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D Joe Hicketts - Victoria Royals, WHL (2014 undrafted; 2014 signed, DET)

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There's no way he'll last till the late rounds. IIRC he was a top 60 pick coming into the year. Ever since he came back he's been nothing short of amazing. His OT goal against the Giants earlier this year was a beauty.

Kids got the total offensive package, and I love how smart he is with the puck in his own zone.
 
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BIitz said:
There's no way he'll last till the late rounds. IIRC he was a top 60 pick coming into the year. Ever since he came back he's been nothing short of amazing. His OT goal against the Giants earlier this year was a beauty.

Kids got the total offensive package, and I love how smart he is with the puck in his own zone.
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I haven't seen Joe this year, had seen him as a WHL rookie and in his Midget year. I would be surprised if he goes before the 4th round. I would be a little surprised if a team invested anything higher than a 4th on him given his size.
 
BIitz said:
There's no way he'll last till the late rounds. IIRC he was a top 60 pick coming into the year. Ever since he came back he's been nothing short of amazing. His OT goal against the Giants earlier this year was a beauty.

Kids got the total offensive package, and I love how smart he is with the puck in his own zone.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with what you are saying. He is a great player and great person. But unfortunately his size will play the biggest factor in him getting drafted. I will be extremely surprised if he goes in top 5 rounds
 
Skinnyjimmy08 said:
I totally agree with what you are saying. He is a great player and great person. But unfortunately his size will play the biggest factor in him getting drafted. I will be extremely surprised if he goes in top 5 rounds
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My bad then, I'm not too good at projecting draft spots.

He had a nice slapper from the point today for a goal.
 
BIitz said:
There's no way he'll last till the late rounds. IIRC he was a top 60 pick coming into the year. Ever since he came back he's been nothing short of amazing. His OT goal against the Giants earlier this year was a beauty.

Kids got the total offensive package, and I love how smart he is with the puck in his own zone.
Click to expand...

The question is, are you going to pick him before i do? :naughty:
 
Jamie Benn said:
Excellent player, very small I agree but he has been the Royals most consistent defenseman game in and game out for the Royals this season.

Excellent skater, great at making smart and consistent plays, not the biggest guy obviously but he can play physical at time, great stick work and positioning. Knows when to jump into the play at the right time, sees the game extremely well and has an accurate shot from the blueline. You hope that he grows about 4 inches and if he does (which I doubt) you will be hearing his name that's for sure.
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I think the NHL as a whole is becoming more accepting of smaller players. We're beginning to see more and more smaller guys not only get a chance in the NHL but make a pretty good impact.

One needs to look no further than Torey Krug to give an example of a defenseman who can succeed while being undersized.
 
Joe is just so damn small though. It has him listed at 5'8 but thats even a reach. I realize that some NHL players that are small do well but I honestly think Joe's size will hold him back. He is a great WHL player and Victoria is lucky to have a real solid 5 year player and most likely the captain at 18 years old...I bet a team does take a chance and drafts him but it wont be till late rounds
 
Lol where's Btz? He loves Hicketts. I think he should go somewhere in the 85-110 range but he easily possesses top 50, maybe 40 skill.
 
Go to Royals games all the time and love Hicketts. I would spend a late round pick oe mid-round pick on him. He may be too small for defense but maybe switching him to forward and leaving him in the minors for awhile at that position could produce an NHL'er.

He has enormous skill.
 
Skinnyjimmy08 said:
Joe is just so damn small though. It has him listed at 5'8 but thats even a reach. I realize that some NHL players that are small do well but I honestly think Joe's size will hold him back. He is a great WHL player and Victoria is lucky to have a real solid 5 year player and most likely the captain at 18 years old...I bet a team does take a chance and drafts him but it wont be till late rounds
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He was measured at 5'7" at the Hlinka camp. Not a good sign, as he's already able to grow facial hair.

Not much room for upwards growth IMO, which is a freaking shame. Kid is a gamer.

I love him as a Royal.
 
suuuch a highly skilled player and leader. Definitely would be a top 5 pick if he was 6'0 or taller
 
VictoriaJetsFan said:
Go to Royals games all the time and love Hicketts. I would spend a late round pick oe mid-round pick on him. He may be too small for defense but maybe switching him to forward and leaving him in the minors for awhile at that position could produce an NHL'er.

He has enormous skill.
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Hey there's a thought. I really like this kid too, hope he gets a chance. Could always put him back on the point on the PP.
 
VictoriaJetsFan said:
Go to Royals games all the time and love Hicketts. I would spend a late round pick oe mid-round pick on him. He may be too small for defense but maybe switching him to forward and leaving him in the minors for awhile at that position could produce an NHL'er.

He has enormous skill.
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I've been intrigued by this idea with quite a few highly skilled undersized dman over the past # of yrs and surprised this experiment hasn't been attempted more. I realize may be easier said than done, but have to think it could be pulled off with the right coaching/guidance.
***
 
Pretty friggin' stoked for this kid. Should have been drafted, but Detroit just signed him to a 3 year ELC.

Couldn't think of a better organization for him to develop in.
 
arsmaster said:
Pretty friggin' stoked for this kid. Should have been drafted, but Detroit just signed him to a 3 year ELC.

Couldn't think of a better organization for him to develop in.
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Read through this thread after I saw we signed him, seems like you've been a big fan since this thread opened! Can you tell us Wings fans a little more about him? Maybe a comparable too? We haven't had a chance at all to really see him play as our prospect tournament wasn't directly televised.. only some highlights.

Thanks!
 
Hey Wings fans:

I have seen Hicketts play live around 20 to 25 times out here in Victoria, great great skill and as sleeper picks go, you have a nice one.

I guess the most recent comparison would be Brian Rafalski, as I recall he was on the smaller side. Although I don't remember how tall/big he was. The two have similar skill sets. Hicketts is a great skater with truly nice hands.

Get him into open ice and he will do great things. How tall is Saint Louis? If he can gain strength then he has a shot.
 
VictoriaJetsFan said:
Hey Wings fans:

I have seen Hicketts play live around 20 to 25 times out here in Victoria, great great skill and as sleeper picks go, you have a nice one.

I guess the most recent comparison would be Brian Rafalski, as I recall he was on the smaller side. Although I don't remember how tall/big he was. The two have similar skill sets. Hicketts is a great skater with truly nice hands.

Get him into open ice and he will do great things. How tall is Saint Louis? If he can gain strength then he has a shot.
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Raffi was usually listed as 5'10' but was closer to 5'8 or 5'9 at most. He was a somewhat stocky guy but someone in another thread mentioned that Hicketts was already 186 pounds and thats roughly the size that Raffi was when he entered the league. So as long as his skating doesn't take a hit, maybe Hicketts can be a physical specimen to behold at 5'7', 200 lbs. Would be pretty unusual but not unheard of.

He's with the Wings now, so they'll give him plenty of time to develop. Probably won't see more than an NHL game or two in the next 5 years.
 
VictoriaJetsFan said:
Hey Wings fans:

I have seen Hicketts play live around 20 to 25 times out here in Victoria, great great skill and as sleeper picks go, you have a nice one.

I guess the most recent comparison would be Brian Rafalski, as I recall he was on the smaller side. Although I don't remember how tall/big he was. The two have similar skill sets. Hicketts is a great skater with truly nice hands.

Get him into open ice and he will do great things. How tall is Saint Louis? If he can gain strength then he has a shot.
Click to expand...

He's already almost 190, which is incredibly solid for his size. He'd be nearly impossible to move off the puck at his size.
 
theIceWookie said:
He's already almost 190, which is incredibly solid for his size. He'd be nearly impossible to move off the puck at his size.
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which could actually benefit him more than if he were 6'2 and 190. He's already really good at protecting the puck despite not having a big reach, he's surprisingly good in the corners
 
Been watching this kid for awhile. Should have been a mid-round pick but was passed over due to his size. Could be an absolute steal.
 
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