Up until the draft I will be putting out 20 NHL Draft Prospects in 20 days. I will be certain to cover all the top guys but also some players that can be had in later rounds. I will end up with a mock draft the day before the draft. If you missed any of the prospects, click ARCHIVE above to find what you have missed.
Few players force the opposition to keep their head on a swivel both when they have the puck on their stick and when they don't. Mathew Dumba is one of those players as he possesses a howitzer of a shot and will knock you silly in a moments notice. Throw in that he has the leadership qualities to captain his country's U18 team in the World Championships as the youngest draft eligible player and then lead the tournament in scoring (5-7-12) as a defenseman, more than just a few scouts took notice.
“Dynamic defenseman who can have a great impact in games in both ends of the ice at any given moment,” HockeyProspect.com's scouts said in their NHL Draft Black Book. “One of the most feared open ice hitters in the WHL. He is rightfully one of the highest ranked defenseman available in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, and has solid upside to his game.”
As you can imagine, his coach likes him roaming around on his blue line.
“I think his athleticism is right at the top” Red Deer Rebels’ general manager and head coach Jesse Wallin told WHL.ca. “He’s very athletic, he’s a very good skater with a lot of explosiveness, and he’s a powerful kid out there. A similar comparison to Matt would be (former Red Deer Rebel) Dion Phaneuf in that they both play with energy, they are both powerful skaters, they are very physical players and they both have the ability to make the big open-ice hits. The physical element of (Dumba’s) game is unique because the ability to deliver those hits, time them right, and know when to do it and when not to is an art form that not many guys have.”
Unlike Ryan Murray that's 10 months his senior and most believe is either close to being ready or is already ready to be in the NHL, Dumba still has a lot to learn before he will be ready for the big stage.
“Matt Dumba is a very talented, but very raw defence prospect for this year’s draft,” Ben Kerr from Last Word on Sports clearly states. “He’s a classic high risk/high reward prospect. Offensively talented, Dumba has great skating, a tremendous slapshot, smart offensive instincts, makes great passes, and is clearly not afraid to join the rush or take offensive chances.
“However, Dumba can definitely use some work in his own end of the ice. He sometimes takes too many offensive chances or gets himself out of position looking for that big hit and his defensive game can sometimes suffer as a result. He also needs to bulk up as he’s listed at 6’0 173 lbs. “
Director of scouting for HockeyProspect.com, Mark Edwards agrees.
“Dumba is a great player but he is a notch below the other high end D-men in this draft. I don’t think he plays as smart a game as some of the other guys. He is elite in some aspects of his game but just average to poor in other areas. the good news is that all of his weak points are very correctable other than being sub six feet.”
As Edwards said, Dumba has things that you can't teach and his weakness are things you can teach or at least you think you can teach or experience will teach. Due to this, where Dumba is thought to be picked in this draft is all over the place. Some feel he could be selected as high as fourth overall by the New York Islanders and possibly fall out of the top ten and go 12th to Buffalo or even 14th to Calgary.
Dumba has been on the radar for awhile and with him it's going to be how much you have loved his game and how he has progressed. Do you feel he is progressing at a rate that in a year he would be on the same level as Ryan Murray? Do you feel his ceiling is higher the Griffin Reinhart? Does he have the defensive game of Jacob Trouba? In a year loaded with top end defenseman, some will feel that he has the best overall package and others will be scared of the unknown. If you guess right, you could hit a big in this draft as one of Dumba bone rattling checks.
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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