A couple of Western Hockey Leaguers land inside of the top-10.
9. (5) D Charlie Elick 6'4", 205 pounds. 2nd round (#36 overall), 2024 NHL Draft. NHL projection: top-four shutdown defenseman. Stats: 2g, 13a, 15pts in 66gp split between Brandon and Tri City (WHL). Will return to Tri City this fall. How we ranked him: Curtis (8), Matt (7), Mike (12).
Why we ranked him here: Charlie is several years away from playing in the NHL, but that doesn't mean he's not a strong prospect. At 6'4", he's already got the size many teams covet from a shutdown defenseman; he just needs to fill it out with more muscle. The best part about his game is his skating. For a player his size, he moves around the ice extremely efficiently. He's able to quickly close gaps and take away the puck, or punish the opposition with a big hit.
The downside to his game is that, there isn't much offense. In fact, there's almost none. Charlie is much more likely to dump the puck into the corner or play it off the glass, rather than trying to make a play with it. To reach the NHL level and his max potential, he's going to have to develop some kind of playmaking ability to his game. That's going to be the deciding factor in whether he becomes a top-four guy, or a bottom pairing guy.
8. (7) G Evan Gardner 6'1", 176 pounds. 2nd round (#60 overall), 2024 NHL Draft. NHL projection: 1B (split duty) goaltender. Stats: .911% save percentage, 2.82GAA in 44gp for Saskatoon (WHL); .844% save percentage, 3.14GAA in 1gp for Cleveland (AHL). Will return to Saskatoon this fall. How we ranked him: Curtis (9), Matt (8), Mike (8).
Why we ranked him here: "The Gardfather" has all of the traits you look for in a young goaltender. He 's very athletic, brings a high level work ethic, understands and practices the basic fundamentals; and competes to try to stop every puck. Often, he makes saves that nobody thinks he should be able to make. And, while not the biggest guy out there, he has good enough size to be projectable as a future #1 or #2 goaltender in the NHL. All of that said, he's not as polished as some of the other goaltenders in the CBJ system.
Most importantly, he will need to continue to improve upon his rebound control. Evan can also get caught playing too deep in his net from time to time. Often, adjusting for that means they have to re-learn their angles and positioning. He will have to improve upon these areas while the shooters he faces get bigger and stronger as he moves up. This is why goaltenders take longer. But, by all accounts, he has the work ethic and compete level to work it out, it will just take some time. I really think he has a bright future.
Evan was our highest ranked goaltender last summer. He's fourth on this year's list. One of the players who leap-frogged him can be found on the next slide.