The Next Ones – Jamie Oleksiak – 2011 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Big Man on Campus

Please “Click Here” for “Notes Up Front” and the “Legend” for various topics covered below in my “Live Updated” NHL 2011 Draft Preview article – The Next Ones.

Jamie Oleksiak

Date of Birth: December 21, 1992
Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario
Ht: 6-7 Wt: 240
Shoots: L
Postion: Defenseman
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2011

One Timer:
Jamie Oleksiak will try to become the next big thing in this year’s NHL Entry Draft…literally. With a massive frame he will be hard to miss next year when he suits up for Northeastern Huskies. The bigger question remains, will he be able to effectively use his size?

There are plenty of teams in this year’s draft that could use that kind of size on their blue-line, but there is the matter of where he will fall. Ultimately he will be picked somewhere in the 10-20 range, and if he falls to Edmonton at 19, they should be thrilled.

Oleksiak plays an all around solid defensive game. When watching him play you really don’t notice any glaring holes. Despite being a shutdown defenseman, he also has a good amount of offensive upside, which was displayed this year at Northeastern.

For a player of his size, Oleksiak has surprisingly good footwork and a big, strong first stride. He also has a strong outlet pass, and usually knows when to join the rush. Rarely does he get caught out of position, and if he does, he is usually able to make up for it with his size.

Still, what makes Oleksiak such a special prospect is his size, which is something that can’t be taught. It’s not often that you see defenseman of his size at such a young age.

Statistics

Scout’s Honor:

“We knew that Jamie was a special player and was going to be a great player for us, but we thought the learning curve was going to take a little bit longer for him to get adapted to the speed of (college hockey) and the size of opposing players. So we were pleasantly surprised that he adapted so quickly. Jamie’s progression has been pretty steady and we’ve worked with him on what we felt he needed to improve such as foot, body, and stick positioning.”

-Northeastern assistant coach Sebastien Laplante

“Really, sky’s the limit for Jamie. It’s hard to project his ceiling when every year he just gets better and better. He’s a massive kid that moves well pretty well on his feet for a big guy…it’s amazing how far he’s come”

-Redline Report Scout Max Giese

Bio/Interview(s)/Link(s)

Hockey’s Future Profile

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: Scouting Report

ETA= 3 yrs

Risk-Reward Analysis:

Risk = 2/5 Reward=4.5/5

NHL Potential:

Big, nasty, top-pairing shut down defenseman, with the ability to add 30-40 points a year.

Strengths:

• Size
• Strength
• Skating
• Powerful shot
• Good first pass
• Wingspan
• Defensive Awareness

Flaws/Aspects that Need Improving:

• Offensive Awarenes
• Body Positioning
• Shot Accuracy

Fantasy Hockey Potential:

Offensive= 7/10….Defensive= 9/10

NHL Player(s) Comparison:

• Tyler Myers
• Zdeno Chara
• Hal Gill

Video(s):

Off the Iron (Interesting Notes):

• 2008 USHL Prospects Camp All-Star Team.
• Helped his team reach the Beanpot tournament finals in his first year.
• Represented the USA in the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph