2020 NHL draft: Jamie Drysdale

History

Jamie Drysdale was born and raised in the Toronto area. In his only season in the Greater Toronto Minor Midget Hockey League(GTMMHL), Drysdale played for the Toronto Marlboros where he recorded 50 points in 57 games. Drysdale’s play lead to him being drafted fourth overall by the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). 

In his first season, Drysdale scored 7 goals for 40 points in 63 games. Internationally, Drysdale represented Canada at the U-17 as a captain, where he had four points (no goals) in five games. He also played at the  U-18 tournament where he recorded two assists in seven games. Drysdale was again named captain at the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament this past summer. He lead Canada to a silver medal and he got five assists in five games.

Scouting Report

Drysdale is the top ranked defenseman for a reason. He is undoubtedly the most dynamic offensive-defenseman in this years class. He has great speed, agility, and passing ability that many teams covet when it comes to their power play quarterback. 

Like most offensive defensemen, he has the ability to make your jaw drop and make you rip your hair out in the same shift. Yes, he has a tendency to get caught pinching and it costs his team a goal or at the very least a great scoring chance against. The thing with Drysdale though, is that he’ll make up for it nine times out of ten.

It should be noted that Drysdale is good defensively. He has great gap control and his skating ability helps him with this. He uses his stick to make excellent zone denials and he’s not afraid to use his body, even if his 165lb frame doesn’t do much damage. Yes, he sometimes has those defensive lapses. However, the difference between him and many other Dmen is that he has the skill to make you forget about his blips.

Projection

If his junior numbers are any indication, Drysdale could consistently lead his team’s backend in points. Also, I think he could be a great quarterback option for any power play in the league. Overall, I could see Drysdale being a number one or two defenceman at the NHL level, playing on a top unit power play.