Brayden Schuurman

July 2022 – Schuurman was not chosen in the 2022 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

May 2022 – Schuurman’s game relies heavily on his impressive shot and scoring ability. His production this year ranks among the top-five draft-eligible scorers in the WHL. His ability to shoot for rebounds found him tallying more assists on the powerplay than goals but still, he only sat one goal shy of projected top-10 pick Matthew Savoie on the man-advantage. His control of the puck allows him to cradle and fire off hard, accurate shots. Never wasting possession of the puck, he picks the right opportunities to shoot, avoiding risky shots that may get blocked. While Schuurman is not the fastest straight-line skater, he has got promising edgework and in-tight agility to maneuver around the ice, especially on the half-wall during a powerplay or in corner battles. Too often, he uses powerless short strides with his feet straying from the center of his body, preventing him from gaining power in his stride. Considering this isn’t always the case, he will be able to move around the ice a bit faster with proper development in this area. Schuurman seems better suited on the wing where he can stretch out the ice and create more off of the rush because he struggles in the faceoff dot and attacks well in transition. Defensively, his anticipation skills can improve, especially on the penalty kill, and he must work on mirroring his opponents better to avoid defending flatfooted. His tendency to give up on forechecking can also be worrisome as he doesn’t finish hits that he could. A work in progress, Brayden Schuurman’s bound to score goals at any level, but he has work to do to round out the rest of his game. Evan Pace