Jacob Paquette

June 2019 – Paquette did not receive an entry level contract from the Predators which means he re-enters the draft.  Jokke Nevalainen

December 2018 – Paquette was traded to the Niagara Ice Dogs in a massive trade that also sent Jason Robertson to the Ice Dogs. Paquette is a defensive defenseman with very limited offensive upside but has started to show a little bit of growth with Niagara. Paquette has five points in seven games with the Ice Dogs. Matt Somma

September 2018 – After being drafted by the Nashville Predators in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Paquette returned to form for the Kingston Frontenacs. The 6-3 defenseman saw more ice time with the Frontenacs, set career highs in goals, assists, and points, and was an outstanding plus-22. Paquette is still not the strongest skater and his offensive upside is limited, but his shutdown style of defense may be useful at the professional level. Paquette is more of a long-term project and will likely need three or more years of development before being ready to make the jump to the NHL. Matt Somma

June 2017 – After enjoying an excellent rookie season on a contending Kingston Frontenacs team in his D-1 season, Paquette was widely considered a potential first round prospect for the 2017 NHL Draft. His draft year was a setback in his rankings and it started with an injury that cost him a shot on Team Canada for the Ivan Hlinka Tournament. Paquette also missed the start of the season and when he did return he had a difficult time making an impact. His offensive totals regressed slightly and that is a big red flag for scouts in assessing a players projection. However, Kingston Coach Paul McFarland often deferred to OA veteran Stephen Desrocher and Finnish import Eemeli Rasanen in primary offensive situations and asked Paquette to carry the load defensively. Paquette is a strong skater and has a very projectable 6-3 and 207 pound frame to pro hockey. He skates well with the puck, keeping his feet moving and his head up when rushing the puck in transition. His shot isn’t very dangerous and needs some work but he makes quick, sharp, accurate passes and can distribute the puck well on the point. Defensively he is very reliable, can play a physical game to separate players from the puck or rub them out in board battles, his edge work is great as he pivots, turns, skates backwards and stops and starts with execution and efficiency. Paquette has been a draft rankings faller this season but should offer the team that drafts him excellent value, but his fantasy value is not as high. Peter Harling