Angus Crookshank
Stat | NHL | AHL |
|---|---|---|
Games Played | 21 | 202 |
Goals | 2 | 77 |
Assists | 2 | 72 |
Points | 4 | 149 |
Background
Angus Crookshank, a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, kickstarted his pro career with the Langley Rivermen of the BCHL. After three seasons of nearly a point-per-game production, he was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the fifth round,126th overall, of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Not yet having a path to the NHL, Crookshank committed to the University of New Hampshire and spent three seasons as a Wildcat.
In his final season there, he was named to Hockey East's Third All Star team. Seizing an opportunity and capitalizing on his early career's momentum after an impressive showing at UNH, Crookshank began his professional career with the Ottawa Senator's AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. He currently holds the franchise's all-time goal record at 77. Since then, Crookshank has found relative success in the minors, but his opportunities in the NHL have been sparse.
Upside
Crookshank is known for his keen offensive instincts, and he has a knack for putting himself in open shooting lanes. He has shown proficiency at every level (including the NHL, despite limited usage), and has been praised by his peers and his coaching staffs as an individual built for the NHL spotlight. After leaving college hockey to play for the Belleville Senators, UNH head coach Mike Souza referred to Crookshank as "a tremendous ambassador both on and off the ice," and mentioned that he has "an unrivaled desire to be an NHL player." These sentiments were shared by David Bell, who coached Crookshank in Belleville: "he's probably the hungriest player I've coached, ever, to have the drive to get to the National Hockey League."
Crookshank's first shot at an NHL lineup in 2023-24 was unremarkable, but he was recalled a few months later. His second stint was emblematic of what he can offer as an NHL pro: Under then-recently-hired interim head coach Jacques Martin, Crookshank was put on a line with Claude Giroux and Tim Stützle, and there was immediate chemistry between the three, with Crookshank providing a spark and a youthful, determined tenacity.
Risks
Crookshank's main risks are the stop/start nature of his career and his growth. Seemingly every time he starts to find momentum and success, it is routinely diminished by lower-body injuries that set him back in agonizingly-unfortunate ways.
In the 2021-22 season, one in which Crookshank was poised to be a breakout player, he tore his ACL in training camp and missed the entirety of that promising season. After a successful, full recovery and another strong year in Belleville, his shot at cracking the Ottawa Senators' lineup alongside Giroux and Stützle was cut short when he suffered a season-ending lower body injury.
Role
This talented left winger would be a great fourth-liner who has the potential to slot higher up in the lineup if injuries occur or if the top-six begins to struggle and needs a shake-up. He can kill penalties, chip in offensively, execute quick, snappy passes, and be relied upon as a consistent team-player. He would pair well with Charlie Coyle and Logan O'Connor on a bottom-six energy line.
Cost
Crookshank has about as much negotiating power as the other names on this list. He may be more inclined to bet on himself, though, and it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for him to elect to take a one-year, $1.25mil deal with a new team — which would give him a fresh chance to break into the NHL.