the play and getting himself in decent offensive position
- Has a lot of confidence and competes hard and isn't scared of anyone

The bad:
- Needs to work a lot on his shot as it's a bit of a muffin and opponents know it
- Has some real trouble defending within 10 feet of his own net and gets caught spectating on a number of goal-mouth scrambles

At his size, he really needs to clean up those last two points a lot to be a pro prospect, but his elite talents in the first category definitely make it a possibility. Very strong coaching and a dedication to his shot are what he needs.

I agree with this. Right now his shot kind of limits the ways he can be dangerous offensively.

 

[ProspectsSTC]

Had a hat trick today, reminds me a ton of Victor Mete, I really think he's worth a draft in the 6th or 7th round. Just incredible skating.