LD Brady Cleveland - Univ. of Wisconsin, NCAA (2023, 47th, DET)

[GermanSpitfire]

Brady Cleveland at eliteprospects.com

Promising American defenceman who is eligible for the 2023 draft, don’t know much about him. Can anyone give me some insight?
Is committed to the University of Wisconsin.

Click to read more...

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Made team USA’s u-18 roster as an underager, which means he’s held in high regard by USA hockey.
2023’s version of Tyler Kleven?

 

[William H Bonney]

He's mostly with the U18 group because they lacked a big, shutdown defenseman. Kleven was more talented at the same age.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I wouldn’t even say he’s a shutdown guy. They lacked someone who was left handed and big. They gave a tryout to Cleveland and Fischer. Fischer is more of a shutdown guy. Cleveland may have a little more upside because he’s bigger and has pretty good hands for his size. Cleveland is like a better version of Adam Samuelsson or similar to someone like Alex Vlasic. Probably not more than a mid-round pick, but it’s possible his skating develops.

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Had a terrible looking injury today against Omaha. I really hope he is going to be alright. Had to be stretchered off the ice.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He’s had a tough season. The injury, but I also don’t like how his game is progressing.

Someone will take a chance in the middle rounds because of his size, he’s not a 0 with the puck, and he skates well enough, but not every 6’4 defensemen who isn’t a 0 skating/offense is NHL caliber. He has a long way to go to prove he is.

 

[MMC]

Welcome to Detroit

 

[William H Bonney]

Pretty high for a game with very limited upside

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Pretty high for a game with very limited upside

Yeah, it's second round for being big.

It reminds me of when Alex Vlasic was drafted second round out of the NTDP. Big defenseman with a non-terrible puck game. Teams think that connotes upside.

Vlasic has reached 21 games in the NHL, so I guess that's not terrible, although Chicago has been tanking anyway, so it doesn't really matter how he plays.

I don't think Cleveland will even hit 21 games. He had all the opportunity in the world this season to run with the 1LD spot for the 18's that had no true difference makers on the back-end, and he ended up as the extra defenseman at the end of the season for a reason.

I hope I'm wrong, but even if I was to concede to Detroit that he has appealing tools for an NHL team (not sure I would), he's not currently good at hockey, even against juniors. The bright side is he's 18, so who knows how his next five years go?

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Yeah, it's second round for being big.

It reminds me of when Alex Vlasic was drafted second round out of the NTDP. Big defenseman with a non-terrible puck game. Teams think that connotes upside.

Vlasic has reached 21 games in the NHL, so I guess that's not terrible, although Chicago has been tanking anyway, so it doesn't really matter how he plays.

I don't think Cleveland will even hit 21 games. He had all the opportunity in the world this season to run with the 1LD spot for the 18's that had no true difference makers on the back-end, and he ended up as the extra defenseman at the end of the season for a reason.

I hope I'm wrong, but even if I was to concede to Detroit that he has appealing tools for an NHL team (not sure I would), he's not currently good at hockey, even against juniors. The bright side is he's 18, so who knows how his next five years go?

Vlasic had far better puck skills and 1v1 defensive ability than Cleveland in junior. Vlasic was actually ranked late 1st to late 2nd in most rankings. Cleveland was ranked 4th or 5th round in most rankings

 

[RedHawkDown]

Still a baffling pick and will never be redeemed.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Vlasic had far better puck skills and 1v1 defensive ability than Cleveland in junior. Vlasic was actually ranked late 1st to late 2nd in most rankings. Cleveland was ranked 4th or 5th round in most rankings

Vlasic was better at that point. Definitely agree there, but he was also very much a project and picked where he was because of his size with some tools.

He's taken big steps this year with Chicago. Credit to him there.

It should give Detroit fans some hope the same could happen for Cleveland. Sometimes teams make these bad picks that make no sense and it works out because they actually knew what they were doing or they lucked out with the outcome because the player improved a lot unexpectedly. We won't know for years with Cleveland.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Vlasic was better at that point. Definitely agree there, but he was also very much a project and picked where he was because of his size with some tools.

He's taken big steps this year with Chicago. Credit to him there.

It should give Detroit fans some hope the same could happen for Cleveland. Sometimes teams make these bad picks that make no sense and it works out because they actually knew what they were doing or they lucked out with the outcome because the player improved a lot unexpectedly. We won't know for years with Cleveland.

Cleveland is routinely a healthy scratch for Wisconsin. Vlasic was never that for BU.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Wisconsin doesn't even need him to win, only 11 games played for Cleveland

 

[FireBird71]

Vlasic had far better puck skills and 1v1 defensive ability than Cleveland in junior. Vlasic was actually ranked late 1st to late 2nd in most rankings. Cleveland was ranked 4th or 5th round in most rankings

The Hockey News Draft Preview had him ranked at 75

 

[Hockeyville USA]

The Hockey News Draft Preview had him ranked at 75

LMAO

 

[FireBird71]

LMAO

I feel the same way about your opinion

f***ing Ohio?? Explains a lot

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I don't think he's that good, but he's a victim of one of the worst phenomenon's in college sports where teams are stacking their rosters with players in their mid 20's.

He's competing for ice time with a guy who is nearly 6 years older than him. That's pretty pathetic that stuff like this is even allowed in what is traditionally an environment for 17-22 year olds.

Completely unfair to an 18 year old kid who has a long way to go in his progression that he needs to outplay a guy who is in the prime of his career.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I don't think he's that good, but he's a victim of one of the worst phenomenon's in college sports where teams are stacking their rosters with players in their mid 20's.

He's competing for ice time with a guy who is nearly 6 years older than him. That's pretty pathetic that stuff like this is even allowed in what is traditionally an environment for 17-22 year olds.

Completely unfair to an 18 year old kid who has a long way to go in his progression that he needs to outplay a guy who is in the prime of his career.

The Big Ten proposed a rule limiting the number of 20 year old first year players that teams could bring in... it got voted down.

 

[newfy]

I don't think he's that good, but he's a victim of one of the worst phenomenon's in college sports where teams are stacking their rosters with players in their mid 20's.

He's competing for ice time with a guy who is nearly 6 years older than him. That's pretty pathetic that stuff like this is even allowed in what is traditionally an environment for 17-22 year olds.

Completely unfair to an 18 year old kid who has a long way to go in his progression that he needs to outplay a guy who is in the prime of his career.

Hes also been hurt for a chunk of the season. Pretty sure it was his shoulder

 

[WarriorofTime]

Probably got taken a round too early. He was the 7th D for USA at the U18s last year. But you can't coach size I suppose..

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I feel the same way about your opinion

f***ing Ohio?? Explains a lot

Stop defending a crappy player who got drafted rounds too early.

 

[FireBird71]

Stop defending a crappy player who got drafted rounds too early.

Ill take the Red Wings scouting over yours…Thanks…

 

[Hazy Little Thing]

I don't think he's that good, but he's a victim of one of the worst phenomenon's in college sports where teams are stacking their rosters with players in their mid 20's.

He's competing for ice time with a guy who is nearly 6 years older than him. That's pretty pathetic that stuff like this is even allowed in what is traditionally an environment for 17-22 year olds.

Completely unfair to an 18 year old kid who has a long way to go in his progression that he needs to outplay a guy who is in the prime of his career.

The average age of Wisconsin is 21.1

The average age of the NCAA is just a skosh higher than that.

There’s no need to be hyperbolic.