{"id":113963,"date":"2021-07-10T15:18:15","date_gmt":"2021-07-10T19:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=113963"},"modified":"2021-07-16T17:57:21","modified_gmt":"2021-07-16T21:57:21","slug":"cole-huckins-scouting-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021\/07\/10\/cole-huckins-scouting-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Cole Huckins Scouting Report: 2021 NHL Draft #62"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>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,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lastwordbkerr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">follow me on Twitter<\/a>, 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 \u201cNHL Draft\u201d! We have a complete listing of our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021-nhl-entry-draft-headquarters\/\" target=\"_self\">draft articles here<\/a>. Today we bring you our Cole Huckins Scouting Report.<\/strong><\/em><em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-106095 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/04\/TSPLogo-300x80.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/04\/TSPLogo-300x80.png 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/04\/TSPLogo-768x204.png 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/04\/TSPLogo.png 1024w\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"80\">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.<\/p>\n<p>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.\u00a0 Malone was also drafted in the second round, 28th overall by the Waterloo Blackhawks in the 2019 USHL Futures Draft.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2>Cole Huckins Scouting Report<\/h2>\n<p>Centre\/Left Wing &#8212; shoots Left<br \/>\nBorn May 14th, 2003 &#8212; Fredericton, New Brunswick<br \/>\nHeight 6&#8217;3&#8243; &#8212; Weight 201 lbs [191 cm\/91 kg]<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/widgets.eliteprospects.com\/iframe_player_stats.php?player=492143\" width=\"700\" height=\"330\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"yes\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Skating<\/h3>\n<p>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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3>Offensive Game<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3>Defensive Game<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3>Projection and Comparison<\/h3>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3>Highlights<\/h3>\n<p>The following is a compilation of some of the highlight packages and features of Cole Huskins that are available on youtube and Twitter.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cole Huckins | #JeuDeLaSoiree\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b \/ #HighlightOfTheNight\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b -07\/04\/21\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kXOUoNCKNPo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/2021NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#2021NHLDraft<\/a> prospect F Cole Huckins had 1G and 3A on Saturday. <\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s his goal, an incredible (lucky?) tip: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wAUy4BxzQw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/wAUy4BxzQw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; 2021 NHL Draft Tracker (@NHLDraftWatch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NHLDraftWatch\/status\/1318021524255920129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 19, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/QMJHL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#QMJHL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HighlightOfTheNight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#HighlightOfTheNight<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Cole Huckins picks a corner and gets a powerplay tally for the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABTitan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ABTitan<\/a>! \ud83d\udea8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fqE7aYBuAI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fqE7aYBuAI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; QMJHL (@QMJHL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/QMJHL\/status\/1379800653061632000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 7, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HighlightOfTheNight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#HighlightOfTheNight<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/QMJHL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#QMJHL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABTitan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ABTitan<\/a> rookie Cole Huckins weaves his way through traffic to score this beauty, part of the first 3-point game of his career! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bKk8mmTFVQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/bKk8mmTFVQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; QMJHL (@QMJHL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/QMJHL\/status\/1227243942141419521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 11, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/rainvlo2\/status\/1404536365577080844<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cole Huckins @cole_huckins_ (Team New Brunswick, #18, Fredericton, New Brunswick, 15) &#8211; big power forward is the type of player QMJHL teams absolutely love! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BPeCHJw4h5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/BPeCHJw4h5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Scouting News (@hockeyscouting) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hockeyscouting\/status\/1100797178484834304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 27, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"fr\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/JeuDeLaSoir%C3%A9e?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#JeuDeLaSoir\u00e9e<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LHJMQ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#LHJMQ<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>La recrue du <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABTitan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ABTitan<\/a> Cole Huckins a obtenu le premier match de trois points de sa carri\u00e8re hier, incluant ce superbe but! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S1RMs1bevx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/S1RMs1bevx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; LHJMQ (@LHJMQ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LHJMQ\/status\/1227242868810665984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 11, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83e\udd4a\ud83e\udd4aFIGHT\ud83e\udd4a\ud83e\udd4a Sean Stewart (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sean20stewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@sean20stewart<\/a>) of the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IslandersHKY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@IslandersHKY<\/a> vs Cole Huckins (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABTitan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ABTitan<\/a>). <\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf99 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IslesRadio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@IslesRadio<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CoryArsenault?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CoryArsenault<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/QPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#QPlayoffs<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SeriesLHJMQ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SeriesLHJMQ<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoldRush?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GoldRush<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoTitanGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GoTitanGo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KqxzW4WoN0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/KqxzW4WoN0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Denis Leblanc (@DenisL_1981) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DenisL_1981\/status\/1391496006517334016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 9, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Check back later for our latest draft article.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cole Huskins Scouting Report Main Photo:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"fr\">Le Titan d\u2019Acadie-Bathurst a sign\u00e9 une entente avec Cole Huckins, de Fredericton. Il a \u00e9t\u00e9 rep\u00each\u00e9 au 16e rang il y a quelques semaines. Il pose en compagnie de l\u2019instructeur Mario Durocher (\u00e0 gauche) et du directeur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral,Sylvain Couturier. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/icinb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#icinb<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cympwXIG54\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/cympwXIG54<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Francois Vigneault (@FVigneault_RC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FVigneault_RC\/status\/1154781404816912387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 26, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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,\u00a0follow me on Twitter, and spread the word for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3172,2,4547,1279,3462],"tags":[5576,1672,1667,6855,487],"class_list":["post-113963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chl","category-featured","category-hockey","category-nhl-draft","category-nhl-prospects","tag-2021-nhl-draft","tag-acadie-bathurst-titan","tag-chl","tag-cole-huckins","tag-qmjhl"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}