Dylan MacKinnon

June 2023 – MacKinnon was selected 83rd overall by the Predators. Pat Quinn

June 2023 – MacKinnon’s season on the offensive end was lackluster, as he only put up 23 points in 61 games and didn’t improve upon that in the Halifax Mooseheads’ deep playoff run, earning only two points in 20 games.

MacKinnon is one of the rare draft-eligible QMJHL defensemen whose defensive habits are well ahead of his offensive tools. A punishing rush defender with solid in-zone habits to boot, the 6-foot-3 blue-liner is hard to play against and occupies dangerous ice very well in his own zone, looking to tie up anyone who comes within arm’s reach. His hockey sense on both sides of a puck is a concern, as he can miss good options in favour of a dump-in or lose his check in rotating offensive zone cycles, but one-on-one, few defend as well as he does. MacKinnon has a lot of development left to go through in all three zones, but his foundation of defensive habits combined with his size, reach and intensity make for an alluring package in the mid-to-late rounds. Hadi Kalakeche