Colten Teubert
13 years ago
Colten Teubert was selected 13th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, nine spots earlier than Jordan Eberle. He was one of a number of highly-touted Kings prospects prior to being traded to Edmonton in the Dustin Penner deal earlier today.
What kind of player is he?
From THN’s 2008 Draft Preview:
Teubert is a classic defensive defenseman who excels in the shutdown aspect of the game and plays with a pretty wide mean streak. “He’s not as polished as [Luke] Schenn, but he’s meaner than Schenn,” one scout said. “He’s a nasty guy to play against.” One scout said Teubert might tumble on draft day because he can be a little erratic and compared him to Bryan Marchment. Another scout wonders what all the fuss is about with Teubert. “I think he’s a little overrated,” the scout said. “He has pretty average hockey sense. He has good size and mobility and he competes, but I think his hockey sense keeps him from being a top pick.”
Those quotes have held up pretty well since draft day. I’ve seen early comments on Teubert placing the emphasis on where he was taken in the NHL draft, but the reality is that Teubert is not a marquee prospect at this point. If the Oilers wanted to turn around and move him at the draft, I’d wager heavy money that they would be unable to turn him into another first round draft pick, despite the time he has spent developing.
Physically, the strengths are the same now as they were on draft day. Teubert has good size (6’4”, 195lbs), and he’s still a nasty player. He’s willing to drop the gloves, although he isn’t really a brawler (four fights so far this season in the AHL). His straight-line speed and acceleration are pretty good for a player of his size. He’s a right-handed shot. Teubert was also the captain in Regina and despite occasional questions about discipline leadership has been mentioned as a plus all down the line.
Unfortunately, the negatives in his game have not disappeared. Teubert’s offensive game has been non-existent as a professional. Questions about his decision making still exist. His skating is generally a plus, but as McKeen’s put it a few years ago, “he can be sluggish in pivots and vulnerable to outside speed.”
Ultimately for Los Angeles, Teubert was expendable. Alec Martinez made the jump to the NHL from Manchester earlier this year, and Jake Muzzin has seen action in the show as well. After those two, the Kings had Vyacheslav Voynov, who is enjoying a tremendous season with Manchester (59GP – 12G – 28A – 40PTS, +15) as well as Thomas Hickey. Derek Forbort is also in the system, although not yet at the professional level.
In the Oilers system, Teubert’s best comparable is probably Alex Plante, and I imagine that he’ll slot in at around that spot on the depth chart – behind Jeff Petry and Taylor Chorney, but still an option for an NHL recall. I don’t expect that we will see him playing for the Oilers this season, and given his age and the other options in the system it seems likely that he will start 2011-12 in Oklahoma City.
All things considered, Teubert’s a nice prospect but not a spectacular one, with most estimates having him as a future depth defender at the NHL level.
Recent articles from Jonathan Willis
