Jordy Stallard
2015-16 Team: Calgary Hitmen (#17)
Date of Birth: September 18, 1997
Place of Birth: Brandon, MB
Ht: 6’2” Wt: 185 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Center
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2016 First-year eligible
Twitter: @jstallard27
THW The Next Ones Ranking: 94th (June)
Other Rankings:
- THW War Room: 117th (June)
The Calgary Hitmen were a unique bunch this season, in the sense that the team was widely expected to take a bit of a step back with some veteran departures – such as 20-year-old Adam Tambellini aging out and Jake Virtanen making the Vancouver Canucks – yet the club kept chugging along. While likely first round selection Jake Bean has gotten a lot of credit for the team’s tenacity in the standings, and fellow draft-eligible Carsen Twarynski has gotten some credit for pacing the team’s work ethic, a few other draft-eligible players have arguably been caught in their shadows a bit. Case in point: Twarynski’s linemate Jordy Stallard.
Stallard has two decent comparables on his team: Twarynski (another 2016 eligible) and Pavel Karnaukhov (a 2015 Calgary Flames pick). Stallard arguably has better offensive skills than both of them; he’s got a great shot when he can get it off in the slot and while he’s not the world’s most talented player he has great instincts and has managed to pick his spots offensively really well. He’s a good skater and has good mobility, but his defensive-zone awareness isn’t tremendous and because he’s still a bit of a thin, wirey young man he doesn’t have the muscle to effectively out-battle opponents in the corners.
Quietly, Stallard was 76th in the WHL this past season in goalscoring, which doesn’t sound incredibly impressive until you notice some players he scored as much (or more) as: 2014 New Jersey pick Brandon Baddock, 2015 Boston Bruins pick Jake DeBrusk and teammate and 2014 Philadelphia Flyers pick Radal Fazleev. He’s got a nose for the net and knows how to bury his chances. If he can shore up his game away from the puck and beef up a little bit, he could be a great value pick-up in the mid-to-late rounds of the 2016 NHL Draft.
NHL Draft Projection:
Stallard is likely to be selected anywhere from the fourth round to the sixth round.
Quotables:
Jordy Stallard is a top-100 guy for me. Showed some great improvements to game. Versatile, blossoming offensive talent. #WHL #NHLDraft
— Zenon Herasymiuk (@ZenonHerasymiuk) January 17, 2016
Jordy Stallard gets credit for the 2nd Hitmen goal, his 17th. Goals in back-to-back games for Stallard, points in 3 straight.
— Andy Neal (@AndyNeal_Vic) February 24, 2016
Statistics:
Strengths:
- Dangerous with the puck between the dots in the offensive zone.
- Effective passer.
- Good skater with strong acceleration and mobility.
Under Construction (Improvements to Make):
- Needs to add some muscle to his frame.
- Doesn’t play particularly mean.
- Play away from the puck, especially in the corners and in the defensive zone, needs some attention.
NHL Potential:
His ceiling is likely third line forward at NHL level, somewhat like Matt Cullen or Shawn Matthias.
Risk-Reward Analysis:
Risk – 1/5, Reward – 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential:
Offensive 7.5/10, Defensive 6.5/10
Awards/Achievements:
Stallard has yet to win any awards or represent Canada in any major international competition.
He did, however, score the Teddy Bear Goal in the world-record-breaking 2015 Teddy Bear Toss game that saw 28,815 stuffed animals thrown onto the ice by a sold-out Scotiabank Saddledome crowd.