PIB’s Blackhawks Prospect Rankings #5 Nick Leddy
February 24th, 2010 | by Christopher Ralph |PIB Co-conspirator Christopher Ralph
This is the fifth article featuring top Blackhawk prospects. As described previously, 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 prospect cupboards were 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.
The #1 ranked prospect by Paint It Blackhawk is blueliner Dylan Olsen.
Kyle Beach, 11th overall 2008 1st rounder, is tight behind Olsen as the second ranked prospect in the Hawks organization, with blueliner Shawn Lalonde sneaking in at third. Jack Skille, the current fourth ranked prospect, will likely graduate from prospect status next season.
Age: 18
Date of birth: March 20, 1991
Place of birth: Eden Prairie, MN, USA
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 179
Shoots: L
NHL Seasons: 0-R
Drafted by Minnesota in 2009 (1/16).
Acquired in a trade with Minnesota in 2010.
The recently acquired (trade with Wild) Nicky Leddy comes in as the fifth ranked prospect, with the potential to easily move up in these rankings. The 16th overall, 1st round selection in 2009 by Minnesota was touted as one of the most explosive skaters in the draft.
As I noted in my monster 2009 Draft Preview, in the article featuring Nick Leddy, I summed the young blueliner up, stating:
“One-Timer: The recently crowned “Mr. Hockey”, as the best high-school player in Minnesota high school, is a tad on the small side, but boy is he fast! He is a very poised player and an uncanny ability to make plays at high speeds. He posses very good vision and thus makes intelligent decisions on both sides of the rink, to go with his exceptional skating ability.”
Current Season Update:
Leddy has notched 9 points (2G , 7A) in 23 contests for the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in the NCAA ranks. What is more impressive is that as a freshman he leads the club in plus/minus with a plus 10 ranking. While plus/minus can be a misleading stat, what is important to note, and thus quite significant, is the fact that the next closest Gopher is a plus 6. He has 41 shots thus far and just 2 penalties for 4 PIM. Just 2 of his 9 points have come on the powerplay.
International Tournaments: At the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament in 2008, he recorded two assists in four games, representing Team USA.
Scouting Combine Performance: (also taken from my draft preview at The Hockey Writers)
- Sorokin (Eug – a colleague of mine who attended the combine) enthusiastically reported: “What a physique! Absolutely murdered the vertical leap test. Put together beautifully, as he’s got the lower body to be able to skate, and the upper body to handle forwards. Should be a good one in my opinion.” TSN confirmed Leddy had the best vertical jump of the day.
ETA = 3 – 4 years
Nick Leddy #5 "In Some Good Company" {Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn - Flickr}
Risk-Reward Analysis: Risk = 2.5/5 Reward = 4/5
NHL Potential: 2nd pairing two-way blueliner
Strengths: Leddy is an outstanding skater, first and foremost, with smooth lateral mobility and acceleration. Despite his smaller stature, he is willing to initiate contact and take a hit to make plays in all three zones on the ice. Nick has also been described as the consummate team player and a quiet team leader, preferring to lead by example. He also has an underrated shot.
Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On: Obviously, he is not overly big and will need to add bulk to his 5’11” frame in order to better handle forwards in the Big League. Nick will also have to continue to work on defensive zone play and learn to use his shot even more.
Fantasy Hockey Potential: Offensive = 8/10 Defensive = 8/10
NHL Player(s) Comparison: Kris Russell, Dan Boyle, Brian Rafalski
Video(s):
- Wild GM Chuck Fletcher discusses selection of Nick Leddy at 2009 Entry Draft (NHL.com)
- Leddy’s dream comes true at the draft (MSN.com)
Bio(s)/Interview(s):
Interesting Notes: (courtesy of Wild.NHL.com)
* “Leddy remains a rink rat to the core. His father was a player, his uncle was a player (who ironically was Wild coach Todd Richards defensive partner at Armstrong high school), and it is all he has dreamt of.”
* “Leddy was offered the opportunity of a lifetime when the United States National Development Team, a full time development program in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that prepares elite American born hockey players for a future on U.S. National teams and the NHL, asked him to join the team. But his roots were so deeply embedded in his home state that he decided to remain with his high school team. In essence, Leddy turned down his country in favor of his state.”
Follow us on Twitter for all the latest Blackhawks news: http://twitter.com/paintitblackhwk
Tags: Brian Rafalski, Chicago Blackhawks, Dan Boyle, Kris Russell, NHL, Nick Leddy
By mplspuckguy on Mar 5, 2010
I was in Duluth last weekend watching the Bulldogs and Gophers last weekend, with both Dylan Olsen and Nick Leddy on the ice…Leddy at this point is easily the better of the two…no comparison in skating and skill, the only thing Olsen has over Leddy is height, which you can’t teach. Leddy starts every game, and is a regular on both the power play and penalty kill. Olsen was a healthy scratch the week period to the UMD vs UM weekend. I think the Blackhawks will be in for a pleasant surprise!