RD Brandon Carlo (2015, 37th, BOS)

[AmericanDream]

I haven't heard much talk about the Colorado Springs native, so I figured I would start it up.

He is already a giant at 6'5, but a bit slim at 185lbs....still plenty of time to grow and fill out.

He had a solid first year in the WHL where he played in 71 games and scored 3 goals and 10 assists.

But the interesting thing is as a late 96 he got invited to the USA WJC eval camp, over fellow 2015 draft eligibles Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski.

I am certainly not saying that Carlo is better then Hanifin, but you have to think this kid's stock is going to sky rocket with his performance at the camp as he made the final cut for team USA (until December of course).

He could be one of the big risers for next June with his size and skill set, figure we start talking about him now as he might be playing for team USA at the WJC come December.

 

[R S]

I don`t mind the kid. Has great size and moves pretty well for his size. Wish I had the chance to watch him more live, but he`s definitely a kid to watch for next season and beyond.

 

[S E P H]

Has been fantastic so far in both games. He's getting the minutes and his passing is top notch. And as RS said, he is a fairly good skater especially a kid that huge at 17 years old. Since majority of them have to grow into their frame which takes mulitple years. Doesn't seem to have this problem, but haven't seen him enough to make an honest opinion just yet.

Though I do think he is currently around a late 2nd to early 3rd, but if he keeps playing like he did, I could sense some Sanheim type of rising.

 

[R S]

Had the chance to catch him the other night. Legit 1st rounder.

6'5, 205 but skates well. Plays a mean game. Always jawing, poking and slashing opponents. Loves to hit. Aside from that ruggedness, he can actually play the game. Moves the puck well, good offensive instincts, great shot.

Wouldn't be shocked if some teams had him ranked as the top WHL D on their board, ahead of the likes of Pilon, Provorov etc.

Should be a 1st rounder without question.

 

[BIitz]

Agree with you Renegade, love this kid. Very good defender in 1 on 1's as well.

 

[R S]

Little bump with a piece I just did on him and Wotherspoon.

Sophomore Tri-City Americans defencemen Brandon Carlo and Parker Wotherspoon both appear to be well on their way to being high drafts picks in the 2015 NHL Draft. And while they have this road and life goal in common they’re nearly opposites in every other capacity, starting with their passports.

Carlo is an American from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Wotherspoon is a Canadian from Surrey, British Columbia.

Carlo is 6’5 and plays a mean and aggressive style of hockey. Wotherspoon is 6’0 tall and not even 175 pounds, opting to play a smooth and cerebral style of game.

Carlo is one of the older players available for the 2015 NHL Draft as a late-1996. Wotherspoon is one of the youngest of the class, being only three weeks away from being eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft.

Carlo is right-handed while Wotherspoon is a lefty.

Despite all these differences each player has played their way into discussions, making a name for themselves among NHL teams.


Carlo is currently enjoying time as an alternate captain for the Americans. As mentioned, he’s a mass of humanity at 6’5 and over 200 pounds. While not necessarily an offensive juggernaut, he skates very well for his size, likes to get up into the rush, shoots the puck well and is always a thorn in the side of the opposition. His style of game actually reminds me a bit of Colorado Avalanche defender and former 1st overall pick Erik Johnson. He’s put up a point every two games so far this WHL season and while it’s early, it’s a nice jump in production when compared to his rookie season.

He also had a strong showing earlier this fall at the All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo, skating alongside the likes of Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and the rest of the top American-born prospects for the 2015 NHL Draft. He put up a pair of assists in that game as he was on the winning side of a 6-3 decision for Team Grier. To go along with all of that, I think with his combination of size and skill will allow him to step into the NHL game sooner than some of the other players picked in his range of the draft.

The rest==> http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/10/carlo-and-wotherspoon-provide-best-of.html

 

[Ace88*]

Carlo has caught my attention big time. I like him a lot but for me the best draft-eligible defenseman in the WHL is Ivan Provorov, followed very closely by Carlo and then toss up between Pilon and Wotherspoon (though im not sure either of the last two guys makes the 1st round).

 

[R S]

Carlo has caught my attention big time. I like him a lot but for me the best draft-eligible defenseman in the WHL is Ivan Provorov, followed very closely by Carlo and then toss up between Pilon and Wotherspoon (though im not sure either of the last two guys makes the 1st round).

Haven't seen Provorov live yet, hence my feeling on Carlo being ahead of him at this point. Don't see Brandon live until the end of November, so for the time being I have to go off the games of his I've seen online.

 

[Ace88*]

Haven't seen Provorov live yet, hence my feeling on Carlo being ahead of him at this point. Don't see Brandon live until the end of November, so for the time being I have to go off the games of his I've seen online.

Im a big fan of his. He's super versatile and quickly adapts his game to whatever the situation calls for--when he's in his own zone he goes nuts along the boards, rough and tumble style, and will block any shot or cover any man and get into any lane he can. He's a real smart, heads up player. But then he gets the puck and calmly skates it out like he's been doing it for 30 years. Once in the offensive zone he's very good at controlling the point and can run a PP with ease. Has a hard, accurate shot and isn't afraid to use it if an open man isn't there. Oh, he also hits like Darius Kasparaitis in his prime. He plays aggressively but rarely, if ever, cross the line.

If you ask me he's the 4th or 5th best D after Hanifin, Kylington, and J Roy.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Saw him at the All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo and I thought he was by far the best defenseman on the ice, he impressed me even more than Hanafin did.

Huge guy, great skater, excellent instincts, clears the crease and is responsible in his own end yet isn't afraid to lead the rush, strong shot, outstanding in the neutral zone, stick is always active....it was a glorified all-star game but he left the biggest impression on me by a long shot.

 

[NHL Dude 120]

Bump, hows he doing so far, I saw on elite prospects he's 6"5 185 sort of a Bean pole to be honest, what would his projected weight be 230 pounds ??? and who does he compare to

 

[Juxtaposer]

Bump, hows he doing so far, I saw on elite prospects he's 6"5 185 sort of a Bean pole to be honest, what would his projected weight be 230 pounds ??? and who does he compare to

Stylistically Erik Johnson is a good comparable. Carlo is huge and a good skater, excellent for his size. He has a mean streak and a bomb of a shot. Generally strong defensively but can have brainfarts. Weakness is probably puck handling, and it's his lack of high-end hockey IQ along with that that keeps him from being a top prospect. Looks like a 25-40 range prospect, although he could go has high as 20 if someone really likes him. Could be a good middle pairing defenseman, but he'll likely be a useful player even if he only ends up a 5-7 guy.

 

[R S]

Bump, hows he doing so far, I saw on elite prospects he's 6"5 185 sort of a Bean pole to be honest, what would his projected weight be 230 pounds ??? and who does he compare to

5 (6) – Brandon Carlo – D – Tri-City Americans – After moving down one spot from October to November, Carlo moves back into the 5-hole for my December ranking. While I don’t always put a ton of value into point production, it’s worth noting that the 6’5 blueliner has taken some decent strides in that area over the last month. He’s put up 5 points in 6 December games and has already surpassed his offensive totals from last year while appearing in only half as many games. As for his skillset, he’s a great skater for his size, plays mean and physical but can also get involved in the transition game. He reminds me a lot of Colorado Avalanche blueline horse Erik Johnson. While I think he’s a guy that deserves to come off the board in the 25th overall range in 2015, I consider him to be a fairly defined step behind the “top 4†from the WHL.

http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/12/2015-nhl-draft-rankings-midseason.html

 

[TorNsh*]

What's the run down on this guy? Haven't seen much of him, but @ 6'5" being one of the few defenseman in the first round (also right handed), i'm shocked there's not much talk.

From what I can find he seems like a raw prospect with some good tools. Huge, mobile defenseman with a meanstreak and heavy shot.

Upside?

 

[AmericanDream]

What's the run down on this guy? Haven't seen much of him, but @ 6'5" being one of the few defenseman in the first round (also right handed), i'm shocked there's not much talk.

From what I can find he seems like a raw prospect with some good tools. Huge, mobile defenseman with a meanstreak and heavy shot.

Upside?

his upside is of the Erik Johnson mold...big, strong, and sooo RAW...will take years to hit potential like EJ is finally doing.

 

[Get North]

I think a more mobile Mitchell is what I see in him, big, skates well and physical but I'm concerned about his puck skills or his creativity with the puck. Sbisa comes into mind with a good physical edge and a good skater who is solid defensively but isn't the best with the puck on his stick.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

I think a more mobile Mitchell is what I see in him, big, skates well and physical but I'm concerned about his puck skills or his creativity with the puck. Sbisa comes into mind with a good physical edge and a good skater who is solid defensively but isn't the best with the puck on his stick.

Nothing Brett Kulak can't fix

 

[AmericanDream]

I think a more mobile Mitchell is what I see in him, big, skates well and physical but I'm concerned about his puck skills or his creativity with the puck. Sbisa comes into mind with a good physical edge and a good skater who is solid defensively but isn't the best with the puck on his stick.

I take it you are talking about Willie Mitchell?

 

[arsmaster*]

his upside is of the Erik Johnson mold...big, strong, and sooo RAW...will take years to hit potential like EJ is finally doing.

You guys keep saying this and it makes no sense.

Erik Johnson may have been the best puck rushing 6'4" junior dman I've ever seen. He had end product with the puck.

For Carlo to become what Johnson is now he'll need everything to go perfectly in his development.

I think he's going to be stay-at-home top 4 dman. A really good player, but his upside I think is getting a little skewed with the EJ projections.

I like the Brayden Coburn comp I read earlier, but a guy like Jared Cowen is a decent stylistic comp as well.

 

[R S]

You guys keep saying this and it makes no sense.

Erik Johnson may have been the best puck rushing 6'4" junior dman I've ever seen. He had end product with the puck.

For Carlo to become what Johnson is now he'll need everything to go perfectly in his development.

I think he's going to be stay-at-home top 4 dman. A really good player, but his upside I think is getting a little skewed with the EJ projections.

I like the Brayden Coburn comp I read earlier, but a guy like Jared Cowen is a decent stylistic comp as well.

I started throwing around the Johnson comparison earlier this year, but that was more from a stylistic standpoint. Very similar looking players on the ice in regards to their size, wingspan and skating stride. They just look like each other.

Carlo still lacks puck skills and will likely never be the offensive player Johnson is at the NHL level. I don't see many people arguing that he will be.

 

[XX]

Connor Murphy part two.

 

[S E P H]

Connor Murphy part two.

Good post XX, good comparison, I think Murphy might be the better skater (and more mobile), but both play a very similar game with similar traits.

I echo with what RS said, everything about his game is 1st round potential, but his puck skills are more in project range (whatever you think that is) IMO. I still think he is calm with the puck defensively, but his lack of puck moving makes the job harder than what it is supposed to be.

 

[arsmaster*]

I started throwing around the Johnson comparison earlier this year, but that was more from a stylistic standpoint. Very similar looking players on the ice in regards to their size, wingspan and skating stride. They just look like each other.

Carlo still lacks puck skills and will likely never be the offensive player Johnson is at the NHL level. I don't see many people arguing that he will be.

I just don't understand the comp I guess. It doesn't make sense to me to say he looks tall and long on the ice and attribute to that to ONE current NHL player that is big with a long reach.

American Dream said his upside is the EJ mold, that's why I chimed in again. His max upside could be what EJ is now, but I don't see it.

Comparable size and appearance to EJ makes sense, but like you said the puck skills aren't there so the comp goes out the window.

Just to put it out there, I'm a fan of Carlo and I like him quite a bit as a prospect, I just don't like comparing him to EJ who at the same age looked like he was going to be the next bigtime dman in the league.

 

[R S]

I just don't understand the comp I guess. It doesn't make sense to me to say he looks tall and long on the ice and attribute to that to ONE current NHL player that is big with a long reach.

American Dream said his upside is the EJ mold, that's why I chimed in again. His max upside could be what EJ is now, but I don't see it.

Comparable size and appearance to EJ makes sense, but like you said the puck skills aren't there so the comp goes out the window.

Just to put it out there, I'm a fan of Carlo and I like him quite a bit as a prospect, I just don't like comparing him to EJ who at the same age looked like he was going to be the next bigtime dman in the league.

Not everyone does their comparisons the same way.

I've always said mine are more about playing style/appearance than top end potential. I do it this way to give the reader an idea of who the player resembles...what they look like when they play.

Top-end potential can be better described by saying "first pairing guy with 40 point potential" rather than trying to say that with an NHL player as a middle man.

If that makes any sense.

 

[arsmaster*]

Not everyone does their comparisons the same way.

I've always said mine are more about playing style/appearance than top end potential. I do it this way to give the reader an idea of who the player resembles...what they look like when they play.

Top-end potential can be better described by saying "first pairing guy with 40 point potential" rather than trying to say that with an NHL player as a middle man.

If that makes any sense.

Probably just a semantics debate is all.