Drafted #7 Overall by Minnesota Wild
We continue through the lottery picks with our #5 ranked prospect, Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels. Dumba is currently playing with Team Canada at the Under 18 World Championships taking place in the cities of Brno and Znojmo in the Czech Republic.
| 2009-10 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2010-11 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 62 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 83 | 23 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| 2011-12 | Red Deer Rebels | WHL | 69 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 67 | -6 |
Matt Dumba is a very talented, but very raw defence prospect for this year’s draft. He’s a classic high risk/high reward prospect. Offensively talented, Dumba has great skating, a tremendous slapshot, smart offensive instincts, makes great passes, and is clearly not afraid to join the rush or take offensive chances. With 20 goals and 57 points this year, Dumba has shown that he can use these skills and translate them into being an offensive weapon. Dumba is also a big hitter. He loves to see a forward coming down his side of the ice with his head down, and will not hesitate to throw a hard, heavy hit, if he gets the opportunity. He’s usually able to do so with great timing and deliver his big shots legally.
However, Dumba can definitely use some work in his own end of the ice. He sometimes takes too many offensive chances or gets himself out of position looking for that big hit and his defensive game can sometimes suffer as a result. He also needs to bulk up as he’s listed at 6’0 173 lbs. He’s got decent enough height, but he certainly needs to add muscle to that frame if he expects to be able to continue to throw those hits at the next level. More size and strength will also help him to contain the bigger forwards he’ll face in the pros. He could also use some more time learning at the junior level, as his defensive positioning and decision making could stand to be improved.
As a July birthdate, Dumba is one of the younger players eligible in the draft. For example he is 10 months younger than Ryan Murray who is our number 3 prospect. For this reason we do believe that Dumba has the time to gain the bulk and defensive skills he will need to transition to the NHL. He’s definitely got some maturing to do, both physically, and in polishing his game. We do however think it is very likely he will play another season in the WHL, as we don’t think he will be NHL ready in time for the 2012-13 season. That said, we do think he’s got a ton of potential to be a very good defenceman down the road. If you are looking for an NHL comparable, we think that Dumba reminds us of another former Red Deer Rebels star defenceman, Dion Phaneuf now of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Update: Matt Dumba continues to impress as he is putting together an absolutely brilliant tournament in the World U18 Championships. He was the leading point getter in the tournament finishing with 5 goals and 12 points.
…and that’s the last word.
