The 2015 NHL Draft is still three months away, and a lot of things can change in that period of time. That being said, reigning OHL top scorer Dylan Strome should be near the top of the draft board for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Many people forget how good the top-5 is in this draft. Most people keep their sights on projected top-2 picks Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, but can you really blame them? Those two players projected to be elite level forwards, if not franchise cornerstones for the teams they get drafted by.
Unfortunately for the Carolina Hurricanes, they likely will not slot into the top-2 draft selections in June, barring an utter collapse in the final 11 games of their season.
The “best of the rest” in this upcoming draft include Boston College defenseman Noah Hanifin, Erie Otters forward Dylan Strome, and London Knights forward Mitch Marner amongst others.
In my opinion, Dylan Strome is the best fit out of the best of the rest for the Carolina Hurricanes based on a lot of things.
First, Dylan Strome led the entire OHL in points this year with a whopping 129 points in 68 games. That is 1.9 points per game. He also led the league in assists with 84 in those 68 games for 1.24 assists per game. Connor McDavid, who missed 6 weeks of the season due to a broken hand, finished 3rd in OHL scoring.
This was all in his 3rd year in the OHL. For reference, Long-time Hurricane and current captain Eric Staal tallied 59 assists and 98 points in 66 games in his third OHL season. He was the 2nd overall pick in 2003.
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Situations were, in fact very different for Staal and Strome, though. Dylan Strome played on the same team as assured number one overall pick in June, Connor McDavid.
Many people will look at this and say Strome’s numbers were enhanced greatly due to his teammate’s great success. While this is true to an extent, it should be taken with a grain of sand.
Dylan Strome played a majority of the year as the team’s 2nd line center, while McDavid was the team’s 1st line center. So, at even strength, these two rarely even played together. McDavid also missed a significant amount of time due to injury during the season.
This is not a situation like Halifax had a couple years ago with Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin had. They were linemates, and many still believe that Drouin’s draft status and QMJHL numbers were boosted by the play of MacKinnon, and for good reason.
Dylan Strome sits in the shadow of Connor McDavid, as he should. McDavid is considered a generational talent, but that does not mean that Strome is not an elite prospect, because he is.
“He’s not chopped liver,” Erie Otters owner and general manager Sherry Bassin said in a recent interview. “Everybody is talking about this other guy, and he’s fine with it … He never talks about himself, he does his talking on the ice.”
Like all prospects his age, Dylan Strome is a work in progress, as outlined by ISS Hockey scouting director Dennis MacInnis.
"“I like Strome: He’s got a lot of offensive upside to his game, good size, lots of potential for down the road,” MacInnis said. “The one thing he’s got to work on is his skating because it’s not explosive. He’s very dangerous on the power play, but he’s got to work on his skating.”"
Strome drew comparisons to his older brother Ryan Strome and Islanders captain John Tavares from former Toronto Maple Leafs skating coach Dawn Braid after he skated and trained with him a few times a week for the past few summers in Mississauga, Ontario.
"“Dylan was doing a lot of growing from when he first started,” Braid said in a phone interview with the Toronto Star back in January. “In combination with his work ethic off the ice getting stronger, that’s obviously helped. He’s still young and from my experience working with players, even if you take his brother Ryan or you take John Tavares, when they were 18, 19, they still were like where Dylan is today.”"
These are lofty comparisons from a guy that worked closely with both Ryan Strome and John Tavares.
Obviously, throwing Strome into the system would instantly boost the prospect. He would join the likes of Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, and others as young, high potential forwards in the organization. Dylan Strome would automatically be the biggest of those players. He is listed at 6’3″, 200 pounds. He turned 18 under three weeks ago back in early in March.
Dylan Strome has serious potential. With his awesome size and offensive upside, he could turn into another John Tavares or Eric Staal, if he is developed right.
He may not be an instant impact player in the NHL, but if Ron Francis is patient and plays his cards right, he will be.
The Carolina Hurricanes should obviously be open to all option in June’s NHL Draft, but Dylan Strome would be a money pick in the 3-6 range for any team in the upcoming draft.