PIB’s Blackhawks Prospect Rankings #1 Dylan Olsen

This is the inaugural article featuring top Blackhawk prospects. Profiles will be released in order of their ranking, with the Top 20 to be eventually released. The portal place to find Blackhawk prospect information here will through the Future Blackhawk page. 

Some fans might have been lead to believe the prospects we getting bare for the simple fact that all the young talent we have graduated in recent years to the NHL. Contrary to this belief, is the fact that there are plenty of Hawks prospects exuding tons of potential and having great years throughout various levels of hockey. 

Right off the top, the #1 ranked prospect by Paint It Blackhawk might come as a surprise to some. As the University Of Minnesota-Duluth media guide notes regarding the premiere Blackhawk prospect Dylan Olsen: “Seldom was his name mentioned in the Alberta Junior Hockey League circles with­out the word ‘impact’ in the same sentence.” While Olsen is on many Blackhawk fans’ radar, having him is as the number 1 current prospect is not a consensus by various ranking systems out there. Hockey’s Future, for instance, has him ranked as the #4 prospect in the pipeline.

I had the 28^th overall 2009 1^st rounder ranked 16^th overall in my Draft Preview Rankings.  As I reported back in June of this year:

“Olsens’ stock is rising with his recent great performance at the WJC-U18s, where he was Canada’s best defenseman. Whereas fellow prospect Simon Despres floundered under the international spotlight, “Oly” seized the moment! Subsequently, where Despres draft position fell, Olsen should definitely go higher than projected mid-season. Given he played in the AJHL this year, he is somewhat of unknown commodity, but is described as having a complete game. He has good size and is equally adept at playing in the offensive or defensive zones. He also possesses a good level of toughness and has that “umph!” to his game. Add to those components a bullet-like shot! He could be a real 1^st round sleeper, although scouts are not hitting the snooze button when it comes to this young gun any longer.”

Western College Hockey Blog previewed Olsen’s impact at UMD back in August and stated: “Not only is Olsen tremendously talented, and very well-developed for his age, but he’ll be stepping into a situation at Minnesota-Duluth where he’ll be expected to play big minutes right away, including using his big shot on the powerplay. It’s a case of a really good player finding a perfect situation. He’ll give UMD an elite defenseman that plays every situation and will make life easier for new starting goaltender Brady Hjelle.

Current Season Update:
Thus far, Olsen has contributed 3 assists in 6 games with the UMD Bulldogs with 7 penalty minutes. For comparison, noting stats are only a portion of what Olsen brings to the ice, he is tied for tops amongst team scoring for blueliners, with Brady Lamb, a senior who has 3 points in 8 games. While not staggering offensive stats, this is definitely a good start for an 18 year old rear guard in the NCAA.

As I also noted in my 2009 Draft Preview hosted at The Hockey Writers, with respect to Olsen:

International Tournaments: Olsen registered 4 points in 6 games at the WJC-U18s and emerged as Canada’s best blueliner, and possibly best player, in the tournament.

ETA = 3 years

Risk-Reward Analysis: Risk = 3/5   Reward = 4.5/5

(A little high on the risky side for the simple fact last season he went the route of the AJHL. That number will likely fall as the NCAA season progresses.)

NHL Potential: 2-way physical blueliner (Top 2 or 3 defenseman)

Fantasy Hockey Potential: Offensive = 8/10   Defensive = 8.5/10

NHL Player(s) Comparison: Dion Phaneuf, Shea Weber

Video: Not too much available on Dylan at this point. Here is a link from WJC summer camp during a scrimmage game this past August. Olsen (#4) had the second assist on the first goal highlighted. Also of note, fellow Blackhawk blueliner prospect Shawn Lalonde had 2 goals in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W8mQrYi7QY

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Dion Phaneuf, dylan olsen, Future Blackhawks, hockey prospects, Shea Weber