2019 NHL Draft prospect profile: Thomas Harley scouting report

Thomas Harley is one of the most gifted offensive defensemen in the 2019 NHL Draft.

The 2019 NHL Draft will be remembered for the forwards. Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko have what it takes to star for a long time in the NHL. As far as the defensemen, Bowen Byram and Cam York lead the way. However, Thomas Harley has what it takes to be a great offensive defenseman.

Harley’s offensive talent is obvious. He put up nearly a point per game in the OHL this season for the Mississauga Steelheads. However, does Harley have what it takes to stick in the NHL?

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Prospect Profile

Height: 6’3″
Weight: 192 pounds
Teams: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Country: Canada
Position: Defenseman
Handedness: Left-handed
Date of birth: August 19, 2001

All profile info is courtesy of Elite Prospects.

Strengths

Harley’s calling card is his offense. He had one of the most productive under-18 seasons in OHL history among defensemen. Harley is confident and poised with the puck. Furthermore, his shot has the potential to be lethal. It’s already very good.

His skating, however, is what sets him apart from other prospects. Harley is a terrific skater for his size. His stride is strong and he uses his impressive wingspan to keep up with forwards. Harley’s edge work is great as well.

He showed he can handle big minutes this season, as he played about 30 minutes a night for the Steelheads. Granted, this was largely because Harley had to since his team didn’t have much depth, but this year, he showed he can be an all-situations defenseman.

Harley has a lot of poise in the offensive zone. He has very good vision and instincts with the puck, which should further improve.

Weaknesses

The biggest weakness in Harley’s game is his defense. I don’t think it’s as bad as some do because playing 30 minutes a game didn’t do him any good. This highlighted his issues, and I’m willing to bet fatigue played a part in this as well.

Harley doesn’t have much strength. He’ll have to improve there to be a regular NHL defenseman. I’m a fan of his footwork and gap control, but he can be a bit too passive. Again, that might just be due to his massive minutes. For what it’s worth, Harley looked very good at the U-18 tournament, during which he played fewer minutes than he did with the Steelheads.

What They’re Saying

"When he was on the ice, his team had control of the puck. He’s big, mobile, skilled and smart. . – Corey Pronman from The Athletic"

"Harley does a decent job defending the rush with his reach but he lacks physicality in puck battles and plays too passively within D-zone schemes, which can result in some ugly shifts. – Scott Wheeler from The Athletic"

Highlights

Overall Outlook

How you feel about Harley depends on how you feel about his defense. I believe there’s a lot of potential for growth there for him. Harley needs to get stronger there. Though he struggled defensively, I believe there are factors that contributed which were far beyond his control.