D Brandt Clarke - Ontario Reign, AHL (2021, 8th, LAK)

[The Blunder Years]

Fox is a genius level IQ. Might be the smartest D in the league.

Clarke isn't stupid or lacking in IQ, but he's nowhere near as smart.

Fox should have went top 10 when he was 18 then.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

I don’t see the Makar comps. Clarke doesn’t have that kind of fluidity, or explosion in his skating.

His offensive game reminds me more of McAvoy. I haven’t watched him enough to know if his D game has that kind of ceiling, but offensively, I see some similarities in style.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Fox should have went top 10 when he was 18 then.

Maybe not top 10 but definitely top 30.

Wonder if him going to Harvard scared teams away as a possible flight risk.

Not sure why people are taking such issue with saying Clarke likely isn't going to be arguably the smartest D in the entire NHL like Fox.

 

[flying v 604]

Sure, but Clarke is also now 6'2 190lbs. He'll probably clear 200lbs fully matured.
Q. Hughes, Makar, Fox are all "smarter" players than Clarke, and better skaters, but he's really not that far off... and with his size he could definitely grow into a true 1D if he puts it all together.
He also has a very nice shot, I could see him scoring more goals than those guys.

All I know is if my Canucks are picking 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th - it's Clarke all the way.

As much as I was rooting for Quinn no matter where we picked drafting D scares the shit out of me, especially guys that thrived on size since that can be a huge advantage. Brandt seems like his IQ is on par with the trend we are seeing. Maybe someone could let me know if his style would mesh with Quinn because getting Quinn the best partner should be the main goal even if it means trading the pick.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

As much as I was rooting for Quinn no matter where we picked drafting D scares the shit out of me, especially guys that thrived on size since that can be a huge advantage. Brandt seems like his IQ is on par with the trend we are seeing. Maybe someone could let me know if his style would mesh with Quinn because getting Quinn the best partner should be the main goal even if it means trading the pick.

Hughes and Clarke probably wouldn’t make a good pairing.

For a Hughes partner VAN should look at a Tanev type. Defensive dman that has decent passing and plays super safe.

Clarke would also be best served by that kind of partner, I think. He’s the puck dominant defenseman on his pair.

 

[nergish]

As much as I was rooting for Quinn no matter where we picked drafting D scares the shit out of me, especially guys that thrived on size since that can be a huge advantage. Brandt seems like his IQ is on par with the trend we are seeing. Maybe someone could let me know if his style would mesh with Quinn because getting Quinn the best partner should be the main goal even if it means trading the pick.

As it stands today, I think Quinn needs a rock-solid, right-shot partner with size and good passing ability. Think Erik Gubranson if he actually had pro-level skills (other than being tall, and handsome). Cernak, Parayko, etc.

Right now, Clarke is a bit too light and not quite defensively sound enough to be that guy for Quinn. But if Vancouver drafts him and develops him properly, and he continues to grow into his body... I could see them forming one of the best D pairs in the entire league. Watching those two would be electric, talk about modern NHL defence.

I'd even like to try 2 Dmen on the first unit powerplay, especially with that kind of ability and familiarity. Clarke has a decent shot, and could become a true weapon if he hones in on his clapper.

I just really like the kid. He seems smarter and smoother to me than some previously highly-touted Dmen like Bouchard, Liljigren, Dobson, etc. (all good players in their own right). Probably similar upside to Boqvist, or higher. Maybe Soderstrom-esque? Cale Makar as a ceiling?

 

[Mathieukferland]

Stylistically he looks like Thomas Chabot but can actually defend

 

[bsu]

Him and Beniers are my favorite two and I hope one of them becomes a duck.

 

[landy92mack29]

A lot to like offensively and does give Makar draft year vibes minus the skating but also has a long long way to go defensively. Allan was the perfect partner for him and bailed him out a lot in the tournament. Definitely worth a top 5 pick, just don't rush him to the league.

 

[sting101]

Nice tourney for Clarke. Gives me Klingberg vibes.

Someone is gonna get a nice player

 

[Llamamoto]

I’m not sure the last top prospect like this whose skating reports and qualities were so all over the map. I know it’s only against other 18 year-olds but his skating looks pretty good to me overall. Is it is slightly less than elegant visually that is causing the concern? Is there something about his skating posture that is raising red flags in terms of him continuing to develop that aspect? I mean he’s not generationally explosive like Makar and doesn’t have the effortless smooth perfect glide of Drysdale but I feel like the standard for what constitutes acceptable skating quality in a prospect should not be two of the best skating blueline prospects in a decade.

I’m not an expert on Clarke but I kind of like the Hamilton comp in terms of effective upside (obviously very different frames) in terms of maybe not the most elegant guys out there but just crazy good offensive IQ and tools.

The skating concerns stemmed from his knee issues, which prevent him from properly utilizing his outside edges. When you watch him skate its clear that he favors his inside edges which gives him kind of a wonky stride.

That might be a bit concerning, but his extremely strong inside edges, (mohawks, inside stop+turns, etc), and his natural athleticism make up for it. When you factor in his hockey IQ, frame, and offensive ability you're looking at a top-3 prospect for sure.

 

[Kalv]

A lot of the top prospects did not participate in the U18, and the top stars were underagers.
Clarke seemed to rush his shots at times and a lot of them were blacked as little I saw of the final game.

Overall he is an exciting prospect of course, but I wonder what his ceiling is. Just because he looks great against some of his peers doesn't mean he is a surefire 1D.

 

[BigHitter67]

The skating concerns stemmed from his knee issues, which prevent him from properly utilizing his outside edges. When you watch him skate its clear that he favors his inside edges which gives him kind of a wonky stride.

That might be a bit concerning, but his extremely strong inside edges, (mohawks, inside stop+turns, etc), and his natural athleticism make up for it. When you factor in his hockey IQ, frame, and offensive ability you're looking at a top-3 prospect for sure.

What knee issues are you referring to?

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Him and Beniers are my favorite two and I hope one of them becomes a duck.

I have the same thoughts as a Sabres fan -- let's hope our teams get those 1/2 spots locked down so we can make this happen. I'll take either.

 

[flying v 604]

As it stands today, I think Quinn needs a rock-solid, right-shot partner with size and good passing ability. Think Erik Gubranson if he actually had pro-level skills (other than being tall, and handsome). Cernak, Parayko, etc.

Right now, Clarke is a bit too light and not quite defensively sound enough to be that guy for Quinn. But if Vancouver drafts him and develops him properly, and he continues to grow into his body... I could see them forming one of the best D pairs in the entire league. Watching those two would be electric, talk about modern NHL defence.

I'd even like to try 2 Dmen on the first unit powerplay, especially with that kind of ability and familiarity. Clarke has a decent shot, and could become a true weapon if he hones in on his clapper.

I just really like the kid. He seems smarter and smoother to me than some previously highly-touted Dmen like Bouchard, Liljigren, Dobson, etc. (all good players in their own right). Probably similar upside to Boqvist, or higher. Maybe Soderstrom-esque? Cale Makar as a ceiling?

Hughes and Clarke probably wouldn’t make a good pairing.

For a Hughes partner VAN should look at a Tanev type. Defensive dman that has decent passing and plays super safe.

Clarke would also be best served by that kind of partner, I think. He’s the puck dominant defenseman on his pair.

As it stands today, I think Quinn needs a rock-solid, right-shot partner with size and good passing ability. Think Erik Gubranson if he actually had pro-level skills (other than being tall, and handsome). Cernak, Parayko, etc.

Right now, Clarke is a bit too light and not quite defensively sound enough to be that guy for Quinn. But if Vancouver drafts him and develops him properly, and he continues to grow into his body... I could see them forming one of the best D pairs in the entire league. Watching those two would be electric, talk about modern NHL defence.

I'd even like to try 2 Dmen on the first unit powerplay, especially with that kind of ability and familiarity. Clarke has a decent shot, and could become a true weapon if he hones in on his clapper.

I just really like the kid. He seems smarter and smoother to me than some previously highly-touted Dmen like Bouchard, Liljigren, Dobson, etc. (all good players in their own right). Probably similar upside to Boqvist, or higher. Maybe Soderstrom-esque? Cale Makar as a ceiling?

Thanks guys for the opinions. We could use a high-end RHD prospect badly and after enduring the crap that was this year landing a guy with his game would take some of the sting off this season.

 

[Unspecified]

Call me crazy but after watching him in the IIHF while he is a good player his lower legs seems somewhat unstable and his skating is not the greatest.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Call me crazy but after watching him in the IIHF while is a good player his lower legs seems somewhat unstable and his skating is not the greatest.

I've said this from the start. His skating needs a lot of work.

 

[BigHitter67]

Call me crazy but after watching him in the IIHF while is a good player his lower legs seems somewhat unstable and his skating is not the greatest.

not crazy at all

 

[03HockeyFan]

It is generally accepted that Clarke needs to work on his skating. IQ and offensive capabilities are off the charts. He will benefit from added weight and strength, and hopefully the skating will clean up too.

Team Canada profile says he is 6’2” but he looks pretty darn lean — maybe 180 to 185. At 6’2” he has a frame to carry 210 to 220.

In short, Clarke has upside on skating and physical elements of his game.

 

[Unspecified]

It is generally accepted that Clarke needs to work on his skating. IQ and offensive capabilities are off the charts. He will benefit from added weight and strength, and hopefully the skating will clean up too.

Team Canada profile says he is 6’2” but he looks pretty darn lean — maybe 180 to 185. At 6’2” he has a frame to carry 210 to 220.

In short, Clarke has upside on skating and physical elements of his game.

Watching him in person last night 180 pounds looks to be very generous.

 

[Sleemans99]

Skating issues may? be a perception issue. Looks a little knock kneed(I thought marc staal was as well in junior) . Also his pants look short. I thought so last coupleof years I have seen him.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I’m not sure the last top prospect like this whose skating reports and qualities were so all over the map. I know it’s only against other 18 year-olds but his skating looks pretty good to me overall. Is it is slightly less than elegant visually that is causing the concern? Is there something about his skating posture that is raising red flags in terms of him continuing to develop that aspect? I mean he’s not generationally explosive like Makar and doesn’t have the effortless smooth perfect glide of Drysdale but I feel like the standard for what constitutes acceptable skating quality in a prospect should not be two of the best skating blueline prospects in a decade.

I’m not an expert on Clarke but I kind of like the Hamilton comp in terms of effective upside (obviously very different frames) in terms of maybe not the most elegant guys out there but just crazy good offensive IQ and tools.

Yeah, I think this is a very good review of his game. I’ve started to think John Carlson may be a good projection. I know people liked to compare Bouchard to Carlson, but that was a ceiling comparison. I think Carlson is a very realistic projection for Clarke, although I don’t think there’s any great comparison. Carlson, Hamilton, OEL, Klingberg. None are that exact.

And I completely agree about his skating. It doesn’t look that great, but I have a hard time saying it’s any worse than average, and I’d argue it’s better than average.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think Clarke is the only of the guys you hear discussed towards the top of this draft (Power, Beniers, Hughes, Johnson, Guenther, Eklund) that I would be demanding my team to draft at all costs, if I was a team picking in that top 10. The others I see positives and negatives and their realistic outcome is pretty good for many of them. Those guys will be picked where they will for a reason. A lot of those guys will be good NHL’ers or better.

But Clarke is the only one of these guys I fully buy into as a star in the NHL. His offensive fundamentals are elite for a defenseman, and I see his defense/skating not losing him any value in the NHL. It may even gain him some value. He’ll play all situations and score 50+ points per season. I think he projects as a 1D. I’ve ranked him as the top prospect in this draft for well over a year, and he’s solidly in that spot on my list going into the draft. No one has threatened him that much for 1OA on my list this year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I'd argue his skill with the puck is his great strength. More skilled than smart IMO.

Again, not saying he's stupid or has low IQ.

As someone who watches Fox play every game, I don't like the comparison either.

And I'm fully on board with Clarke being the best player in this draft. But I think people don't see enough of Fox to start comparing him to prospects. The reason Fox went in the third round and why it's taken so many so long to catch on is that Fox is not a predictable prospect. His skillset is not easily defined. The best way to define it is his hockey sense, but it's about waiting out forecheckers, and having absolutely no panic. It's subtle headfakes to get by a defender that work every single time. It's about having better anticipation of where a pass is going than any player in the league. If you want to put that into a skill, it'd be hockey sense, but it's not a common type of skillset that other players possess.

Clarke has good hockey sense, but not in the same way that Fox does. There might be slight elements of patience with the puck or making a lot of very good decisions or the offensive fundamentals, but it's too simplistic to call him comparable to Fox. I was comparing Zac Jones a lot to Fox, given some obvious similarities, but even I have stopped thinking thats a great comparison now watching Jones play at the NHL level. I think it's just not very likely that players will have a very comparable skillset to Fox. Clarke, like some others, has some elements of Fox in his game. But I think the larger comparison falls flat.

 

[bsu]

John Klingberg.