31. Marco Kasper, C, 19 (Detroit Red Wings — No. 8, 2022)
You won’t find anyone in the SHL, with the Austrian hockey federation, or working for an NHL club in amateur scouting who doesn’t like Kasper’s game and approach to it. He has really impressed scouts, teammates and coaches with the way he has managed pro competition as a teenager these last couple of years.
I love his patience with the puck. He doesn’t shy away from trying to beat or out-wait guys (whether through changes of directions out of stop-ups or curls) and he’s got a really low panic threshold. He’s also a good skater who never lacks effort and always stops on pucks. He’s an advanced 200-foot forward who was able to progress up levels as fast as he did because of how rounded his game is. He’s feisty and fights off his fair share of checks to stay on pucks. He has made real progress filling out his 6-foot-1 frame (now about 190 pounds). There’s a bit of a hunch to his stride, but he leverages his edges well, building speed through the neutral zone to push pace with the puck.
I don’t see game-breaking skill or finishing, per se, but he plays with pro pace, he’s a good passer, he plays on the interior and he makes plays all over the ice. The maturity and smarts in his game define him. He plays an almost mistake-free game. And maybe most importantly, he handled the responsibilities of center ice really well last year (after playing exclusively on the wing in the SHL in his draft year). He won more draws than he lost and drove possession and goal-differential results at five-on-five. I’m not sure he’s quite dynamic enough with the puck to become a first-line center type, but he’s got all of the makings of a good 2C who can influence play in all three zones at five-on-five, on the power play and maybe even on the penalty kill.
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