Drafted 82nd Overall by the Ottawa Senators.
The ending of last season, and the start of the 2011-12 campaign must have seemed like a dream for Jarrod Maidens, but that dream would quickly turn into a nightmare. Maidens ended the 2010-11 campaign in style, scoring 2 goals in game 7 of the thrilling OHL final between the Mississauga St. Mike’s Majors, and Maidens’ Owen Sound Attack. This included Maidens’ dramatic game 7 OT winner which won the Championship for the Attack. From there Maidens was selected to play for Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and he came home with a gold medal around his neck. Maidens was named an Alternate Captain of the Attack squad. A strong start to the 2011-12 season saw Maidens eclipse his goal and point totals from 2010-11 in a little over half the games. It was at that point the 2012 Draft Class Injury Curse hit. Maidens suffered a mysterious injury in Mid-November and did not suit up for another game. The Attack have never officially confirmed the nature of the injury, but it has long been rumored that the injury is the dreaded concussion. This injury concern has taken Maidens from a top prospect who would have been ranked around the teens, and made him into yet another boom or bust type prospect, although for different reasons than Boo Nieves, or Daniil Zharkov.
Center/Left Wing
Born Mar 4 1994 — Grimsby, ONT
Height 6.02 — Weight 178 — Shoots Left
| 2010-11 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 47 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 11 | 4 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 13 |
| 2011-12 | Owen Sound Attack | OHL | 28 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 4 | -2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Maidens is the prototypical power forward prospect. At 6’2″ he possesses excellent size, though he can stand to put on a little weight. He has very good skating for a man his size, with good speed, agility, and power in his stride. He controls and protects the puck well and it is difficult to knock him off the puck. Maidens has a very hard, very accurate wrist shot and already has an NHL caliber release that surprises goalies. Maidens is aggressive on the forecheck and loves to hit. He drives the net hard and does his best work playing in traffic. Despite being more of a pure goal scorer, than a playmaker, Maidens has decent vision and makes smart passes.
Maidens is a hardworking player who is capable on the backcheck. He understands defensive positioning and has a high hockey IQ. He is more than willing to play his aggressive style in the defensive zone and can throw the body along the boards. Maidens’ grit and effort are inspiring to teammates and loved by his coaches which has helped him earn an Alternate’s “A” in Owen Sound despite being only 17 years old.
Prior to the injury, Maidens was a sure fire first round pick. The talent he showed in 2010-11, and at the start of this season was more than enough to project him as a future top 6 power forward at the NHL level. His size, skill, and tenacity are undeniable. However a long term injury, such as the suspected concussion that has kept Maidens out of the lineup all year is extremely concerning for all involved and will force him to fall in this year’s draft. If Maidens can put the concussion issue behind him, he will be an absolute steal for the team that drafts him. We’d compare Maidens potential to become a player similar to Erik Cole of the Montreal Canadiens, only Maidens has the added bonus of being able to play both Wing and Centre.
… and thats the Last Word.
