Prospect Info: 2019 Draft | Round 2: Pick #55 - Dillon Hamaliuk (LW) | Kelowna (WHL)

[SactoShark]

He looks like he's alwalys in the right spot, but some of those highlights are

 

[The Nemesis]

Pronman quick pick analysis:

Hamaliuk was a riser this season, scoring at a near point per game rate in his second WHL season and being a quality power winger for Seattle. I often found him within a few feet of the net. He plays a hard game, but he’s got a lot of skill too. His hands are good and, at times, very good. He’s not a natural playmaker but Hamaliuk is a heady player who puts pucks in the right spots and can find his teammates well. He skates fine, well for a guy who is 6-foot-3, and can gain the zone with control of the puck with his speed. His skating showed improvement from two seasons ago. The issue for him is that he missed the second half of the season with a knee injury. Given he wasn’t explosive to start, how much speed he might lose from any knee issue is something to keep in mind. There are few 6-foot-3 forwards with legit skill you will find outside the first round, so that makes him appealing.
NHL scout on Hamaliuk: “He lives inside the dots. He’s a true power forward. He’s got skill. His skating has improved.”
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Grading the San Jose Sharks' 2019 draft class

This is the longest and most interested sounding Pronman is in discussing any of the Sharks picks. Like I note in the other pick threads, unless he particularly liked the prospect his writeup tended towards 2-3 sentences of "he has this skill(s), which is good but I'm not sure." which ends up sounding more pessimistic than would seem necessary at this point.

 

[alex716]

This looks like a pretty safe pick. He doesn't really stand out in any way, but looks pretty solid in all areas. Pretty agile and good stickhandling for his size. With his current skillset, I think improving his skating would make him effective as a physical and goal scoring energy winger.
At the very least he could be our go to head hitter.

 

[Celly4Celebrini]

i know hes been compared to Debrusk, but does anyone else read the reports and see a little Ryane Clowe in him?

 

[Led Zappa]

draftsite.com name irony.

Drafted in 2019 NHL Draft: 2nd Round, 55th Overall Pick by Nashville

Dillon Hamaliuk - NHL - DraftSite.com

 

[PattyLafontaine]

i know hes been compared to Debrusk, but does anyone else read the reports and see a little Ryane Clowe in him?

He appears to be much smoother than Clowe especially when you look at his puck handling. He actually somewhat looks like Marleau stylistically, but he has more of a physical presence.

You don’t typically see 6’2-6’3 guys display those types of stick handling skills.

The question becomes how physical can he play and bet yet how well does he endure physical play against him.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

He appears to be much smoother than Clowe especially when you look at his puck handling. He actually somewhat looks like Marleau stylistically, but he has more of a physical presence.

You don’t typically see 6’2-6’3 guys display those types of stick handling skills.

The question becomes how physical can he play and bet yet how well does he endure physical play against him.

My big question is what exactly kept him out of the lineup for so long. He had a hot start to the season and was being talked about as a 1st round pick when he went down. The injury was just mentioned as a LBI and no other details were provided.

 

[PattyLafontaine]

My big question is what exactly kept him out of the lineup for so long. He had a hot start to the season and was being talked about as a 1st round pick when he went down. The injury was just mentioned as a LBI and no other details were provided.

Absolutely a fair question and I would guess that it is why he dropped. Typically the time frame would imply an injury that heals slowly or is easily aggravated. Hopefully not a hernia or an Achilles. 7 months is a long time for a non surgical injury. One would hope that the Sharks did their due diligence on the injury front.

 

[The Nemesis]

I think I saw somewhere that it was a knee injury, though not exactly what kind.

 

[PattyLafontaine]

I think I saw somewhere that it was a knee injury, though not exactly what kind.

Meniscus is typically a 30-45 day recovery for a partial tear.

Maybe severe strain of a collateral ligament with micro tears.

Full collateral ligament tear usually takes a full year for recovery.

 

[hohosaregood]

The draft video w/ DWJr. and Burke said he was cleared last month so it would be ~6 months from when the injury happened til now. Isn't that about standard ACL rehab time?

 

[Kcoyote3]

The draft video w/ DWJr. and Burke said he was cleared last month so it would be ~6 months from when the injury happened til now. Isn't that about standard ACL rehab time?

Yep, just about 6 months. Can’t really picture anything else taking that long unless he had hip surgery and there’s no evidence of that.

 

[Nighthock]

Getting that big injury out of the way. Smart.

 

[Mattb124]

The site that had him drafted by the Preds speculates a concussion.

 

[SactoShark]

Sharks scouts were impressed with the non-disclosed injury, saw a perfect fit with the organization.

 

[MatthewFlames]

Saw him in his draft -1 year and then early in his draft year and the biggest thing I noticed was his skating improvement between the two viewings. I thought when I saw him early in the season that he was going to be a first rounder.

Injury: He had two. He scored 18 points in his first 11 WHL games this season (outscoring, it should be noted, the big 3 of Dach, Cozens, and Krebs, at that point.) He then got hit in the head and missed a week on concussion protocol. He admits that he was still struggling when he returned and it took a few weeks for him to get his game back. At that point, he started scoring again.

Then injury two happened.

He was hit with a knee-to-knee hit that tore his MCL from the bone. This is an injury that, after surgery, requires six months to heal. If the tear happened two inches higher he would have just missed 6 weeks.

You can listen to Hamaliuk talk about the injury in the Pipeline Show podcast.



The injury is not a long term concern. He's already at the point of returning for his summer training.

I think the Sharks did well to grab him, they obviously traded up because they knew another team would grab him at this point in the draft. Not many players are still on the radar after missing half the season but he got a combine invite, so that says a lot.

He just has super soft hands for such a big guy, a great motor and high compete. Much more skill that you would think. Goes to the dirty areas without hesitation.

And, the Sharks have a history of having a long memory. They drafted Jake McGrew despite him missing an entire season (his draft year) and that's turning out pretty well.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Saw him in his draft -1 year and then early in his draft year and the biggest thing I noticed was his skating improvement between the two viewings. I thought when I saw him early in the season that he was going to be a first rounder.

Injury: He had two. He scored 18 points in his first 11 WHL games this season (outscoring, it should be noted, the big 3 of Dach, Cozens, and Krebs, at that point.) He then got hit in the head and missed a week on concussion protocol. He admits that he was still struggling when he returned and it took a few weeks for him to get his game back. At that point, he started scoring again.

Then injury two happened.

He was hit with a knee-to-knee hit that tore his MCL from the bone. This is an injury that, after surgery, requires six months to heal. If the tear happened two inches higher he would have just missed 6 weeks.

You can listen to Hamaliuk talk about the injury in the Pipeline Show podcast.



The injury is not a long term concern. He's already at the point of returning for his summer training.

I think the Sharks did well to grab him, they obviously traded up because they knew another team would grab him at this point in the draft. Not many players are still on the radar after missing half the season but he got a combine invite, so that says a lot.

He just has super soft hands for such a big guy, a great motor and high compete. Much more skill that you would think. Goes to the dirty areas without hesitation.

And, the Sharks have a history of having a long memory. They drafted Jake McGrew despite him missing an entire season (his draft year) and that's turning out pretty well.

Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback on him.

 

[Sharksrule04]

Saw him in his draft -1 year and then early in his draft year and the biggest thing I noticed was his skating improvement between the two viewings. I thought when I saw him early in the season that he was going to be a first rounder.

Injury: He had two. He scored 18 points in his first 11 WHL games this season (outscoring, it should be noted, the big 3 of Dach, Cozens, and Krebs, at that point.) He then got hit in the head and missed a week on concussion protocol. He admits that he was still struggling when he returned and it took a few weeks for him to get his game back. At that point, he started scoring again.

Then injury two happened.

He was hit with a knee-to-knee hit that tore his MCL from the bone. This is an injury that, after surgery, requires six months to heal. If the tear happened two inches higher he would have just missed 6 weeks.

You can listen to Hamaliuk talk about the injury in the Pipeline Show podcast.



The injury is not a long term concern. He's already at the point of returning for his summer training.

I think the Sharks did well to grab him, they obviously traded up because they knew another team would grab him at this point in the draft. Not many players are still on the radar after missing half the season but he got a combine invite, so that says a lot.

He just has super soft hands for such a big guy, a great motor and high compete. Much more skill that you would think. Goes to the dirty areas without hesitation.

And, the Sharks have a history of having a long memory. They drafted Jake McGrew despite him missing an entire season (his draft year) and that's turning out pretty well.

Amazing post, thanks a ton for the detail.

I really like what I’ve read about him and this review really helps ease the concerns. I am all for swinging for the fences on a pick like this. With this size and skill, if he develops teams will look back and wish they took him in the top 10-15 of the draft. I think teams have shied away from injured players recently and while there is risk in the top 10-15 picks I feel very comfortable with it in the 2nd round when you have a guy who the team values as a first rounder.

 

[MatthewFlames]

Amazing post, thanks a ton for the detail.

I really like what I’ve read about him and this review really helps ease the concerns. I am all for swinging for the fences on a pick like this. With this size and skill, if he develops teams will look back and wish they took him in the top 10-15 of the draft. I think teams have shied away from injured players recently and while there is a risk in the top 10-15 picks I feel very comfortable with it in the 2nd round when you have a guy who the team values as a first rounder.

You're welcome.

I agree that injuries scare teams. Look at how far Krebs fell. To me, he was the most dynamic of the big 3 players out of the WHL and has the most upside, points wise, and I think without the injury he was a top 10 pick.

If Hamaliuk can come out of this summer injury free, and if he continues to improve his skating, he will prove to be one of the best wingers in the WHL this season.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

I like what we did with our 2 2nd round picks, considering we didn't have any a couple days prior. They both have first round talent and either one could be a steal.

 

[MatthewFlames]

Good news, though it's too bad he won't be playing in the scrimmage tonight.

 

[Bowie22]

I really like this pick. In my opinion, he's a safe bet to become a top 9 player, if he can look past his injuries.