Prospect Info: RW - Jake Richard, 170th Overall, 2022 NHL Draft

[Chainshot]

McKeen's has him at 111.

Jake Richard - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Jake Richard, 2004-08-15 Jacksonville, FL, USA USA. Most recently in the NCAA with Univ. of Connecticut. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

NHL lists him at 6'1", 171 lbs and an August birthday so he's a month from being a 2023 draftee.

BB honorable mention:

Net-front goal scorer. Jake Richard was exceedingly productive as a USHL rookie in 2021-22 and he did it in fairly limited ice time. Though he has earned his way into power play time, there were times early in the season where he was on the fourth line and even with his production, generally was just a middle-six player. His production as a rookie, even without adjusting for minutes, looks even more impressive considering the jump in level of play compared to some other rookies in the league. Top dog Dylan James had two seasons in the AJHL, that’s a very strong league in this context. With all due respect, Richard playing AAA for the Florida Alliance U16 team for a season is not the same background. His speedy adaptation to this level of play frames his development arc in a little bit different of a light. His game is fairly limited at the moment and in a different circumstance, he might not have been on our radar at all.

The best thing that Richard has going for him is his shot and his work near the net. He has the ability to score from mid-range. Later in the year, most of his goals were scored in net-mouth scrambles or rebounds. And that’s a positive attribute, but there’s also an element of randomness to the fact that these types of goals went in when framing his productivity levels. Really translatable goals: catch-and-release shooting, in-stride shooting off the rush, goals that freeze the defender with a quick cut to the middle, etc. these goals aren’t prevalent in his game. Part of where his game breaks down in this area is his first step and burst off of pass reception is really weak (though, his pass acceptance, particularly pucks that come in near his feet, is a strength). In addition, Jake’s hands in space aren’t amazing. They’re good, but right now they aren’t good enough to overcome this flaw. So, this makes him a really limited-use player right now. He’s not a very good player in transition compared to his production level. It does look like catch and release shooting, for instance, can work itself into his game…but without it, he really gets stuck in being a sub-6 foot player being primarily a net-front presence and that’s not going to work out.

On the positive side, he’s a smart player who anticipate well all over the ice. His puck poise and patience in high-traffic areas, especially in the lowest layer of the offensive zone, is impressive. Surely out of need, he A-frames and protects the puck very well. Basically, everything that doesn’t involve a lot of foot churn is a plus. He even shifts his weight well to lay some nice hits from time to time. On the flip side, it’s always a little worrisome to see players get absolutely blown up on a regularly basis and Richard takes some serious checks in open ice. He actually looks to be rather strong from a hockey perspective. This is a plus and a minus – the strength is a plus. But if he’s already maxed out (relatively speaking) what his frame can handle in terms of strength and athleticism and his skating, for instance, looks like this then he’s definitely a no-draft. The speed, the edge work, the profound lack of explosivity is really tough to look past right now, it needs to really improve in order for there to be an NHL shot. Richard is going to UConn and the long-term development is going to be key. The progression this season is really noteworthy, but it’s a long road before this becomes a feasible NHL prospect in terms of his “likely potential”.

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[Woodhouse]

Richard, 6-foot-1, 171-pound forward committed to UConn. He had a 14-game pointless streak starting with his third game of the season, but finished strong with 18+28 in his last 40 GP.

 

[Chainshot]

UConn men’s hockey lands ‘04 forward Jake Richard

Richard will arrive as part of the Huskies’ vaunted 2023 recruiting class.

www.theuconnblog.com

“He’s got unbelievable skills and scoring ability,” Hamilton added about Richard. “Now it’s just a matter of him creating separation (from defenders) so he can make those plays, and building his strength so he won’t end up on his butt.

“It’s just a matter of time for him. He will be a huge point producer in the future. This year he has worked his way to being on a pretty good line...and the challenge for him is to stay there.”

A source described Richard as a power forward with a strong skill set and “soft hands around the net.” They believe once the 17-year old fills out into his frame, he’ll be a “beast” on the ice.

 

[Dingo44]

First college player we've taken in this draft. Works well for a guy so raw and young - lots of development time and almost zero risk we can't sign him in four years if he's worth the contract.

 

[Chainshot]

An article from when he started to light the lamp:

Lumberjacks forward Jake Richard, 17, is starting to display the tremendous offensive talent that the team knew he had

MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Lumberjacks knew Jake Richard’s time would come. Now a few months into his first season, the coaches are starting to see the young forward develop into the player he can be, maybe even a little sooner than expected. Richard, 17, is a Florida native who was drafted by the...

www.muskegonsports.com

It all started on Dec. 11 in Chicago, when Richard finally broke through with his first goal of the season.

“It was a great feeling,” said Richard, who was also drafted by the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockely League, but chose to play in Muskegon. “It got the monkey off my back. I had been waiting for a while.”

Richard called his parents (Gilles and Kathleen Richard of Lakeland, Florida) after the game, to tell them about the first goal, but he learned when he grabbed his phone that they already knew.

“They were actually watching it live, and they texted me as soon as it happened,” he said. “They were so happy.”

Hamilton figured that first goal might be a turning point for Richard.


“After he scored that goal, you could see the relief in his face, then watching him in practice after that, I figured it would be a huge step forward for him,” the coach said.

 

[threeVo]

A+ hands D- Skating

 

[TheMistyStranger]

Power forward heading to D1? I'm game. Get some college level fitness in his system and see what you get.

 

[joshjull]

 

[TheMistyStranger]

A+ hands D- Skating

It's a huge theme of this draft. I wonder how many skating coaches Adams is planning on adding to the staff.

 

[Chainshot]

It's a huge theme of this draft. I wonder how many skating coaches Adams is planning on adding to the staff.

Some of the guys are so good at skating, perhaps they're going to push their winger up the ice?

 

[threeVo]

It's a huge theme of this draft. I wonder how many skating coaches Adams is planning on adding to the staff.

not sure i agree with that. Savoie and Ostlund very good skaters

 

[TheMistyStranger]

not sure i agree with that. Savoie and Ostlund very good skaters

Those are the only two guys that don't have skating as a weakness

 

[dugman]

 

[truthbluth]

Those are the only two guys that don't have skating as a weakness

Uh....Jiri Kulich is a phenomenal skater.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

Uh....Jiri Kulich is a phenomenal skater.

Sorry. Forgot about him. I was thinking everyone after round 1 when I said that.

 

[Paxon]

Sorry. Forgot about him. I was thinking everyone after round 1 when I said that.

Which isn't really an issue for roster construction because how many of those guys (after the 1st) are gonna wind up being regulars? 1? 2? 0? Probably whichever ones do make it are the ones who make considerable improvements in skating.

 

[Zach716]

2022 NHL Entry Draft Part 3 (#9, #16, #28)

I hope we don’t have a second round pick, because that will mean we used it to trade up from the FLA pick to get our guy (whoever that is). I've seen you say this a couple of times now and I think it's a bit ill advised to have this dead set thinking. I have after like 18 or 19, the next 20...

hfboards.mandatory.com

Thank you to the Sabres scout that saw my post

 

[Tsujimoto]

View attachment 566380

Just don't let him check his golf bag on the team plane.

 

[DatDude44]

This kid isn’t a powerforward. I don’t understand that narrative. He’s tall super slim and has puck skills reminiscent of mittelstadt. Kid thinks the game and can make plays at a high level. He also plays with a very long stick which makes his hands even that much more impressive and it’s deceptive for stripping the puck off D or unaware fwds. It’s actually funny how his stick length makes up for his speed at times in that regard.

I love this pick given The long term upside. It’s a lot easier for an 18 yo to build strength and tweak/improve skating ability, he has plenty of unreachable traits in his game.

I expect him to absolutely light up the USHL next year and then go off to college.

He could potentially make an NHL impact at I’d say 23 years old and provide some serious secondary scoring if all goes right.


Skating and packing on muscle are his biggest hindrances. One of which could kill two birds with one stone (strength/quick twitch muscle)

 

[Chainshot]

This kid isn’t a powerforward. I don’t understand that narrative. He’s tall super slim and has puck skills reminiscent of mittelstadt. Kid thinks the game and can make plays at a high level. He also plays with a very long stick which makes his hands even that much more impressive and it’s deceptive for stripping the puck off D or unaware fwds. It’s actually funny how his stick length makes up for his speed at times in that regard.

I love this pick given The long term upside. It’s a lot easier for an 18 yo to build strength and tweak/improve skating ability, he has plenty of unreachable traits in his game.

I expect him to absolutely light up the USHL next year and then go off to college.

He could potentially make an NHL impact at I’d say 23 years old and provide some serious secondary scoring if all goes right.


Skating and packing on muscle are his biggest hindrances. One of which could kill two birds with one stone (strength/quick twitch muscle)

Those comments come from his coach.

 

[DatDude44]

Those comments come from his coach.

His coach never called him a powerforward from what I saw

 

[Ace]

Is the first US born player drafted by Adams?

 

[Fjordy]

Is the first US born player drafted by Adams?

Yes

 

[Woodhouse]

Richard's father was the GM for Jacksonville/ECHL, so he's been around the game. His OHL rights also belong to Oshawa - Lightning High School Hockey League's Jake Richard drafted by Oshawa.

 

[Matt Ress]

His coach never called him a powerforward from what I saw

"A source" called him a power forward. Maybe that source saw it stylistically? Did you have a different opinion of his style? Not being snarky we're all just trying to get to know these guys.