Prospect Info: Leafs 2018 2nd Rd Draft Pick - Sean Durzi (6'0 196lbs, RD , Owen Sound Attack)

[Walshy7]

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what does the link say? its broken i think.

 

[Zybalto]

what does the link say? its broken i think.

I think the site is the thing that's broken. I've seen this weird broken link thing a few times.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Do yourself a favour and please watch his draft interview its about 6 mins but holay crap this kid talks about details of the game like no other player dose , how he carries his self and presents his self he has some real star qualities . I got a really good feeling about this young man

Thanks for the suggestion, watching/listening to this now. Very impressive kid!

 

[Zybalto]

going into this draft I was very optimistic. Had absolutely no expectations of getting excited about anyone being drafted this year, and thats mainly because where we drafted from. Not only do I not think we made a bad decision on our first pick but this pick is something. He really could be our out of no where pick. How did this guy not go in the first round dis bight him being a overeager? With those numbers and Defensively responsible as well? How?

The main knocks against him seem to be that:

He's an overager: A legitimate concern I guess but I would be more concerned if he just came out of nowhere. Like I posted earlier, he had 41 points in 50 games down the stretch last year after recovering from his surgery.

Has an injury history: He was having foot issues until it was diagnosed he had an extra bone in his foot that was surgically corrected before his draft year. He suffered a high ankle sprain on the opposite leg during this season that did not seem to hamper his production. No lingering effects from the surgery after almost 2 years. There is always the worry about lost development though.

While he is not small, is is not super big and needs to be stronger on the boards and clearing the net: May just need to get older and stronger here. 6 foot and 196 isn't that small and it matters less in today's NHL.

The possibility he did so well in offensive minded Owen Sound is that he was a bit of a passenger in an attack led by Suzuki: Leafs93 actually watches most of these guys and this was a concern he brought up but the playoffs give me some hope here. Even though they were knocked out in 7 in the second round, Durzi led the team at a 1.45 PPG clip. That's insane production for a dman in the playoffs.

Numbers may be inflated by being a PP specialist on a talented offensive team: ES production was solid with 14 of his 19 goals all year coming at ES.

Looking forward to seeing him in action, hopefully on the Marlies to start the year.

 

[7even]

Thanks for the suggestion, watching/listening to this now. Very impressive kid!

Yeah he's really well spoken. I sure as hell didn't have those interview skills at 19.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Yeah he's really well spoken. I sure as hell didn't have those interview skills at 19.

I've always been pretty awesome at interviews but I don't think I'm as good today as this kid. If he plays half as good as he talks, we have a serious player here.

 

[7even]

Numbers may be inflated by being a PP specialist on a talented offensive team: ES production was solid with 14 of his 19 goals all year coming at ES.

Looking forward to seeing him in action, hopefully on the Marlies to start the year.

That's actually very impressive. He also rarely takes penalties which is a good sign as it can be kind of a proxy measure for positioning; as a smaller defenseman it looks like he can defend competently without relying on hooks and slashes. Neat pick, will be fun to follow him.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

So he had a high ankle sprain last year but what other injuries has he had because having an extra bone in your foot and having your foot surgically fixed isn't an injury. Any injury/discomfort from because of that bone also shouldn't count.

 

[Knies iT]

@Mike Farkas

In your recent video analysis of Bouchard (Hockey Sense, Defensive Technique, Risk Mitigation), you made a comment somewhere along the lines of "#5 in white (Durzi) is no genius on the ice either, but that's another story..." can you elaborate?

Caught me off guard because almost every scouting report on Durzi highlights his hockey sense, IQ, etc. as a strong point.

Liked your breakdown btw.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Ooh, good catch. My unnecessary knock on a player actually caught an ear haha. Yeah, a lot of scouting reports (as I posted in the Evan Bouchard thread, somewhere in the early teens) claim hockey sense is good for players and just filler or just a game of telephone...

Here is my write-up on him, he's in my third tier among OHL d-men. Not top-10 on my list. Not a big fan. Most other people I talk to are big fans of his...I'm just some idiot. I generally like what the Leafs are doing these days in terms of the draft (they have more scouts than anyone in the league I think, so they better be a wagon with all this firepower...I mean, their cross-over guys were all into Durzi too...so it wasn't just their O folks that liked him, that's why he went so "high")...

Sean Durzi (Owen Sound [OHL] #5, RHS, LD) - Mobile, offensive defenseman. Durzi is a stronger puck rusher than an outlet passer. He generally refuses to go D-to-D and his need to go to north constantly gets a lot of passes tipped by skates and sticks. Plus skater and still improving. Has a good shot as well, with a quick release. He jumps down into the rush very often. Not very hockey strong, so he gets knocked off the puck fairly easily and this greatly affects his DZ coverage. His defensive game is unkempt and not very intelligent. He's a puck watcher and will chase it all over the rink without any regard for his partner. Even against rush chances, his positioning leaves a lot to be desired. Might not be quite dynamic enough of a talent to make it as an NHL regular, especially with his limited hockey IQ, but he has improved a lot since being passed over in 2017.

 Hockey Sense: D
 Skating speed/power/acc: B+
 Skating lateral/edges/agility: B
 Vision: C-
 Puck skills: B+
 Shot: B+
 Defense technique: D-
 Defense urgency: D+
 Frame/size: D+
 Ceiling/Risk: Med/High (mid-late round)

 

[bonjovi0308]

really pissed at Lou. Couldn't he just traded away someone (i.e. Leivo, Moore, Carrick) for pick(s) to free up a contract space to sign Durzi? We could have saved a pick on Durzi and used it on someone else.

 

[Maplebeasts]

really pissed at Lou. Couldn't he just traded away someone (i.e. Leivo, Moore, Carrick) for pick(s) to free up a contract space to sign Durzi? We could have saved a pick on Durzi and used it on someone else.

I would wager Dubas wanted to sign him and Lou being the dinosaur he is had none of it.

 

[Mr Hockey]

really pissed at Lou. Couldn't he just traded away someone (i.e. Leivo, Moore, Carrick) for pick(s) to free up a contract space to sign Durzi? We could have saved a pick on Durzi and used it on someone else.

He wasn't worthy of a ELC last summer and still may not be ...

 

[RoadWarrior]

He wasn't worthy of a ELC last summer and still may not be ...

I can assure you that Durzi will be offered a contract by the leafs. You don't draft overage players out of the CHL unless you're prepared to offer them a contract.

Like Jake Wise the guy is underrated because of injuries but he proved doubters wrong in the playoffs last season. A D man scoring at a 1.45 ppg clip in the CHL playoffs is almost unheard of. The guy was dominant in every situation.

 

[stickty111]

I can assure you that Durzi will be offered a contract by the leafs. You don't draft overage players out of the CHL unless you're prepared to offer them a contract.

Like Jake Wise the guy is underrated because of injuries but he proved doubters wrong in the playoffs last season. A D man scoring at a 1.45 ppg clip in the CHL playoffs is almost unheard of. The guy was dominant in every situation.

Just ignore, he is the same guy that said Lilly is 4-5 years away from a top 4 role in NHL.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Just ignore, he is the same guy that said Lilly is 4-5 years away from a top 4 role in NHL.

I dont know why the mods let you troll people on here all the time, you must be under 15.

 

[Mr Hockey]

I can assure you that Durzi will be offered a contract by the leafs. You don't draft overage players out of the CHL unless you're prepared to offer them a contract.

Like Jake Wise the guy is underrated because of injuries but he proved doubters wrong in the playoffs last season. A D man scoring at a 1.45 ppg clip in the CHL playoffs is almost unheard of. The guy was dominant in every situation.

I think its very possible he gets offered an ELC sometime during the up and coming season, I think he will play another season as a overage in the CHL.​

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

really pissed at Lou. Couldn't he just traded away someone (i.e. Leivo, Moore, Carrick) for pick(s) to free up a contract space to sign Durzi? We could have saved a pick on Durzi and used it on someone else.

pretty sure they were saving the spot for Polak's comeback tour. Unfortunately it's typical thinking by Lou. why go for the young exciting guy when you can sign the plug veteran

 

[RoadWarrior]

I think its very possible he gets offered an ELC sometime during the up and coming season, I think he will play another season as a overage in the CHL.​

It depends on his training camp. If he looks good against the pros why not have him anchor the 3rd pairing on the marlies.

The following quote says alot about Sean Durzi after him being passed over in 2017. “A lot of people leave that weekend and they’re crushed, and they’re not motivated anymore and they just … want to give up,” “I left that weekend more motivated than ever.”

Those are the words of a committed pro and he backed it up with his performance on the ice.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

pretty sure they were saving the spot for Polak's comeback tour. Unfortunately it's typical thinking by Lou. why go for the young exciting guy when you can sign the plug veteran

Sone of that is on Babs too. He loves him some gud Polak

 

[Mr Hockey]

It depends on his training camp. If he looks good against the pros why not have him anchor the 3rd pairing on the marlies.

The following quote says alot about Sean Durzi after him being passed over in 2017. “A lot of people leave that weekend and they’re crushed, and they’re not motivated anymore and they just … want to give up,” “I left that weekend more motivated than ever.”

Those are the words of a committed pro and he backed it up with his performance on the ice.

He definitely has the right attitude, lets see what happens.

 

[Duke16]

There is a 99% chance Durzi turns pro. Dubas said he was dominant in the O in every sense this year and is absolutely correct. 2nd round picks don't play overage years.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

he sort of reminds me of Carrick in how composed and intelligent he comes across in interviews. hopefully he's a better player, but he definitely seems like a good kid

 

[hockeywiz542]

Sean Durzi joins the Maple Leafs one year after draft disappointment | The Star

Owen Sound general manager Dale DeGray said he noticed an immediate difference in the six-foot, 188-pound blue liner.

“He’s matured in all the facets where you want a hockey player to mature,” DeGray said in a phone interview. “He’s been around guys that are a little bit older and a little bit farther along in the maturity phase — eating properly, getting the proper rest — and seeing what they’re able to achieve and how they’re able to achieve it.”

“It’s something I’m going to continue to do,” Durzi said of the focus on his body. “As you go along in your career, you’ve just got to be more detailed with that stuff. It makes a difference."

“It was something I thought I’d take upon myself and take the initiative on. I studied what it takes.”

Attack head coach and former Toronto blue liner Todd Gill said what stood out for him was Durzi’s mental toughness after what can be a demoralizing experience.

“Sometimes there’s a wake-up call needed, and he got it,” said Gill, who played 639 of his 1,007 NHL games for the Leafs. “He knew he had to do things differently and do them the right way.”

 

[TheDoldrums]

he sort of reminds me of Carrick in how composed and intelligent he comes across in interviews. hopefully he's a better player, but he definitely seems like a good kid

That's exactly what I thought after watching his interview. They both have a way of bringing up details of the game you don't normally hear about in these things. Not as eloquent or insightful as Carrick yet, but has the same sort of interesting answers.