2020 NHL Draft prospect profile: Jamie Drysdale scouting report

Positives and Negatives

Drysdale is a very interesting skater. He’s got very fluid strides, and as he moves up ice it looks very effortless. He has a great first step and acceleration, which allows him to reach his top speed rather quickly. However, I don’t know quite how fast he is.

When he has the puck and is moving up ice, he looks faster than those around him, and he’s able to get around opposing players with relative ease. However, when he is in a race for the puck, especially in the defensive zone, he tends to get beaten or, if he has a step on the opposing player, gets caught and forced to battle for it. His speed is very inconsistent, and very well could be an issue with effort.

Drysdale also has great edges, as he’s able to snake his way through a maze of defenders with ease. He can also stop on a dime and successfully make tight turns when needed. He also possesses great balance and lower-body strength. He’s hard to knock down and away from the puck, and it also allows him to fare well in board battles. He doesn’t get pushed around by the opposition very often.

Drysdale has an excellent feel for the game. His passes are so smooth because he reads the play at such an advanced level and he’s able to find a pass before the puck even reaches him. This is what allows him to be such a great puck mover, which is attractive for a lot of NHL teams.

It also allows him to be safe with the puck. In situations where the puck is sent to him, he makes quick passes or sends a shot in on the net, or simply dumps it in deep; he basically does everything in his power to keep the offensive attack alive.

Drysdale, as mentioned before, is a pass-first player. His anticipation is next level, and he pairs that with his excellent vision, which allows him to send passes that most people wouldn’t be able to find. His passes are almost always flat on the ice when it reaches a teammate’s stick, and he has a great touch, knowing how much power is needed on each pass to get it from point A to point B.

Drysdale is very good at looking off passes and fooling opponents. Several times I watched as he made a no-look drop-pass right on the tape of a teammate, then later on a no-look, behind-the-back pass tape-to-tape to set up a teammate in an open area. He exhibits confidence, and to have that confidence at his age is huge in the eyes of general managers.

Drysdale possesses a heavy slap shot which can be dangerous at the next level, with some fine-tuning. He’s got great power, but not much accuracy on his slap shots, often sending the shot wide or over the net. He also has a sneaky good, but very under-utilised wrist shot.

Again, his wrist shot has a lot of steam on it, but it’s more accurate than his slap shot, though he won’t be picking corners either way.

On the power play, he does an excellent job controlling the pace of play. If things start to get hectic and unorganized in the offensive zone, it all seems to be reorganized by Drysdale. He doesn’t get sucked into the same mental state and doesn’t allow his game to become out of control like others on the ice, so his calmness when he receives the puck is transmitted to others on the ice, and everything returns to its form.

He dominates on the PP, as his passing ability and instincts allow him to set up many chances on the man advantage. Drysdale shows great gap control when defending against the rush. He doesn’t get beat wide very often and he doesn’t allow much space in the middle of the ice because of how tight he gets to the puck carrier. He also uses an active stick to disrupt clean entries and force dump-ins.

One thing about Drysdale’s defensive game is that he tends to puck-watch and puck-chase. He doesn’t stray too far out of position, but he does get sucked out of coverage at times, allowing for an opposing player to get open in a dangerous area. Another thing that he does is he gets so drawn into the puck-carrier that he becomes unaware of the guy skating right by him to get a one-timer at the side of the net.