Big forward is one of the premier scorers in the United States Development Team. A big bodied, fluid skating attacker who is apt at carrying the on zone entries. He finds time and space while carrying the puck and has a good wall presence. Creatively generates offense to his teammates. Is able to play all three forward position (although he hasn't been asked to play in the pivot position) and is very comfortable as an off-handed wing. Has shown high end shooting ability and has the goals to prove it. Slips into the soft areas and gets the one-timers. Has a really fine trigger, whether it is from the periphery, or when he is given looks in-closer to use his wrist shot. His speed and shot are usually the first two mentions he gets, but his vision, and creativity rank high, despite his shoot-first mentality at the amateur level. Has been on the radar as a top U.S prospect for some time, so with that has been many views and scouts tend to see him as an established “reliable” prospect. Not some new best thing, so he may last a bit longer than expected if teams don’t see him as a top scoring centre prospect. I see him as an NHL left winger who needs to add more edge, finish checks, and provides two way play starting in your top six with decent upside towards it.
—Bill Placzek—
