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Meltzer's Musings: Could Crouse be Good Fit at 7th? |
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Which players will be off the board before the Philadelphia Flyers made their first selection of the 2015 NHL Draft with the seventh overall selection? The no-brainers are Connor McDavid at first overall to the Edmonton Oilers and Jack Eichel second overall to the Buffalo Sabres.
From the third to sixth spot, it seems likely that Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner will be taken within that range. As for the other two picks in that range, there is a decent possibility that at least one among defensemen Noah Hanifin, Ivan Provorov and/or Zach Werenski will be off the board. Among the other forwards who may or may not be gone before the Flyers' turn comes up are the likes of Mathew Barzal, Mikko Rantanen, Pavel Zacha and/or Lawson Crouse.
If the Flyers take Crouse, it would be a somewhat controversial pick. He did not put up big offensive numbers this season for the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs, and played more of a checking role for Canada at the World Junior Championships.
A major part of the reason why his offensive stats were middling for such a highly touted Draft prospect was that Calgary Flames prospect Sam Bennett was limited to 11 games this season. Without Bennett, Kingston lacked a high-end playmaker to get Crouse the puck.
Nevertheless, there is plenty to like about Crouse. He already has a projectable NHL role as well as a developed frame, despite being a few weeks from his 18th birthday.
"Lawson Crouse is a prototypical power-type guy," said Flyers scouting director Chris Pryor. "He’s an up-and-down, he skates, he’s a good hockey player. I don’t think they realize for a young kid to play on that World Junior team as he did, and he took a pretty big role – they depended on him to kill penalties and he did some other things there without the puck that tells you what type of player he can be from the defensive side.
"His numbers I don’t think tell you the whole picture of what type of player he is. That’s no criticism of Kingston there, but Sam Bennett was hurt all year. I know it’s easy to say anybody can play with Sam Bennett, but Lawson is the guy… he goes to the net, he’s a big body, he skates. Like I said, he’s a prototypical power forward. I don’t think people realize… he had a really good year. Numbers sometime don’t give you the whole picture."
As Pryor notes, what sets the 6-foot-4, 215 pound Crouse apart from many other power forward types is that he plays both sides of the puck and is a good, if no-frills, skater. Crouse knows how to use his size effectively and is hungry for the puck. He is unafraid to battle for real estate on the ice and has a decent shot. He won't make a lot dazzling east-west plays but he is a good north-south player.
For many power forwards, it takes time for their offensive game to develop at the pro level. The team that drafts Crouse will hope his scoring games comes along as he gains experience. If so, he will be a top-six forward and possibly even a bona fide top line left winger. If not, he still projects as an effective checker who can adapt to a variety of situations on the ice.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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