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 2021 NHL Draft Scouting Reports for Prospects 81-90.
Its almost here, draft day. With 80 NHL Draft scouting reports in the books, I now make a number of shorter write-ups over the next few days to take us over 100 prospects ranked and reviewed. If history is any indication, some of these players will get taken in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds. In my opinion, they will be big-time steals at those picks. Without further ado, we present our next ten prospects in the NHL Draft Scouting Reports series.
2021 NHL Draft Scouting Reports
81.) Brent Johnson, Right Defence, Sioux Falls Stampede, USHL, 5’11” 165 lbs
Johnson is an excellent skater. This helps him to really push the offence for Sioux Falls. He loves to rush the puck up the ice and join the attack. He is also a good passer at the blue line. Johnson has the poise to control the puck and the vision to find the open man. He can pass the puck through tight seems to create scoring chances. Johnson also has an excellent slap shot and wrist shot. He will need to add muscle to his frame and work on his defence going forward.
82.) Sean Tschigerl, Left Wing, Calgary Hitmen, WHL, 6’0″ 181 lbs
Tschigerl has good skating ability and plays a two-way game. He can score goals with his shot and quick release. He also has the passing skills to set up plays. Tschigerl has been used on both the power play and the penalty kill for the Hitmen. He put up 21 points in 21 games this season. He is a solid skater, with very good acceleration and edgework. Tschigerl will need to get stronger though. He can improve his work along the boards and in the dirty areas of the ice if he can be better at fighting through checks.
83.) Roman Schmidt, Right Defence, US National Team Development Program, USHL, 6’6″ 209 lbs
Coming in at 6-foot-6, Schmidt is a giant on the blue line. He uses his size effectively and forwards coming down his side of the ice with their head down will certainly pay the price. He is also strong on the boards and at clearing the front of the net. There is not a lot of offence there, but Schmidt has a good slapshot from the point. Schmidt is a very good skater for his size, and this mobility helps him to maintain good gap control. He uses his long stick to cut down passing lanes and create turnovers. Schmidt makes a nice first pass to start the transition game.
84.) Peter Reynolds, Centre, Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL, 5’10” 168 lbs
Reynolds is a quick skater who has a real knack for finding open ice. Once he gets there, he can take a pass from a teammate and scores goals with an excellent wrist shot and very good one-timer. He is also a good passer, finding open teammates and then heading for that open ice and the give-and-go type plays. Reynolds handles the puck well. He can carry the puck through the neutral zone and generates effective zone entries. He also can make plays while skating at top speed. Reynolds is a bit undersized though. He will need to add muscle and work on his defensive game.
85.) Cameron Whynot, Left Defence, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL, 6’1″ 180 lbs
Whynot is an excellent skater. He is quick in both directions and his edgework, agility and pivots are all very strong. This allows him to cover all areas of the ice. He loves to push the offence, as he has the stickhandling to pair with that skating and move the puck through the neutral zone. He is also a good passer. Whynot can play the point on the power play, with an excellent slap shot. He needs to work on being more disciplined. He can get himself out of defensive position by being too aggressive going after the puck.
86.) Danila Klimovich, Centre/Right Wing, Minskie Zubry, Belarus, 6’1″ 187 lbs
Klimovich is a Belarusian forward who has impressed on the international stage, with six goals in five games at the IIHF Under-18s as well as playing in the Men’s World Championship. Klimovich showed impressive speed in the tournament and his skating was a real weapon. He accelerates quickly. If the defence gives Klimovich a small opening, he can blow past him and leave them in the dust. He also has an excellent wrist shot, with a lighting quick release. Klimovich is a long-term project who will need some work on his defensive game.
87.) Tristan Lennox, Goaltender, Saginaw Spirit, OHL, 6’4″ 190 lbs
Coming in at 6-foot-4, Lennox has the type of ideal size that NHL teams are looking for in goalie prospects now. He makes the most of that size by playing at the top of his crease and taking away space. However, he will need to be more consistent with his angles, as he is sometimes a little off and gives the shooter too much to look at. However, he already has decent rebound control, something many goalies struggle with. He is also very quick at getting side-to-side. His butterfly is good, as he quickly takes away the bottom of the net. Lennox also acts like a third defenceman with his puckhandling skills.
88.) Jayden Grubbe, Centre, Red Deer Rebels, WHL, 6’3″ 201 lbs
Grubbe has excellent size and plays a very effective two-way game. He is strong in the faceoff circle. He is also used against the opponent’s best lines and in killing penalties. Grubbe also generates offence with his strong skating, puckhandling skill, vision and passing ability. Grubbe will need to work on his shot though. He needs to add power in order to be a threat to shoot or teams will lay off him in the zone. Grubbe suffered a season-ending knee injury in March, but is expected to be ready for the start of next season.
89.) Riley Kidney, Left Wing/Centre, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL, 5’11” 168 lbs
An undersized forward, Kidney will need to work on his skating to make it to the next level. However, he has every other tool that one would want in both ends of the ice. He is a good stickhandler who can protect the puck and wait for his teammates to get open. When they do, he can open a passing lane with a quick fake, and then set up a scoring chance. Kidney also has an excellent shot and release. His defensive game is already quite advanced. Kidney is a really smart player who anticipates plays and seems to always be in the right spot.
90.) Topias Vilen, Left Defence, Pelicans, SM Liiga, 6’0″ 194 lbs
Vilen spent the majority of the season in the Finnish Liiga, playing against men. He didn’t put up big numbers, but his previous junior career as well as his time at the Under 18s shows that he has offensive tools. He is a very good stickhandler who moves the puck effectively. Vilen does a good job of pushing offence, carrying the puck through the neutral zone and getting zone entries. He can also play the role of the distributor on the power-play. Vilen is also not afraid to get his nose dirty, playing physically in his own end. His overall positioning and gap control need some work though.
2021 NHL Draft Scouting Reports Main Photo:
