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

[Wondercarrot]

Stylistically he looks like Thomas Chabot but can actually defend

stylistically he’s absolutely nothing like Chabot, and Chabot is a good defender - he just happens to play 28 minutes a night.

 

[BondraTime]

stylistically he’s absolutely nothing like Chabot, and Chabot is a good defender - he just happens to play 28 minutes a night.

Yeah, not comparable in any way.

 

[Fatass]

stylistically he’s absolutely nothing like Chabot, and Chabot is a good defender - he just happens to play 28 minutes a night.

Chabot is a fabulous skater, and literally floats (compliment) on his blades. I’m not as high on Clarke as others seem to be. To my eye he struggles with his skating. Now that could simply be a function that he’s growing and his legs are weaker.

 

[03HockeyFan]

Chabot is a fabulous skater, and literally floats (compliment) on his blades. I’m not as high on Clarke as others seem to be. To my eye he struggles with his skating. Now that could simply be a function that he’s growing and his legs are weaker.

Clarke has always had awkward looking, but effective / functional skating that has worked at Midget and Junior levels. He does look physically weak so the addition of more lower body strength may help add power but the technique is either simply unique and workable at the next level or will require correction. TBD.

 

[Fatass]

Clarke has always had awkward looking, but effective / functional skating that has worked at Midget and Junior levels. He does look physically weak so the addition of more lower body strength may help add power but the technique is either simply unique and workable at the next level or will require correction. TBD.

It sounds like he’s a high risk pick. If his poor skating is simply resolved by natural maturation he’s going to be amazing. If his poor skating is who he is, then he will very much struggle in the NHL.

 

[Corso]

It sounds like he’s a high risk pick. If his poor skating is simply resolved by natural maturation he’s going to be amazing. If his poor skating is who he is, then he will very much struggle in the NHL.

Where oh where did this notion of being a poor skater come from?? His skating (while perhaps not pretty) is not an issue. He is not slow nor lumbering, in fact he is more than able to keep up with the play. His IQ is off the charts so there is every reason to expect him to become a top paring Dman.

 

[BigHitter67]

Where oh where did this notion of being a poor skater come from?? His skating (while perhaps not pretty) is not an issue. He is not slow nor lumbering, in fact he is more than able to keep up with the play. His IQ is off the charts so there is every reason to expect him to become a top paring Dman.

uhm..I think it’s coming from NHL scouts (90% of whom are former NHL players ) but you are certainly allowed to have your own opinion that his skating ‘is not an issue’

 

[bsu]

Poor skating? Lol his stride could use some cleaning up but he gets where he needs to go in plenty of time. The fact he also controls the game when the puck on his stick helps too.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

Mobility is not an issue with Clarke. He just looks awkward. IQ more than makes up for any “issue” one might find in his speed, stride etc.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It’s lazy scouting to call the issue with his skating bad skating. It’s not like NHL scouts are seeing something that everyone else can’t see. We all see the same thing. It’s effective, but looks a little different than most good skaters. It’s way too nit-picky and pretty lazy to call his skating bad. Non-traditional would be a more apt representation of it.

 

[Antiillafire]

From all the reports from Nove Zamky camp he seems to be a great teammate as well. At first I didn’t totally like what I saw but his hockey IQ is so high that he slowly adapted and by the end of the year became one of my favorite players to watch in the Tipos league. Can sometimes overcommit on the defensive end (got beaten badly by Chromiak 2-3 times in the game against Trencin) but began to adapt again near the end of the year. I don’t think skating is much of an issue as people think.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

His skating is absolutely a concern when you're projecting his impact. It could be the difference between the next Karlsson or Makar vs the next Klingberg.

 

[canuckking1]

His skating is absolutely a concern when you're projecting his impact. It could be the difference between the next Karlsson or Makar vs the next Klingberg.

I mean Klingberg is no slouch. Legit good top pair D outside the fact that's he's made of glass.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

uhm..I think it’s coming from NHL scouts (90% of whom are former NHL players ) but you are certainly allowed to have your own opinion that his skating ‘is not an issue’

Show us a scouting report that says he’s a bad skater.

99% of the “lol his skating sux” comments are from here on HFboards. One person said it so it spreads. It doesn’t make it a true statement.

 

[Dominance]

Show us a scouting report that says he’s a bad skater.

99% of the “lol his skating sux” comments are from here on HFboards. One person said it so it spreads. It doesn’t make it a true statement.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

LWoS: “Clarke’s game is based on his outstanding skating ability. This allows him to get forward in the offensive zone as well as join the rush, and still get back defensively. He has an outstanding first step and great acceleration. His ability to change speeds allows him to avoid forecheckers and get past defenders. His top-end speed is also very good. Clarke’s edgework and agility are elite. He can turn on a dime, and can also walk the line, opening up passing and shooting lanes in the offensive zone.”

Smaht Scouting: “Clarke’s transitional game and puck movement is clutch. First, you need to take note of how strong a skater he is. Clarke’s extension and placement is exactly where you want it to be. He does not take long extensions and his skates are not too wide apart. At first glance, Clarke’s speed is deceptive. He does not appear to be a fast skater especially in transition, but that is not the case. Clarke has good speed, but sometimes you forget how speedy he is because he will zig-zag in the neutral zone.”

The Draft Analyst: “Clarke has no problems with mobility whatsoever but he was one of the most awkward upright stances you’ll find. He can glide all over the ice and use quick feet to track the puck in any direction, yet his wide, bow-legged base can make him look clumsy. Aesthetics aside, Clarke is an end-to-end rusher and accelerates past zone pressure with ease, therefore rendering any debate over whether or not his base or short stride is a detriment to his overall quickness as irrelevant.”

The Hockey Writers: “What separates Clarke from a bunch of other players in this draft is his smooth skating ability. Blessed with a powerful stride, Clarke is able to effectively use crossovers to get to top speed quickly. He loves to jump into the rush and has a great motor to be able to get back as well. He is able to close gaps with his skating ability and can really open up space for his teammates when given the time to do so.”

And on, and on. Can we stop the bullshit about his skating ability now, please?

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

I mean Klingberg is no slouch. Legit good top pair D outside the fact that's he's made of glass.

Absolutely. It's more of a comparison between Clarke's divergent ceilings.

I don't think Clarke is a bad skater. He is smart and shifty and will be able to beat nhlers with his feet much like Klingberg does.

But if he develops his skating like Makar and Karlsson his ceiling becomes someone who can dominate 200ft.

Either way his skating is key. I'm sure teams are analyzing his weird f***ing stride to figure out which version of Clarke they might get.

 

[BluesyShoes]

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

And on, and on. Can we stop the bullshit about his skating ability now, please?

How dare you make substantiated claims

 

[BigHitter67]

It’s lazy scouting to call the issue with his skating bad skating. It’s not like NHL scouts are seeing something that everyone else can’t see. We all see the same thing. It’s effective, but looks a little different than most good skaters. It’s way too nit-picky and pretty lazy to call his skating bad. Non-traditional would be a more apt representation of it.

Couldnt disagree more and would argue the exact opposite . It would be 'lazy' to IGNORE the skating issues and say oh well..thats just the way he looks. No. The reality is, its the job of scouts to rate every prospect against list of mulitiple criteria...arguably the two most important being , due to hyper-speed of todays NHL , SKATING and hockey IQ. There is wide-spread general consensus that the latter is off the charts when evaluating BC's game. But with regards to the former, scouts are definitely not being 'nit-picky' , or 'lazy' to be concerned with a knock-kneed , inside-edge skating stride which not only limits skating speed (which is dependant upon a flat blade to maximize glide) but also makes it almost (biomechanically) impossible, to use the outside edges to escape and evade instant pressure . Sure it was 'effective' in minor midget, and also junior (although less so) but at the highest level of hockey these deficiencies will almost surely present a challenge IF they can't be corrected. I wouldnt be surprised if muliple teams have their sport science guys conducting biomechanical analysis of the posture and stride and then consulting with their Skate Skill coaches to determine how 'fixable' the issues are.
Still a hell of a prospect , with the elite puck poise, IQ, offensive instincts and IF his skating improves he'll be force to reckon with.

 

[Llamamoto]

What knee issues are you referring to?

He's knock-kneed.

It's not that much of an issue, but people who are completely ignoring it also doesn't make sense. Outside edges are extremely important in hockey, (moreso for forwards in my opinion), and Clarke can't properly utilize them. That said, he's been able to use his inside edges to compensate for that throughout his career, and I don't see why he can't keep doing that.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Couldnt disagree more and would argue the exact opposite . It would be 'lazy' to IGNORE the skating issues and say oh well..thats just the way he looks. No. The reality is, its the job of scouts to rate every prospect against list of mulitiple criteria...arguably the two most important being , due to hyper-speed of todays NHL , SKATING and hockey IQ. There is wide-spread general consensus that the latter is off the charts when evaluating BC's game. But with regards to the former, scouts are definitely not being 'nit-picky' , or 'lazy' to be concerned with a knock-kneed , inside-edge skating stride which not only limits skating speed (which is dependant upon a flat blade to maximize glide) but also makes it almost (biomechanically) impossible, to use the outside edges to escape and evade instant pressure . Sure it was 'effective' in minor midget, and also junior (although less so) but at the highest level of hockey these deficiencies will almost surely present a challenge IF they can't be corrected. I wouldnt be surprised if muliple teams have their sport science guys conducting biomechanical analysis of the posture and stride and then consulting with their Skate Skill coaches to determine how 'fixable' the issues are.
Still a hell of a prospect , with the elite puck poise, IQ, offensive instincts and IF his skating improves he'll be force to reckon with.

I'm just not sure how you've deduced that it'll be a problem moving up to higher levels.

I'm not saying there is nothing to criticize there, and I'm not an expert on skating mechanics. From what I see, it looks a little different than most good skaters.

However, it's effective. He's 6'2, and his straight ahead speed looks better than pro-average to me. I was watching the semi-final game, and I saw him rush the puck end to end turning around 2-3 opposing players with a clean entry the length of the ice. There's no way a player with less than pro average speed is doing that at a high junior level. I'm not sure how much he really uses his edges, so while I concede that I can understand why his edges may be a little weak, he's a defenseman. It's not the most important thing for a defenseman. His skating forwards and back looks pretty good to me. And taking all the aspects, I'm not sure how some slightly weak edges is reason for all this concern about his skating.

And let's be real about this. These scouts are often not highly intelligent people that look at the nuances of the game very intently. Most NHL scouts are former players with a caveman mentality. Most of them are poorly educated, and are in their job based on who they know. They might show up to an arena, and decide they like or dislike a player's skating based on their own whims, and little else. When I see anonymous quotes from scouts, I'm not thinking it's any more intelligent than the average comment of a fan.

Thats why I suggest these scouts criticizing his skating are probably just being lazy about it. It looks a little different than what would be considered good skating, so their whims tell them to mark skating against this guy. As I already mentioned, I'm not saying there's nothing about it to criticize, as you did, but I think what you mentioned is probably not what these anonymous quotes about his skating from scouts are.

 

[BigHitter67]

I'm just not sure how you've deduced that it'll be a problem moving up to higher levels.

I'm not saying there is nothing to criticize there, and I'm not an expert on skating mechanics. From what I see, it looks a little different than most good skaters.

However, it's effective. He's 6'2, and his straight ahead speed looks better than pro-average to me. I was watching the semi-final game, and I saw him rush the puck end to end turning around 2-3 opposing players with a clean entry the length of the ice. There's no way a player with less than pro average speed is doing that at a high junior level. I'm not sure how much he really uses his edges, so while I concede that I can understand why his edges may be a little weak, he's a defenseman. It's not the most important thing for a defenseman. His skating forwards and back looks pretty good to me. And taking all the aspects, I'm not sure how some slightly weak edges is reason for all this concern about his skating.

And let's be real about this. These scouts are often not highly intelligent people that look at the nuances of the game very intently. Most NHL scouts are former players with a caveman mentality. Most of them are poorly educated, and are in their job based on who they know. They might show up to an arena, and decide they like or dislike a player's skating based on their own whims, and little else. When I see anonymous quotes from scouts, I'm not thinking it's any more intelligent than the average comment of a fan.

Thats why I suggest these scouts criticizing his skating are probably just being lazy about it. It looks a little different than what would be considered good skating, so their whims tell them to mark skating against this guy. As I already mentioned, I'm not saying there's nothing about it to criticize, as you did, but I think what you mentioned is probably not what these anonymous quotes about his skating from scouts are.

Fair enough..Best part of debating prospects in writing is we can revisit this thread in about 6 years and have some fun...lol

 

[echlfreak]

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

LWoS: “Clarke’s game is based on his outstanding skating ability. This allows him to get forward in the offensive zone as well as join the rush, and still get back defensively. He has an outstanding first step and great acceleration. His ability to change speeds allows him to avoid forecheckers and get past defenders. His top-end speed is also very good. Clarke’s edgework and agility are elite. He can turn on a dime, and can also walk the line, opening up passing and shooting lanes in the offensive zone.”

Smaht Scouting: “Clarke’s transitional game and puck movement is clutch. First, you need to take note of how strong a skater he is. Clarke’s extension and placement is exactly where you want it to be. He does not take long extensions and his skates are not too wide apart. At first glance, Clarke’s speed is deceptive. He does not appear to be a fast skater especially in transition, but that is not the case. Clarke has good speed, but sometimes you forget how speedy he is because he will zig-zag in the neutral zone.”

The Draft Analyst: “Clarke has no problems with mobility whatsoever but he was one of the most awkward upright stances you’ll find. He can glide all over the ice and use quick feet to track the puck in any direction, yet his wide, bow-legged base can make him look clumsy. Aesthetics aside, Clarke is an end-to-end rusher and accelerates past zone pressure with ease, therefore rendering any debate over whether or not his base or short stride is a detriment to his overall quickness as irrelevant.”

The Hockey Writers: “What separates Clarke from a bunch of other players in this draft is his smooth skating ability. Blessed with a powerful stride, Clarke is able to effectively use crossovers to get to top speed quickly. He loves to jump into the rush and has a great motor to be able to get back as well. He is able to close gaps with his skating ability and can really open up space for his teammates when given the time to do so.”

And on, and on. Can we stop the bullshit about his skating ability now, please?

His skating looks fine in this video...nice skill set. He just needs to get stronger and add a little strength.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Poor skating? Lol his stride could use some cleaning up but he gets where he needs to go in plenty of time. The fact he also controls the game when the puck on his stick helps too.

Yeah that stride isn't going to hold up in the NHL when you got the majority "traditional" skaters passing him.
He's always had this issue, but I admit it's getting better.
Skating is also one of the most "fixable" skills so there shouldn't be much worry.

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

God I hope LA drafts this kid.

 

[FlyguyOX]

Being knock-kneed is a big impediment to good skating. I'm not sure there are many, if any, knock-kneed elite NHL players