EJ Emery – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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EJ Emery

2023-24 Team: University of North Dakota
Date of Birth: Mar. 18, 2006.
Place of Birth: Surrey, BC, CAN
Ht: 6-foot-3, Wt: 185 pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: Defence
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2024 first-year eligible

Rankings

Despite being Canadian, the 17-year-old defenseman, who holds dual citizenship through his parents, chose to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team. EJ Emery is a skilled passer. At the same time, not primarily an offensive defenseman, his ability to move the puck is highly valued in today’s NHL. He possesses a great sense of vision, which allows him to identify opportunities to create scoring chances for his team. This exceptional vision sets him apart from other players with similar skills.

EJ Emery USNTDP
EJ Emery, USNTDP (Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP)

Emery is a skilled ice hockey player who excels in defensive play and has improved his puck handling and transporting. He has a lot of potential for further growth and development. While he may not be a strong player on the power play, his defensive abilities and skating skills make him a valuable asset for five-on-five play and as a potential penalty killer.

Emery is highly skilled at defending against rushes. He effectively forces opposing players to the outside and times his closing on them well. His long, defensive, solid stick allows him to break up many rush attempts and prevent zone entries with a simple poke or stick-on puck. While not overly physical or an open-ice hitter, he understands space well and excels at closing opposing forwards off along the wall. His in-zone defense is mostly excellent, as he is very good at breaking up opposing cycles through anticipation with a poke check or a board battle. Additionally, he is an outstanding penalty killer, using his ability to block shots and close passing lanes significantly.

Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide

He can be loose with his coverage in front of the net. Although Emery doesn’t have natural offensive ability, you wouldn’t say his puck game is a significant weakness. He is relatively composed when he has the puck on his stick and can make an excellent first pass. While he doesn’t have particularly deceptive offense, he can make simple reads with the puck. As he continues to develop, his offensive abilities have room for growth.

Emery spent 2023-24 with the U.S. National U18 Team and then headed to the USNTDP Juniors with the USHL. With the U18 team, he had 11 assists in 53 games, finishing second on the team in PIM minutes with 61 and sixth in +/—with a +19. In the Juniors, he had six assists in 27 games, tenth in PIM with 30 minutes, and 11th in +/—with a +5.

Other Draft Profiles

EJ Emery Draft Projection

Emery finds himself in a tight situation regarding his skills and where they rank between other defencemen and their skill sets. His physicality and defensive abilities are up there in the draft, but the offensive side does lower the ceiling in terms of what times might see in him. It depends on what teams are looking for in the draft and how they want their defensemen prospect pool to pan out. I can see Emery being potentially a late first to an early-mid second-round pick, with guys like Charlie Elick, Jesse Pulkkinen, and Leo Sahlin Wallenius being other defencemen drafted around him.

Quotables

“On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the 6-foot-3 Emery skates well for his size. While Hutson is more of the point producer, Emery helps get the play started by retrieving the puck and then playing a more passive game. And he does it quickly, with one scout comparing him to the Road Runner in how he gets where he needs to be so swiftly. A lot of Emery’s value doesn’t tend to get rewarded on the scoresheet, given he finally scored his first goal of any kind at the All-American Game. But I really think the potential for him to become a mobile, top-four defenseman is there.” – Steven Ellis, DaileyFaceoff

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“Emery’s defensive IQ remains his biggest strength. He’s got great awareness to anticipate and break up plays defending the rush and to get into lanes and disrupt plays. He excels at giving opponents very little space to work with, keeping them to the outside and not let them into the middle. As a result, that allows him to have a strong transition game and be a factor offensively with his breakouts. He’s got great mobility and speed for his size and while his offensive production may not jump off the page, he gets more involved than you think, leading rushes and getting pucks on net.” – Peter Baracchini, The Hockey Writers

“There’s value in self awareness and this player knows that his defensive play, athleticism, and simple puck moving abilities are keys to making him a projected late first round pick.”- Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet

Strengths

  • Physicality
  • Defensive IQ
  • Skating
  • Passing

Under Construction – Improvements to Make

  • Shooting selection
  • Strong offensive production

EJ Emery — NHL Potential

Emery has the potential to become a great shutdown defenseman in the NHL and could consistently be relied upon to defend against the other team’s top players. While he may not be a top-ranked defenseman, he could become a solid second or third defender. If he reaches his full potential, he could complement a top pairing or lead a second pairing. He would make an excellent partner for players like Quinn Hughes or Miro Heiskanen or could support a less defensively skilled partner. His lowest potential is a sixth or seventh defenseman, but I would be surprised if he didn’t get a chance to play in the NHL.

Awards/Achievements

  • 2022-23 U17 WHC Gold Medal

EJ Emery Stats

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