WHL Report – March 2019

It’s getting close to the end of the WHL season which means some of the draft eligible prospects are taking their spots on draft lists! You can check out Cam Robinson’s top 100 draft list here if you missed it. (if you’re on Dobberprospects.. I doubt you did)

I’ve charted the prospects from Cam’s top 100 list by order and included 3 of my own notable prospects from the month of February. For those who just check stats near the end of the year, it’s nice to see which prospects came on late in the year and could rise up the rankings. I’ve included shots so you can see whether or not a prospect is firing from all angles. 

Dylan Cozens was about as steady as it comes for his production levels. Kirby Dach improved a bit after some stretches of completely disappearing in months previous. Peyton Krebs needs to continually be watched not based on his team success but of what he could do with improved line mates. 

Other than Cam’s list, I find that Tracey, Beckman, and Fairbrother are the standouts. I would imagine that you could see them rising up some of the rankings lists in the future. 

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Who is Brayden Tracey???

One of the lesser known top draft-eligible prospects in this draft is the Moose Jaw Warrior winger. He was 73rd on the midterm Central Scouting Rankings and has done nothing but pile up points since then. He currently sits second in points from first time WHL draft eligible players and has done so by being part of the powerhouse top line with Tristan Langan and Justin Almeida (PIT 5th RD 2018). 

I wanted to showcase a bit of how Moose Jaw uses this prospect in order to give you some insight into how he’s been so effective. Let’s look at how Brayden’s vision, passing, and shot can be used as he sets up on the PP in the high slot. 

Each of these clips were taken from games during the month of Feb.

He’s usually found in the high slot wearing jersey number 7.

1. One of Brayden’s best qualities is his puck control. He is a fantastic possession player. He uses his long stick and his frame to protect the puck while his vision finds his teammates with ease. 

2. He can be quite the deceptive passer. This fake is gross.

3. He gets off a heavy wrist shot and can change the angle on it too. 

4. When he doesn’t shoot, he can use his fakes and hesitations to create room for others.

5. When Moose Jaw decides to move him high to low, he can sneak in for a quick one-timer. 

Brayden Tracey owns the high slot on the top PP and he uses his simplistic puck control skills to change the angle on the shot, fake the pass, shoot with power and accuracy, or slip down to grab an easy one-timer. As far as draft eligible forwards go from the WHL, Brayden Tracey might be the best at adjusting to line mates, filling gaps, and playing the system. His individual skills might not top the charts but it’s hard to ignore the type of numbers he is putting up. 

Hopefully this gives you a little bit better glimpse at a sneaky good prospect with tons of upside. 

See you in the WHL playoffs!!

As always, you can find me on twitter at Dathockeydoe

Joel Henderson – WHL + Calgary Flames writer