HOW GOOD IS LUCAS JOHANSEN?
By Lowetide
8 years agoLucas Johansen is the younger brother of Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen. Until recently, he was known only to NHL scouts, the scouting community that has grown around the industry (Red Line Report, ISS) and Kelowna Rockets fans. That is changing, and Johansen is a trending player as we edge toward the draft.
Bob McKenzie’s mid-season rankings had Johansen at No. 36, and his offensive performance has spiked since then:
- Through end of December: 35, 5-16-21
- Since the end of December: 36, 7-24-31
- Overall: 71, 12-40-52 (includes playoffs)
- Source
SCOUTING REPORTS
- Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst: And even though he’s relied upon to help drive the advance up the ice,
there’s a lot more than offense to Johansen’s game, as he is reliable,
smart and owns an acute sense of when to attack the puck in his own end
and quickly transition it. Source - Kirk Luedeke,The Scouting Report: Lucas is a really good skater, four-way mobility, he can stop/start quickly, he can skate backwards very well, very agile and fluid mover with his crossovers and his lateral movement and crisp on his edges. He is going to be good in puck retrieval, effective in leading and joining the rush, advancing the puck. He has good vision and passing ability. He is not a very physical defenseman, has a tendency to be more of a stick-check, play the puck kind of defensemen. Has to get better in the way he processes the game. He has higher offensive upside and could be a player who comes off the board earlier. Source
- Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting: “He comes from the defenceman
factory in Kelowna, so he’s got that in his favour there.But his game is growing, it’s
going in the right direction. He’s on an upward trend so the projection
should be he’ll continue and chances are he’ll move up as the year
continues.” Source - NHL Central Scouting: “Good size and strength, developing into a solid two-way defenceman.
Good hands and puck skills to mange the play at the offensive blue line.
Excellent short game and passer, good shot from the point. Effective
game with and without the puck.” Source - Iain Morrell, McKeens: A poised, all-weather defenseman with good size, skill and mobility. Johansen adopts a
safe and conservative approach – and isn’t one to stand out by making
flashy plays or being aggressive offensively. Source
HOW GOOD IS HE?
If Johansen is hanging around when Edmonton picks in the second round he might be a perfect fit. Although lots of draft resources have been invested in defenders by the Oilers over the last number of years, this is a player who can wheel and is emerging as an offensive option.
Craig Button’s rankings:
- January: No. 75
- March: No. 50
He has a chance to make it into the first round, and those scoring totals suggest a late spike. His playoff showing (2gp, 2-1-3) has to have been noticed by the 30 NHL teams, and sneaking him through the first two rounds looks impossible at this point. If a team likes him and he is available in round two, then taking him (or trading up) is probably the wise option.
Previously:
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