Hockey Prophets

Top Prospects: The Defensemen, Summer 2017

July 18, 2017 by Brian Fogarty

 

 

 

Every year, players graduate from top prospects lists either by becoming NHL players, aging out or simply leaving the game altogether. The NHL draft, of course, replenishes the pool every summer, and where top prospects leave to the NHL, top draft picks fill in the gaps. This year, in fact, a 2017 draft pick has gone directly to the top of the list, and three others bracket the top ten by assuming the final three slots in that group. At the same time, there are several 2016 blueliners who look poised to make their own run at graduating via a step up into the NHL.

Follow this link to view the recently published Top Prospects: The Forwards

 

 The Top Three (Four, Actually)

Miro Heiskanen, taken third overall by Dallas in the 2017 NHL Draft and the first defender selected, vaults straight to the head of the Top Prospects: The Defensemen ranks. Although the number of 18-year-old defensemen who have stepped straight into the NHL have always been limited as patrolling the blue line against NHL forwards is a job that typically takes years of the training, experience and mental toughness, Miro Heiskanen could be one of the rare exceptions. In the last quarter century, only nine Under-18 defenders have played at least 20 games in a Liiga season. On a points-per-game basis, Heiskanen out-performed them all (in fact, he is fourth overall in Liiga history). After a full-time year in Finland's top league, Heiskanen has already shown that he has the speed, smarts and knoweldge of the positional game to make an impact at the NHL level as soon as this fall. As stated in NHL Draft 2017 - The Hockey Prophets' Top Ten, his "poise with the puck and sound positional awareness made him a reliable defender in his own end, and his ability to move the puck or carry it up ice makes Heiskanen a near-perfect prototype for the modern two-way defenseman."

 

 

Since taking over the General Manager role for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steve Yzerman has become known for having an astute eye for young hockey talent and for collecting Russian players. When he traded one of the top young forwards in the league (Jonathan Druin) to the Montreal Canadiens, Yzerman reinforced his image by bringing Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa. Sergachev, at 6'3 and 212 pounds skates like a smaller player, hits like a train, plays a smart two-way game and can control the tempo of a game like few others his age (Montreal's 9th-overall selection in the 2016 NHL draft saw his nineteenth birthday less than a month ago). He has the unique ability to seem almost invisible in his own end as he quietly and efficiently dominates on the defensive side of the ice, but then become electrically obvious as he transistions to offense. He has a big shot, accurate passing skills, and is equally as instinctive and aware in all three zones. 

 

 

The third-overall spot among the top defensive prospects sees two players locked in a virtual tie: Jake Bean and Charlie McAvoy. Drafted at 13 and 14, respectively, in the 2016 NHL Draft, both Bean and McAvoy look like unquestionable NHL defensemen. Bean brings a slightly better offensive game to the ice, while McAvoy has a stronger two-way presence. Both have decent size (although McAvoy is a bulkier player), and both are excellent skaters. McAvoy made his NHL debut at the end of last season and made a stir in the hockey world with his performance for the Bruins in the playoffs. Bean, on the other hand, finished second-overall among WHL defensemen in points-per-game production for a U19 blueliner. A discussion about which of the these two players should be ranked above the other could last for days. In this case, Bean--by a sliver--gets the third overall spot with McAvoy fourth. 

 

Others of Note

Ottawa prospect Tjomas Chabot moves up from twelfth last summer to fifth in the current 2017 edition. Chabot has all the tools and the composure to become a solid and potentially spectacular NHL defenseman. He continues to improve and develop, and looks ready to break in into the NHL soon. 

 

 

Another player who has improved significantly over the past season or two is Philadelphia prospect (and fan favorite), Philippe Myers. The 6'5 defender cracks the Hockey Prophets' top fifty list for the first time, at 42. Players who barely scored in Major Junior hockey during their draft year (Myers put up just eight points in 60 games), then exploded to point-per-game production in their draft-plus-two seasons in the manner that Myers has done, rarely make it to the NHL. The closest analogue with any NHL success has been Marco Scandella. As such, the odds against Myers based on cohort success are relatively long, but NHL careers are made by players, not cohorts. So, the Hockey Prophets will continue to keep a close eye on the Flyers' offensive-minded defenseman (in fact, readers can look forward to a full article on Myers in the near future). 

 

 

Follow the link below to see the Top 50. To view the full list of all 491 ranked defensemen, become a member and support Hockey Prophets!

Top Prospects: The Defensemen

 

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