Lukas Dragicevic

June 2023 – Dragicevic was selected 57th overall by the Kraken. Pat Quinn

November 2022 – Dragicevic had a strong first full season with Tri-City in the 2021-22 season, notching six goals and 26 assists in 62 games. The defensive side of the game was still a work in progress but there has been improvement in that area in the early going of his draft year, and he has taken his offensive output to another level thus far. Through the first couple months of the season, he is one of the WHL’s top-scoring blueliners with seven goals and 22 assists in just 21 games.

Dragicevic’s game is built around his mobility and aggressive nature. He is a powerful and agile skater with good form, allowing him to skate the puck up ice in transition and play tight gaps when defending the rush. There is room for improvement in terms of his in-zone defending as he can sometimes get caught puck-watching or lose his assignment on sustained cycles for the opposition, but he does well to steer oncoming attackers where he wants them to go before attacking with an active stick. Dragicevic will also engage physically, and while he may not blow guys up with regularity, he will squeeze oncoming attackers along the wall and finish his checks. With the puck on his stick, he utilizes quick head and shoulder fakes to hold opposing defenders and open up space for a head-man pass or for him to skate the puck up ice himself. Dragicevic has good scanning habits that help him to identify his options in short order, adding to his efficiency as a puck mover. In the offensive zone is where Dragicevic’s aggressiveness and assertiveness really stand out. He controls the offensive line with poise, he will shrink the offensive zone at the appropriate time, and he has a heavy shot that makes him a legitimate scoring threat from the point. His vision as a passer also shines at the junior level, as he can make skilled passes through layers of traffic when he gets the opposing defenders moving around the zone. Already with a projectable offensive game, Dragicevic will have to continue to build upon his foundation of defensive skills, but he has clear top-four NHL potential and could be one of the first defensemen off the board at the 2023 NHL Draft. Nick Richard