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Cole Huckins Scouting Report: 2021 NHL Draft #62

Cole Huckins Scouting Report

Welcome back to Top Shelf 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 2021 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 Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! We have a complete listing of our draft articles here. Today we bring you our Cole Huckins Scouting Report. 

Drafted in the first round, 16th overall in the 2019 QMJHL Draft, Cole Huckins made an immediate impact for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He put up 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 64 games as a rookie. He was even better this past season. Huckins scored 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points in 33 games played. Huckins helped the Titan reach the QMJHL Quarterfinal where they were swept by the Charlottetown Islanders. He scored five assists in nine playoff games.

Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Huckins comes from a hockey family. His cousins include former NHLer Ryan Malone, current Edmonton Oiler Brad Malone, former QMJHL player Brett Malone, ECHLer Mark Malone, and Junior A player Justin Moir. His uncle Greg Malone also played over 700 NHL Games. Another uncle, Jim Malone played in the AHL and OHL.  Malone was also drafted in the second round, 28th overall by the Waterloo Blackhawks in the 2019 USHL Futures Draft.

As a 15-year-old Huckins played for Team New Brunswick in the Canada Winter Games. He put up five goals and eight points in seven games. Huckins also played at the Quebec Cup. He scored four points in five games.

Cole Huckins Scouting Report

Centre/Left Wing — shoots Left
Born May 14th, 2003 — Fredericton, New Brunswick
Height 6’3″ — Weight 201 lbs [191 cm/91 kg]

Skating

Huckins skating is a bit of a work in progress. A big forward, still adjusting to recent growth spurts, he can be quicker in his leg movements. His first step needs a lot of work. His early strides are short and choppy and this robs him of acceleration. Once Huckins gets moving his stride is longer and more powerful. As such he still has decent top-end speed.  The issue though is that hockey is often a game of short races to loose pucks, or quick movements, rather than one of the 200-foot races. As such the skating can be an issue here.

Huckins also needs to work on his agility and edgework. His slow footwork is an issue here as he does not change directions quickly. His crossovers also need some improvement so that he can gain power and accelerate out of his turns. Huckins is strong on his skates though. He wins battles in front of the net as well as along the boards. He is also hard to knock off the puck.

Offensive Game

Huckins uses his size to get to the front of the net and cause havoc. He is very good at establishing his position and screening goalies, causing issues. He is also good at scoring in tight, with the soft hands needed to pounce on rebounds, tip-in shots, and one-time in a short pass from a teammate. Huckins also has a good wrist shot and can score from a bit further out. His wrist shot is powerful. His hands are quick and he is able to let it go with a quick release as well. Huckins also uses his size on the forecheck. He can punish defenders who do not move the puck quickly enough. He also does a good job of battling for loose pucks.

Huckins is also a smart playmaker. With his stickhandling ability and his size, he does a good job of protecting the puck in the cycle game. Huckins has very good vision and passing skills. He can feather a pass through a tight passing lane and is also good at saucer passes over sticks in traffic. Huckins has the ability to anticipate where his teammates are going and hits them with a good pass to create a scoring chance. He is a smart player who often makes good plays with the puck.

Defensive Game

Huckins works hard in the defensive end, but his skating deficiency also creates some issues. He can often be the last man back in the defensive end and Huckins struggles to provide back pressure against the rush. Once he is in position, Huckins can play a strong defensive game. He is willing to use his size to be physical on the boards and in front of the net. Huckins is willing to through a big hit. He does a good job of supporting the defence in defending the cycle game. He also uses his long stick well to cut down passing lanes. Huckins will need to continue to work on his game in the faceoff circle.

Projection and Comparison

While Huckins has played both centre and left-wing for Acadie-Bathurst, given the issues with his skating, Huckins future likely lies on the wing. He will still need to work on his skating in order to get to at least a passable level for the NHL, but if he can make that happen, he can be a valuable player. Huckins has the size and willingness to play physically to be a power forward in the NHL. He also has offensive skills with his ability to score goals as well as to set up plays. Huckins is a long-term project but could also be a big boom for a team that develops him properly. Huckins game is similar to Alex Tuch. This is a stylistic comparison only though and not one based on skill and ability.

Highlights

The following is a compilation of some of the highlight packages and features of Cole Huskins that are available on youtube and Twitter.

Check back later for our latest draft article.

 

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