The Colorado Avalanche will pick around the #16 spot in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Might they take a flyer on another defenseman?
The Colorado Avalanche are finally showing some depth at the defensive position. Defense was long their Achilles heel. However, last year they drafted defensemen in the first and second rounds. They also acquired a very talented d-man, Samuel Girard, in the Matt Duchene trade.
So, will the Colorado Avalanche want to pick up another defenseman in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft? If they do, they may be looking very strongly at Jared McIsaac.
Jared McIsaac
2017-18 Team: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
Date of Birth: Mar. 27, 2000 (18 years old)
Ht: 6’1″
Wt: 196 pounds
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Ranked #22 by HOCKEYPROSPECT.COM
Ranked #27 by FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
Ranked #21 by ISS HOCKEY
Ranked #19 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #13 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)
Defenseman Jared McIsaac has some elite skills as a defenseman. Let’s start where the Colorado Avalanche always start — with skating.
Here’s how Future Considerations describes his skating style:
“McIsaac is a smooth-skating, two-way defenseman…effortless skater with agility and balance…a long flawless stride…his cuts and transitions are fluid.”
Ben Kerr of Last Word on Hockey concurs with this glowing assessment of McIsaac’s skating, calling him “an outstanding skater” with “very good mobility and top-notch speed.” Kerr continues:
“Quick feet good agility, edgework, and pivots allow McIsaac to cover 360 degrees of ice. He transitions quickly from offence to defence, and vice versa. His strong skating ability makes him very difficult to beat on the rush.”
That’s not all McIsaac has to offer in his game. He’s a two-way defenseman. In 65 games last season with the Mooseheads, he put up 47 points (9 goals, 38 assists) in 65 games.
Here’s what Kerr says of McIsaac’s offensive abilities:
“He has the poise to handle the puck and the patience to make plays… McIsaac has the passing skill and vision to set up scoring opportunities for his teammates… McIsaac keeps his shot low and creates opportunities for tip-ins and rebounds. The skill is clearly there, and it is high end.”
The only down side Kerr sees to McIsaac’s offensive game is its lack of consistency.
That said, a lot of the skills are there. Future Considerations praises his breakout passes, calling them crisp, neat, and clean. The site continues:
“He really controls the puck well at high speeds and will skate it end-to-end when he gets room to rush the puck up ice…possesses a real cannon of a shot from the point.”
Kerr also sees a lot of high-end skill to Jared McIsaac’s game. He praises the defenseman’s “excellent puck handling” skills as well as as his overall passing skill and vision. Kerr adds more:
“McIsaac has a strong shot in addition to the ability to quarterback the power play. He has a good wrist shot with a quick release.”
Colorado Avalanche
Additionally, both sites praise McIsaac’s hockey IQ and ice vision. Kerr remarks that Jared’s ice vision allow him to “make a strong first pass and start the transition game that way. ” Future Considerations calls his hockey sense “incredible” and adds that he “thinks the game at a high level.
Defensively, Jared McIsaac is known especially for being a puck-moving defenseman. However, Peter Harling of Dobber Prospects sees that two-way prowess in the prospect:
“McIsaac is a big and strong two-way defenseman. Somewhat of a throwback to the old school NHL Defenseman yet he still has the ability to transition to offense and move the puck to the forwards.”
Ben Kerr also remarks on McIsaac’s two-way defensive abilities. He adds:
“He is also a smart player, with a strong positional game and good anticipation. McIsaac cuts down passing lanes with an active stick. When a turnover is created, he transitions quickly to offence.”
However, Kerr cautions that Jared must get bigger.
Future Considerations goes into more detail about his style of defensive play:
“ plays opposing puck carriers aggressively and stands up attackers at the blue line…keeps a close gap pushing opponents to the outside and applies good pressure to force mistakes…plays with a mean streak in the corners and around his own crease.”
All in all, Jared McIsaac sounds like a pretty well-rounded player.
Jared McIsaac in action:
Jared McIsaac and the Colorado Avalanche
Jared McIsaac is a speedy, puck-moving defenseman with some grit and a lot of stick skills. He’s known for having a high level of hockey sense. He needs to work on some of the finer aspects of his game, but he is a young defenseman.
I think McIsaac sounds like he’s right up the Colorado Avalanche’s alley. What’s more, he’s in the 6-foot-2, 200-pound range (teenagers grow), so he’s a bit more of a physical presence than some of the Avalanche’s recent defensive prospects.
That’s the big question, though. After selecting defensemen in the first and second rounds last season, will the Colorado Avalanche take a flyer on another defenseman in the first round? McIsaac is scouted to go between #19 to #27, which is below Colorado’s pick.
MORE COLORADO AVALANCHE PROSPECTS:
Jared McIsaac seems to fit in perfectly with the team’s style of play. However, GM Joe Sakic has stated that the Avs will go with best player available when it’s their turn to pick. Once they note that they already have Conor Timmins signed and Cale Makar in the pipelines, will they decide McIsaac is the best possible player for the team?
Thus far, I haven’t found a prospect that better fits their vision than Jared McIsaac.