2019 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Bowen Byram is the best defenseman

If you’re looking for a defenseman in the 2019 NHL Draft, you won’t find one better than Bowen Byram.

Recently, Rasmus Dahlin, Cale Makar, and Miro Heiskanen have been among the defensemen taken in the top five of the NHL Draft. Though the 2019 NHL Draft is more known for having Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko, Bowen Byram should continue the tradition of there being great defensemen selected in the top five.

Byram has been one of the younger defensemen in the WHL this season. Despite this, he put up well over a point per game, posting 26 goals and 71 points in 67 regular season games. During the postseason, Byram put up 13 points in 10 games.

Prospect Profile

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Height: 6’1″ (185 cm)
Weight: 192 pounds (87 kg)
Teams: Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Country: Canada
Position: Defenseman
Handedness: Left-handed
Date of birth: June 13, 2001

All profile info is courtesy of Elite Prospects.

Strengths

Byram has a very well-rounded game. Obviously, his offense is his calling card. Posting a point per game in juniors as a 17-year-old is pretty darn impressive. His point per game rate of 1.060 ranks ninth all-time among 17-year-old WHL defensemen.

He is very confident in his shot, as shown by his 26 goals this season. His goals per game rate of 0.388 puts him on the top seven all-time among his peers. Bryam’s slapshot is powerful and accurate. He led under-18 WHL defensemen in most five-on-five offensive categories, including goals, assists, primary points, and points.  Byram also has the tools to be a very effective weapon on the power-play, posting 26 points on the man advantage this season.

On top of that, he’s very confident and comfortable in the defensive zone. Byram is an outstanding skater for his size and is very comfortable leading rush attempts. He can play during all situations and should grow into the kind of defenseman who can average over 20 minutes a game regularly.

Weaknesses

Byram’s main weaknesses are his rather pedestrian positioning and his lack of urgency on defense. That said, I wouldn’t be too worried about either. Both those problems can easily be addressed and he’s made a ton of strides in both areas. Also, Byram’s always going to be the kind of defenseman who will outproduce his mistakes.

His discipline is something to keep an eye on. But Byram has good habits, so that’s a good sign. For an offensive defenseman, he has outstanding defensive habits. Byram needs to improve there, but I’m encouraged he’ll figure things out with his skill set and work ethic.

Highlights

Overall Outlook

Byram isn’t going to be an immediate contributor in the NHL. He could be in a third pairing role, but an extra year in juniors would be the best thing for him. Byram has the deck stacked against him (younger than everyone else), yet every game I saw him, he stood out in positive ways.

I see a lot of John Carlson of the Washington Capitals in his game. Both players love to play up in the offensive zone, yet are more than capable defensively. He’d be a great fit with the Blackhawks, but I wonder if they’ll focus more on forwards after focusing on defensemen in the draft recently.

For more of our draft profiles, check out our NHL Draft page.