Brogan Rafferty

In last weeks ramblings I mentioned I was going to see Utica play in Belleville with a close eye on Vancouver Canucks prospect Brogan Rafferty. 

Brogan Rafferty was as advertised, very impressive. 

He is the Comets top defenseman on a team with deployment in offensive zone faceoffs, short handed and of course the top PP unit. 

He carried the puck with ease through the neutral zone, made zone entry look easy, was the trigger on the point with a heavy shot. Some of the cons I noticed were he was at times a little aggressive offensively and it didn’t happen in the game I was at, but it will lead to breakaway and odd man rushes against. 

Rafferty was easily the best defenseman in the game for either team including Olle Juolevi and Erik Brannstrom. Keep in mind Rafferty is 24-years-old and may not have the same long term upside as either, but he is certainly closer to the NHL and making a fantasy impact and is only 2% Fantrax owned in fantasy leagues….

More Scouting notes

Other notes and take aways from the Utica at Belleville age for you…

Lucas Jasek…soft on puck…easy to push over or take puck away

Logan Brown…excellent puck protection, uses long stick, big body to keep possession of puck…quick, clean, crisp passing on PP…Big, skilled, strong, looks NHL ready

Josh Norris…Is the shooter on the PP, team looks to get him the one-timer…Shot is hard…had three one-timer in first period, two times he missed the puck, other was a goal.

Alex Formenton…just blew past Ashton Saunter

Nikolai Goldobin…had two goals, highly skilled goals…holds onto puck too long…makes soft plays that are easily intercepted or lead to turnovers (in the AHL!)

Joey D’accord…lost game but looked very confident and comfortable…tracked puck well in traffic…stayed on feet…good puck handling ability…eats hard shots to limit or eliminate rebounds

Zayde Wisdom

As a Kingston resident I see the Kingston Frontenacs play a lot.

There is a lot of attention on the Fronts since selecting Shane Wright as an exceptional Status player and rightfully so. His winger Zayde Wisdom is starting to get some legitimate recognition as well as a result of all the extra eyes.

Wisdom is a 2020 draft eligible prospect and on the latest NHL Central Scouting Mid-Season Ranking, Wisdom as launched up from not being ranked on the preliminary ranking to 90th overall for North American Skaters. 

Of course you need to factor in the European skaters so this does not ensure he will be drafted but he is a prospect on the rise to be sure.

My scouting notes on Wisdom from last year are…Aggressive forechecker…very high compete level…quick, but not fast…hands need to catch up with feet…

My scouting notes from this year…Very aggressive in puck pursuit…excellent shot release…very strong net presence, effective in screen and making space for line mates on half wall…scores goals from 1-2 feet from goal…seeing significant development in puck skills, pass reception, carrying puck with speed, puck protection and stick handling…clearly faster…enforcer for Wright.

IN deep keeper leagues with multi-cat scoring, this is a late round prospect to take note of. While playing with Shane Wright helps, his development has been impressive.

Fantasy Hockey Midseason

The holiday season is over, the All-Star games are upon us and that means the midseason reality check for fantasy hockey owners has arrived.

Time to take an honest look at your roster; are you in, or are you out?

This may be an easy question to answer or not. Either way we are here to help. The Dobber Midseason Guide is now available in our shop and is a must own regardless of the answer the above question.

You can purchase the guide in the shop

As you are reading the DobberProspects ramblings, I will assume you are looking to the future and rebuilding, so here is how this guide can help you with that.

First it obviously has each team review, second half projections, insides edge, on the block and prospects close to the NHL.

Furthermore we include the top risers and faller prospects from the 2019 draft. Cam gives you an updated fantasy ranking of the top 20 for the 2020 draft

Dont forget I posted a full top 31 fantasy hockey ranking the 2020 draft 

More goodies include who to look for as free agents coming from the NCAA and Europe.