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Ivan Provorov:
Cody Nickolet (WHL from Above / Future Considerations):
”Ivan Provorov is a steady and smart two-way defenceman for the Brandon Wheat Kings…possesses a smooth, composed and powerful skating stride…can accelerate away from a forecheck or into an offensive lane due to the strength of his first few steps…could stand to add a bit more pure top speed as he slowly gets closer to playing in the NHL, although he’s surely not a slow skater by any means…displays strong edgework as he appears to be fairly light on his feet…oozes hockey sense and plays with a remarkably high level of poise…never seems to be flustered by physical contact or by the pressure of a forecheck…executes crisp, accurate and well-timed outlet passes…passes the puck harder than most players at this level with his long stick possessing a high amount of whip to it…can add some touch to his passes, softening them when necessary…has the ability and composure to reverse the play or circle back in his own zone if he doesn’t like what he sees in front of him when attempting to exit the zone…is more of a puck-mover than puck-rusher but has the ability to rush it when the situation calls for it…seemed to lack some “wow factor” for much of the year but dispelled that with a few big plays in the second half of the season…carries his right elbow very high towards the sky when carrying the puck providing a unique look…that look is mainly due to the fact that he plays with a 4-inch extension on his stick, which greatly aids him on either side of the biscuit…possesses a very hard wrist shot with a quick release…excels at getting wristers on net through traffic thanks to footwork at the offensive line and the ability to subsequently change shooting angles…his shooting game also features an absolute bomb of a one-timer and that element of his game will make him a 15-20 goal threat at the NHL level…can quarterback a powerplay quite comfortably, showcasing the ability to be a threat as a passer, shooter or a guy that sneaks in the backdoor…understands offensive spacing and how players need to be positioned in order to dissect a penalty killing unit…is a composed defender…keeps tight gaps due to his high level of skating ability…displays excellent stick work which is a great compliment to his tight gap control…understands hip and shoulder angles when it comes to defending on the rush or on the cycle…very rarely puts himself in a bad position with an over-aggressive play on the defensive side of the puck…plays regular penalty killing minutes along with his time on the PP…isn’t a killer physically on a game to game basis but can lower the boom when he wants to…doesn’t look like a big kid but is surprisingly thick, strong and sturdy…regularly catches players off guard when they attempt to play physical with him…has very few weaknesses in his game and would be considered an extremely well-rounded player who can play in any situation…spent basically 95% of the season on the Wheat Kings top defensive pairing with fellow draft-eligible defender Ryan Pilon…looks to be one of the more NHL-ready players in this years draft class, not just from the WHL…it wouldn’t shock me if he had a strong showing in training camp and stuck in the NHL next year, although I think in the long-term it would make the most sense for him to spend another year in the WHL with Brandon…after a dynamite regular season I noticed a decent drop-off in his play as the postseason went on, citing potential injury or just general fatigue…was the WHL’s Eastern Conference Defenceman Of The Year this season, losing the league title to Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds…featured very consistent production offensively this year as he didn’t have one month all regular season where he was under a point-per-game…led all first-year draft-eligible WHL defencemen in goals, points, points-per-game and even-strength points-per-game (0.47 ES PPG)…his 17 primary assists during the regular season were good for T-2nd among all first-year draft-eligible WHL defenders, trailing only Noah Juulsen’s 21…was involved in 21.63% of all Brandon’s regular season goals, the 3rd highest percentage of any first-year draft-eligible WHL defender…scored 5.32% of all Brandon’s regular season goals, the 2nd best mark among first-year draft-eligible defencemen, trailing only Ethan Bear of Seattle (6.34%)…has spent the last several years in North America playing in the USHL and midget in Wilkes-Barre…played for Russia at this year’s World Juniors and during the Subway Super Series…speaks very good English due to his extensive time spent in North America…was the 30th overall selection by Brandon in the 2014 CHL Import Draft… overall, Provorov reminds me a lot of a player like Mark Giordano as their frames are remarkably similar, are both well-rounded, can shoot it, pass it, play physical and are understated leaders when compared to some of their peers…I project him to be a solid #2 (top pairing) defender at his NHL peak, but not quite up to the level of being a true top defenceman…despite that classification, he will be a guy that should excel in every situation you put him in, including having the ability to quarterback your top powerplay unit and see borderline top penalty killing minutes…I expect him to come off the board within the first 8 or 9 selections of the 2015 NHL Draft, maybe even as high as 7th overall to the Philadelphia Flyers…”
Travis Konecny:
Brock Otten (OHL Prospects):
”Konecny is a hard prospect not to like. He plays the game the right way and is a very well rounded player. At the beginning of the year, he struggled to find his game, and seemed to be putting too much pressure on himself. His speed is electric, but the creativity was being stifled because he was forcing plays that weren't there. Towards the New Year (including a fantastic showing at the CHL Top Prospect's Game), the light really seemed to turn on for him. He's at his best using his speed in short bursts offensively, dictating pace by stopping and starting quickly. He's also at his best when he's engaging physically, throwing big hits and agitating on the forecheck. Konecny also possesses a fantastic wrist shot with a pro calibre release. As the captain of the 67's, it goes without saying that his leadership qualities are also significant. I think that, really, the only strike against Konecny is size. At 5'10, Konecny plays a much larger game (and needs to play that way to be successful). And he's run into some injury issues, including a shoulder injury that kept him out late in the year and in the playoffs. So there are durability questions. In a lot of ways, it resembles Robby Fabbri's situation last year. Come draft day, watching where Konecny goes is one of the things I'm most curious about.”
