D Charlie Elick - Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL(2024, 36th, CBJ)

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Good pick by CBJ. Easily could’ve went round 1. I don’t think he should’ve dropped in the weeks before the draft as much as he did.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Are we really to believe Elick is so elite defensively that he'll be able to make the NHL just by defending? Really hard transition for defensive defensemen out of the CHL to transition to pro & make it to the league.

 

[majormajor]

Are we really to believe Elick is so elite defensively that he'll be able to make the NHL just by defending? Really hard transition for defensive defensemen out of the CHL to transition to pro & make it to the league.

He's not elite defensively. He's a big tough 6'3 kid who skates really well. That's about it. With D-men a lot of the time you're not drafting them for what they can do in junior, because it isn't very translatable anyways. You take the tools and try to teach them the pro game. And there are a lot of big NHL D who get by with minimal offense.

 

[MrCreamm]

He's not elite defensively. He's a big tough 6'3 kid who skates really well. That's about it. With D-men a lot of the time you're not drafting them for what they can do in junior, because it isn't very translatable anyways. You take the tools and try to teach them the pro game. And there are a lot of big NHL D who get by with minimal offense.

Sure but on pace for 13 points, no goals is honestly something I didn't expect to see. Even guys like Allan, Del Mastro put up a lot more points in junior. There's still next year to show that there's some offense there but I think it'd be disappointing and worrying if he didn't get 40-50 points, which is a pretty low standard even if he is a shutdown guy.

 

[majormajor]

Sure but on pace for 13 points, no goals is honestly something I didn't expect to see. Even guys like Allan, Del Mastro put up a lot more points in junior. There's still next year to show that there's some offense there but I think it'd be disappointing and worrying if he didn't get 40-50 points, which is a pretty low standard even if he is a shutdown guy.

His breakout passing will probably be what determines whether he makes it. He's got to get that to a passable level. Teams will be confident that they can teach him the defensive side and they won't be interested in him for what he does in the offensive zone.

Personally Elick was not one of the guys I was interested in at that pick, I think he profiles more like an Andrew Peeke. Not a lot of upside. But that's still an NHLer.