Welcome back to Top Shelf hockey prospects, the daily column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day I will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2015 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow me on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Sports is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! The following is a complete listing of all our 2016 Draft Articles.
Originally drafted by the Victoria Royals in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, Noah Gregor became expendable when the Royals decided to load up in 2014. The then 15-year-old was moved to the rebuilding Moose Jaw Warriors at the 2014 WHL Trade Deadline. As a 16-year-old Gregor made the team out of training camp and got in five points in his first eight WHL games before a broken collarbone took him out for the majority of the season. He would get in two more games and one more point, but it was this year that Gregor truly broke out. He scored 28 goals and 73 points in 72 WHL games. His 45 assists was the best of all WHL rookies. Gregor would add 9 points in 10 playoff games. When the Warriors were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, he joined Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 World Championships, where he picked up a pair of assists in the five game tournament. Gregor was scheduled to play in the 2015 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge for Team Canada Red, but was forced to miss the tournament due to the collar bone injury. Gregor also played for Team Cherry at the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. His father Colin Gregor was also a WHL player, while his brother Liam Gregor plays Junior A hockey in the AJHL.
Noah Gregor Scouting Report: 2016 NHL Draft #62
Centre — shoots Left
Born Jul 28 1998 — Beaumont, ALTA
Height 6’00” — Weight 173 lbs [183 cm / 78 kg]
Noah Gregor has decent size and plays a strong all-around game, as he shows ability in all three zones. He is a good skater. Gregor has very good speed and acceleration. He also shows good agility and edge work, allowing him to maneuver in and out of traffic, both with and without the puck. Gregor could stand to improve his core strength, and his lower body strength in order to generate a more powerful stride, improve his balance and be stronger on the puck. It will also help him when battling in the corners.
Gregor shows good skill in the offensive zone. He has a heavy wrist shot, with good accuracy and a quick release. He also shows a good arsenal of shots, with a strong snap shot, and one-timer. Gregor has excellent vision and sees openings to thread the needle to create a scoring chance for a teammate. He has a knack for throwing a saucer pass over an opponents stick and landing it in time to hit his teammate’s blade. His hockey sense is high, as he often makes the right play, and does not turn the puck over a lot. Gregor is tenacious and willing to battle along the boards, but needs to improve his overall muscle mass to avoid being pushed around at higher levels.
Gregor is a hard worker in the defensive end of the ice. He is willing to bring back pressure, and work to help contain the cycle. However he can be overpowered by bigger and stronger forwards. His positioning is good for his age, and he has some understanding of how to cut down passing and shooting lanes. It could be improved with more time and coaching to be more consistent though.
Noah Gregor has shown that there is potential in his game. If he can work on his strength and improve his skating and defensive game a little, he could become a second liner in the NHL. He does have a good work ethic, so it is possible he could make the league on the third or fourth line as well. In terms of style his game is reminiscent of Vincent Trocheck of the Florida Panthers, but this is a style comparison only and not based on talent level.
The following is a compilation of Noah Gregor highlights, assembled from youtube.
Check back tomorrow for the #63 prospect on our NHL Draft Board.
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