Small offensive defenders still get overlooked in the draft

In recent years, the hockey played in the NHL has become faster and less physical. Gone are the days when big oxen connected players faster. Today, more small players are playing in the NHL, opening the door to a more exciting style of play.

While not too long ago it was impossible to think that a smaller defenseman could have a career in the NHL, now there are several. Last year, nine defenders 5’10 or under played at least one game and 46 were 5’11.

Despite their small size, defenders like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Torey Krug, Adam Fox or Jared Spurgeon are dominant.

But it seems that several teams still haven’t improved their mindset.

As mentioned in this excellent article by Benjamin Gehrels from Dobber Hockey, smaller defensemen with big offensive potential are often overlooked.

In fact, despite the aforementioned high quality of shortstops, only three defenders 5’10 or shorter have been drafted in the first round since 1990.

This explains why many slip in the playoffs. For example, Spurgeon was selected in the sixth round and Fox in the third. It also happens that some defenders, like Krug, don’t even get drafted because of their size.

For Gehrels, Lane Hutson and Miguël Tourigny, who were selected 62nd and 216th respectively by the HC this year, represent very interesting cases. Despite being 5’9 (Hutson) and 5’8 (Tourigny), these two players could prove to be very interesting bets for CH.

As for Hutson, whose pick was praised for the announcement, he would even have excellent chances of breaking into the NHL according to Byron Bader. According to a statistical model that the latter has developed, the American would have a 60% chance of becoming a star in the NHL and a 77% chance of having a regular career there. So, hopefully, he too should grow up a bit more in the years to come.

You can refer to these projections in the Gehrels article.

For Tourigny, his offensive qualities are undeniable. However, his defensive and physical game makes him a player with an uncertain future.

But for a player picked in the seventh round, the Victoriaville native represents an interesting bet. Obviously, the odds are stacked against him, but if he breaks through to the pros, he has qualities that could make him a player capable of helping out on the power play.

In short, there’s no guarantee Tourigny and Hutson will break through in the NHL, but their smaller size meant they slipped in the draft and the CH wanted to take advantage of it. Given that Christopher Boucher, the head of the advanced statistical analysis department, appears to play a major role, this is not surprising.

And as I mentioned in a text last Tuesday, this is the kind of risk the organization was able to afford by choosing the great Juraj Slafkovsky in the front row.

A lot of

– No surprise.

La Real regains its throne 👍⚽️ https://t.co/NBgaLk1Qwq

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) September 11, 2022

-A tile falls on the head of the Bengalis.

– Bad news.

– Change in Tiles.

– Very cool!