LD Isaak Phillips - Rockford Icehogs, AHL (2020, 141st, CHI)

[S E P H]

Let me say, holy smokes this lad has been as impressive as anybody that I've seen for the 2020 draft. Sure, a lot of it is due to expectations, but Phillips has surpassed it and more for me. The biggest issue is that he's a late birthday...well, perhaps a very late birthday. With that said, I would also like to mention is that I think he's fairly raw at this current point of time. He has had a big growth spurt in a short time and at times it looks like he doesn't know what type of game he wants to play. Now lets talk about some positives.

Phillips is a Jamaican-Canadian who is a superb skater and I am not even talking about for his frame which is 6'3" and 195 lbs. He beats a lot of players in straight line speed with his skating ability because it is that smooth, that strong, and that good. The next aspect I would like to talk about is his cerebral play, it is outstanding and factoring in this with his skating ability makes him a very intriguing prospect. I would like to see more of that IQ on the offensive side, but I wouldn't call him strictly a defensive-defender currently. I admit that might be all he develops into, but as I said before I think there is a certain level of rawness in his game. He is one of the best 1v1 defenders for 2020 prospects I've seen thus far and he can break up plays looking so effortless. Isaak then skates the puck to the neutral zone and dictates it to one of his forwards.

In that way he plays it safe for majority of the time, but Phillips does have 9 goals on the season showing that he can score, he loves jumping up into the play, and he does like to shoot the puck. He prefers to do quick wristers or wrist shots with power instead of slappers, but he's able to walk back and forth on the blueline giving him the ability to change angles (due to his skating ability0. I do question his puck skills and hands, but if there is a lad who could be one of the bigger darkhorses in this draft, I have all the confidence to say that it is this lad. Reminds me of Brett Pesce/Oscar Klefbom. Thoughts and comments?

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Isaak Phillips at eliteprospects.com

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[Brock]

I am a fan. Definitely a lot of pro tools here as a longer term project. Definitely see him as a solid selection in the mid rounds.

I guess my one concern is that he's a late birthday '01, who just happens to be raw/late bloomer. Makes him that much more difficult to assess. He'll likely need to play in that OA year in the OHL before the NHL team who takes him, decides whether or not they want to sign him.

But you are correct that he is a very fluid skater and when you couple that with his size, you have a potential standout shutdown defender. Puck skill shows flashes. Decision making with the puck shows flashes. There's more to him offensively than we have seen. But he'll need to increase his intensity level in the defensive end and be more difficult to win those battles against. In transition, he defends extremely well because of that mobility and reach. But in those tighter checking areas (near the crease, behind the net, near the half wall), he'll need to become stronger.

Again, I like him though. Liked him last year too.

 

[Tryamkin]

I am a fan. Definitely a lot of pro tools here as a longer term project. Definitely see him as a solid selection in the mid rounds.

I guess my one concern is that he's a late birthday '02, who just happens to be raw/late bloomer. Makes him that much more difficult to assess. He'll likely need to play in that OA year in the OHL before the NHL team who takes him, decides whether or not they want to sign him.

But you are correct that he is a very fluid skater and when you couple that with his size, you have a potential standout shutdown defender. Puck skill shows flashes. Decision making with the puck shows flashes. There's more to him offensively than we have seen. But he'll need to increase his intensity level in the defensive end and be more difficult to win those battles against. In transition, he defends extremely well because of that mobility and reach. But in those tighter checking areas (near the crease, behind the net, near the half wall), he'll need to become stronger.

Again, I like him though. Liked him last year too.

He’s a late 01 born player. Not sure where you’re getting that from.

 

[Brock]

He’s a late 01 born player. Not sure where you’re getting that from.

Getting it from a simple mistake. Worked on an article on 03's today. Still obviously had that on the brain. Not sure why the need to be so testy.

 

[TheNorth]

Never seen so many threads started about Sudbury prospects before, good to see

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

It will be very complicated to get a selection and it would be a mistake. His level isn't enough mainly for 01' born player. My opinion = Jack Thompson is the D' prospect from Sudbury (5th round).

Kalle Loponen was 7th round, Liam Ross get undrafted last year. There will be only 8 to 10 D'players from OHL to get drafted.

Drysdale, O'Rourke, Sebrango, Constantinou, Rafkin, Thompson, McCourt, Belanger in my opinion and there is also Moore, Ottavainen, Robinson maybe Solovyov before Philipps.

 

[Tryamkin]

Getting it from a simple mistake. Worked on an article on 03's today. Still obviously had that on the brain. Not sure why the need to be so testy.

Not testy, just wondering. Wasn’t obvious because I didn’t know you worked on an article for 03’s! Cheers.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Do you think a team will take a chance on him this draft? He seems like a high upside pick in the late rounds.

 

[57special]

He has caught my eye. Good choice for a team in the 4th round or so who are willing to think long term. The birthdate matters a bit, but it isn't that big of a deal.

 

[djscooter]

I think he has a ton of upside. Great skater, great size, good instincts. Lots to work with, an ideal 4-5th round pick.

 

[MMC]

Welcome to Chicago!

 

[Sticktape]

Kid has 5 points in 12 AHL games for Rockford. Roughly the same PPG as his last season of junior. Nothing too pretty but some highlights below:

Goal at 1:30



Assist at 0:45 and goal at 2:05

 

[Teemu]

A meteoric rise in the last two years

 

[Stewie Griffin]

Sudbury has been improving greatly in recent years. Their 2020 draft only features Byfield, Phillips, and Jack Thompson (who leads OHL dmen in points, and is 6th in league scoring overall with 13p in 8gp)

Great to see smaller communities stepping up. It will be interesting to watch Chase Stillman develop. As well as non-drafted players who should go high in the coming years such as McCallum and Musty.

 

[57special]

This guy has looked consistently good every time I have seen him on Rockford.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

It will be very complicated to get a selection and it would be a mistake. His level isn't enough mainly for 01' born player. My opinion = Jack Thompson is the D' prospect from Sudbury (5th round).

Kalle Loponen was 7th round, Liam Ross get undrafted last year. There will be only 8 to 10 D'players from OHL to get drafted.

Drysdale, O'Rourke, Sebrango, Constantinou, Rafkin, Thompson, McCourt, Belanger in my opinion and there is also Moore, Ottavainen, Robinson maybe Solovyov before Philipps.

Oh my god I was out of shape when I wrote this post. Shame on me.

 

[57special]

Oh my god I was out of shape when I wrote this post. Shame on me.

Hey, we all miss a few.

Seriously, Phillips, and maybe Reichel, are the two guys who have stuck out to me on Rockford. Both will be NHL'ers, I think.

 

[Sticktape]

So 4 points and his first NHL goal in his recent stint up with the Blackhawks. Can anyone comment on his play and whether he made a good impression? His -7 doesn't exactly bode well for him but how much of that was his play and how much was the team?

 

[Mrfenn92]

So 4 points and his first NHL goal in his recent stint up with the Blackhawks. Can anyone comment on his play and whether he made a good impression? His -7 doesn't exactly bode well for him but how much of that was his play and how much was the team?

He was very solid in his recent stint. He didn’t look out of place at all. I mean plus minus is really a very bad stat for guys especially on a terrible team.

 

[Eegs]

Was surprised to see he got sent down as well. Big kid that skates really well. His first NHL goal was a real beauty too. What do we think is his upside? Top 4, 2-way Dman?

 

[Mrfenn92]

Was surprised to see he got sent down as well. Big kid that skates really well. His first NHL goal was a real beauty too. What do we think is his upside? Top 4, 2-way Dman?

Top 4 is a bit away. But I think he’s bottom pair quality right now, but looking good. Hawks Gm has said he’s not rushing prospects. So while he looked solid being away from a bad team won’t hurt him. And he can log big minutes in all situations in Rockford.

 

[majormajor]

Was surprised to see he got sent down as well. Big kid that skates really well. His first NHL goal was a real beauty too. What do we think is his upside? Top 4, 2-way Dman?

They sent down Reichel too despite him being one of the Hawks best players. It's a tankjob, not a reflection on Phillips.

 

[lakai17]

They sent down Reichel too despite him being one of the Hawks best players. It's a tankjob, not a reflection on Phillips.

Also a development job. Phillips and Reichel will eat minutes in Rockford.

 

[CallMeShaft]

It's a little early to project Phillips as a top 4 guy, but he sure was one when he was on the Hawks. That's a good thing for him, not so much for the team in general.

I don't think he'll ever be a big name guy in the NHL. He can jump up into plays, but he doesn't have huge offensive upside. He's also not a huge shot blocker and doesn't level guys regularly. He's more of a guy that is extremely solid along the boards; coaches will love that and stat watches won't take notice. Think he'll be an NHLer either way, though.