F Jake Fisher - Fargo Force, USHL (2024, 121st, COL)

I’m glad he is waiting a season before joining an NCAA program. Raw prospect.
Good combination of size, and skating. Good at protecting the puck and getting in tight on the goalie. I’m not sure how he processes The game, that’s very much still in question for me.
I think he‘s a top-4 round prospect.
 
Surprised this guy didn't get drafted. Good size, premium position, some skill. Really stuck out when he was playing MN HS hockey.
 
Despite the small sample size, guessing the 1 point in 14 USHL games didn't help.
 
Fifth on his team in scoring this season. Two of the players still undrafted. Went higher than either of the two that are drafted.

Interesting choice.
 
Fifth on his team in scoring this season. Two of the players still undrafted. Went higher than either of the two that are drafted.

Interesting choice.
Fisher is the most projectable of them, even if his upside is lower. For a team like the Avalanche it makes sense, you want ELC's and you want them as soon as possible.
 
Fifth on his team in scoring this season. Two of the players still undrafted. Went higher than either of the two that are drafted.

Interesting choice.
Gruba (2003) wasn't draft eligible for 2024 and Parks (2004) was a late round candidate but went unselected. Fisher (2005) has been on the radar for longer and is younger
 
Fisher has been towards the bottom of my draftable list for two years now. Not at all surprising to see him get picked over Parks and Gruba certainly...I'm not even sure if those two guys would be next on my list from that team...
 
Fisher is the most projectable of them, even if his upside is lower. For a team like the Avalanche it makes sense, you want ELC's and you want them as soon as possible.
Does a player have NHL upside if they are a forward that can’t score 1PPG in the USHL the second time they go through the draft? That would be my question.
 
Does a player have NHL upside if they are a forward that can’t score 1PPG in the USHL the second time they go through the draft? That would be my question.
Yes, I do believe there is NHL upside, even if it's not much more than a 4C. He's big, can get around the ice, and is competitive which is a good starting point for any player. I'm not too concerned about the stats with Fisher (or any player really). Whether he scored 40 points or 60 points in the USHL, his game in the NHL is going to be a north south player that's always on the puck and has a good enough shot to score the odd goal. If he had 4 more secondary assists this year, would that change your opinion of him?

He lacks the skill to play higher in the lineup, I'd agree with you there. But he has a lot of aspects you look for in a player to play a grind role. He has good habits, gets in on the forecheck, strong on the puck, and supports the puck well defensively.

At the end of the day though, odds are still against him. He's a 4th rounder for a reason and even then went a touch earlier than I would have looked at him. Not too many are going to make it from that range. I'd still take Fisher over some other players that may have scored more this past year but aren't that big, aren't that fast, don't have the blow you away skill to think they can play top 6 and can't play bottom 6.
 
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