Christopher Ralph is a sportswriter with a focus on hockey prospects, the entry draft, as well as occasional Flames coverage here at THW.
“Full Potential” Prospect Profile:
Please “Click Here” for “Notes Up Front” and the “Legend” for various topics covered below as covered for the NHL 2009 Draft rankings. There are some modifications and additions in the profiles, so stay tuned for a live updated article dedicated to the NHL 2010 Entry Draft.
Jeffrey Skinner (Click on name for up- to- date stats)
Position: Center
Age: 18
Date of Birth: May 16, 1992
Place of Birth: Markham, Ontario
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 182
Shoots: Left
2009-10 Team: Kitchener(OHL)
NHL Status: Draft Eligible 2010
One-Timer:
After a very impressive 50 goal campaign as a 17 year old in the OHL, Skinner absolutely exploded in the playoffs and took his game to an even higher level scoring 20 goals in 20 games and added 13 assists.
He is one of the top snipers in the draft, possessing one of the best sets of hands bar none.
Why then is there such a wide range of opinion on where Skinner will go in the upcoming draft?
Read on playing special attention to strengths and flaws sections below.
Scout’s Honor:
* Not a scout, but Rangers Coach Spott stated: “I’ve had the good fortune of coaching a lot of the kids in this draft, and I believe Jeff is the best natural scorer in this draft, and that includes Hall and Seguin. Jeff doesn’t have the speed of Tyler and Taylor, but he’s a threat offensively every time he’s on the ice. He is hands down the purest goal scorer.”
* “Agile skater with very good outside speed and puck control at full speed. Has strong and accurate wrist shot and is a two-way hard working player.”
– International Scouting Services
* “His puck handling ability and scoring touch — he sees the ice very well,” Chris Edwards, Central Scouting’s chief OHL scout, told NHL.com. “Everything about his offensive game is very good.”
Edwards, though, said there were a few things Skinner needed to clean up in his game, but otherwise believes he’s a solid NHL prospect.
“I think he’ll have to work on his defensive side a little more,” he said. “Obviously his skating and his first step he needs to continue to work on, speed, and all that.”
Current Season:
2009-10: 70 goals in 84 games total. Enough said.
Other accomplishments:
- After winning the Showdown Breakaway Challenge in the skills contest with a few brilliant moves, Jeff had a goal and an assist for Team Orr in a 4-2 loss to Team Cherry in the Top Prospects game.
Scouting Combine Performance:
- Tied for 4th in 4 Jump (Mat) Mode: Power Factor
- 6th in 4 Jump (Mat) Mode: Ground Time (sec)
- 3rd in Curl-Ups (max #)
International Tournaments:
- 6 points in 6 games in ’08-09 with Team Ontario at WJC-U17.
ETA = 3 yrs
Risk-Reward Analysis: Risk = 2/5 Reward = 4.5/5
NHL Potential: High scoring centerman
Strengths:
*See “One Timer” section above.
- Natural Born Goal Scorer!
- A lethal nose for the net.
- Excellent work ethic and very coachable.
- Good in the faceoff circle.
- Skating mentioned as weakness below (see explanation), but his agility and balance are top notch.
- Elusive puck handling.
Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:
- Skating –interestingly, Skinner was at one time a nationally ranked figure skater which makes criticism of his skating all the more puzzling. More than anything he could use work on his acceleration.
- Like many players at this level, Skinner simply needs to fill out physically and work on his defensive play.
- Size is somewhat of an issue as well with Jeff, but he more than makes up for this in other areas.
Fantasy Hockey Potential: Offensive = 9/10 Defensive = 6.5/10
NHL Player(s) Comparison:
– At his best: Brad Boyes, Mark Recchi, Joe Sakic
– Middle ground: Brandon Dubinsky
– Worst Case Scenario: Kyle Wellwood
Video(s):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zKoBTK3y0E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR_WZt4Ciz4
Interesting Notes: (NHL.com)
- On being a Markham Waxer in minor hockey: JS: “Yeah, there’s some great players that came out of the Waxer organization. I actually played with a couple of them, with Cody Hodgson and Steven Stamkos when I was really young.”
- His older twin sisters Jennifer and Andrea played at Harvard and Cornell, respectively.
Other Rankings:
ISS: 9 (June ‘10)
CSB: 34-NA (Apr ‘10)
TSN: 22 {Bob MacKenzie}
NACS: 12 (Mar ’10) {Mark Seidel – THN}
McKeens: 12
THN: 25
THW: 9 (June ’10) {Christopher Ralph }
*For all the latest prospect and draft news follow me on Twitter: The Hockey Spy
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