Prospect Info: CBJ Prospect Thread XI

[S1N4TR4]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849968339545739584

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849953844886647250

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849987396537868658

Now leading all OHL defencemen in goals and points (7-8-15)

yeah I was just about to post something like this.

unreal.

another goal. +4 on the night. wowza

 

[GoJackets1]

I continue to not understand how we got Marrelli in the 3rd. What glaring deficiency does he have that caused him to not go higher?

 

[tunnelvision]

I continue to not understand how we got Marrelli in the 3rd. What glaring deficiency does he have that caused him to not go higher?

Maybe last year there were more red flags in the defensive game + relatively low shooting and goal scoring numbers + kind of uninspiring toolset? Just guessing.

I don't recall reading reports of him anywhere except some short piece from McKeen's Brock Otten. EP did a pre-draft Q&A video where one of their scouts was answering a question about Marrelli but based on their description it seemed they got him mixed up with 67's Frankie Marrelli... and when you add the fact that neither EP or HP had him in the top-10 of their latest CBJ prospect pool rankings (#14 in EP's Sept. list) it gives an impression there never were much hype around him in the public scouting community.

This could be a home run pick, there's definitely top-4 D upside imo.

I think he handles some defensive situations better than Mateychuk and Svozil in their D+1 seasons. He isn't the most physical or strongest D but he holds his ground well in d zone because of his smarts, balance and good reach. The foundation looks promising. Currently plays on the 2nd PK unit for Oshawa, I don't know if he will ever get promoted to PK1 but I hope he'll get more chances to defend leads in final minutes (currently Sandhu-Danford pair gets most d zone starts).

Offensively he shares the high-end vision and poise that Svozil and Mateychuk have, and the lack of elite blueline walking/shooting angle changing ability. But his shot looks better and he knows how to get them on net through traffic. He's averaging over 3 shots per game, and is on pace for 214 SOG this year, which more than anyone on his team had last year.

What I don't like in comparison to those two is that sometimes he's a bit too nonchalant in retrievals and breakout plays, he isn't able to skate puck out of the zone as often as Mateychuk did at his age, so instead he tends to chip it out of the zone or to the weak side wall more often. But good thing is I've rarely seen him make turnovers, his style of play is less flashy but safer.

If there is one "glaring deficiency" that is going to keep him away from NHL action, I think it will be the lack of explosiveness and intensity, which is probably mostly a conditioning issue. He's a very similar D prospect to Svozil in that sense. He's in his D+4 and still has a lot of work to do.

With Marrelli I've noticed that when pace of the game gets temporarily higher, he becomes kind of invisible, not bad but clearly less effective player for his team, whereas a guy like Sennecke seems to be hustling every shift, winning battles and making an impact regardless of the context (and that's a prospect whose strength wasn't at pro level yet in preseason according to Ducks fans). I believe most of his flaws go back to athleticism, he just needs to do whatever he can to improve it enough. If I was a development coach my primary goal would be getting that message through loud and clear.

I think this play from Thursday night illustrates his explosiveness issues pretty well although Kevin He is a little unfair competition:


Edit: Some of Marrelli's pre-draft rankings:

Like many players expected to be chosen on the second day, Marrelli’s ranking varies drastically depending on the publication. Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino has him at 32nd, the highest ranking the 18-year-old was given. The lowest was from FCHockey, who has Marrelli 97th, while Elite Prospects has him 92nd (and 68th in the consolidated ranking).

His most common ranking is where teams will pick early in round three. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has him ranked 73rd, while Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff has Marrelli ranked as the 84th-best draft prospect. Smaht Scouting has him ranked 79th.https://smahtscouting.com/2024/06/22/final-2024-nhl-draft-rankings/

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler points to his good skating ability and likes to be active in play. Marrelli has good poise, which paired with his confidence, allows him to skate along the blue line with the puck. Off the puck, he’ll make mistakes, but he’s a smart player who could become a third pairing defenceman in the future.

 

[AnonCommentary]

Scott Wheeler did an AMA. Saw he was asked about DBB and Marrelli. Responses linked below.

Wheeler on DBB: Getting to inside more. Challenging guys more. Feet look good. Some clear progress being made there. His rookie season was respectable last year but it was clear, especially in the playoffs, that he needed to continue to get a little strong/faster and adjust his play style a bit.

Wheeler on Marrelli: Looks like he might have a chance to play. Progress in his decision-making, which came with mixed reviews last year. Another offseason of training showing.