Could Jack Rathbone be the third pairing defencemen the Vancouver Canucks are waiting for?
Jack Rathbone is a 5’10” left-handed defencemen the Vancouver Canucks drafted in the fourth round of 2017. The year after his draft, he returned to Dexter School, which is in a USHL-prep league, where he was captain of his team.
There, he put up 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 17 games and was named to the USHL All-USA hockey second team. In his second season after being drafted, he joined Harvard’s team in the NCAA and point up 22 points (7 goals, 15 assists) in 33 games and was named to the ECAC all-rookie team.
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Rathbone had the benefit of playing alongside New York Rangers prospect Adam Fox. They found chemistry together almost immediately. Fox’s departure for the NHL could affect Rathbone’s production number but that being said there is so much to like about him with and without the puck.
Offensive side
When Rathbone has the puck in his own end has the ability to make a good first pass with his vision to find the open man. He also has the awareness and hockey IQ to pass it to his defensive partner if forecheckers give him any problems.
Rathbone also has the speed and skating ability to bring the puck up the ice himself if it’s the best option.
In the offensive zone, he is able to use the skating ability to walk the line and find an open shooting lane. Rathbone’s might not have the booming shot, but he does have a good one and more importantly, it is accurate.
Out of the 33 games he played, there were only three he didn’t record a shot. Furthermore, Rathbone had 16 games where he had three or more on the net. He finished the season with 92 shots.
Defensive side
Rathbone had the second highest plus-minus rating on his team with +13. Some of the contributing factors could be his ability to read the play and pinch at appropriate times.
He also is a great transitional player from the offensive zone to the defensive zone because of his skating ability and has decent poke checking ability, forcing players to be more careful with the puck around him. Rathbone might not be the biggest defenseman but is able to throw some good body checks.
Although he does have a lot of good qualities, none of them are great. Which leads me to believe he won’t be a top four defenseman in the NHL. However, he could be a great third pairing guy. It will be interesting to see what happens with his production since Fox is gone.
He could prove more people wrong and I’m hoping that he does. Do you think he could be a good replacement for Hutton when he is ready for the NHL? Let me know in the comments below. All stats were provided by www.eliteprospects.com and www.gocrimson.com.