Logan Brown is a prospect with the size (6’6, 200 lbs.) and the skills (passing, shot, net presence, board work plus decent skating) to be a top five prospect. However, at the start of the year, Logan had a great deal of difficulty in giving an effort and compete level to match his skills.
This time around the target is playmaking center Clayton Keller, rather than Charlie McAvoy, Dante Fabbro or Kieffer Bellows, and the chances are that this creative, skilled and dangerous playmaker will be long gone by Boston’s pick in the middle of the first round.
Kunin, who previously served as the captain of the U.S. National Team Development Program, showed off his speed and intelligence this year, widely considered to be his best asset.
And, well, you answered pretty directly: with the fourth spot on our board, it’s London Knights winger Matthew Tkachuk. We know that you probably voted for him because his Twitter username is @TKACHUKycheese_, but he’s a hockey player too OK?
Earlier this spring, Windsor Spitfires forward and dual citizen Logan Brown opted to play for the United States at the World U18 Championships, more or less locking him in to play for the US internationally in the future.
“People want winners and I was fortunate enough to be on a winning team,” Tkachuk said. “I think a lot of people like that.”
Matthew Tkachuk knows just what kind of grind it is to make it as a National Hockey League player. He got to see first-hand just how his father, Keith, was able to play over the course of an 18-year career.
Trent Frederic was an unheralded member of this season’s rendition of the United States National Development Team program, serving as the team’s second line centre and one of its most valuable special teams players on the penalty kill.
*Prospect Matthew Tkachuk, and son of Keith Tkachuk, is keeping a blog diary during the NHL scouting combine weekend in Buffalo.
“I trained pretty hard for it at Wisconsin for a good month or so,” Kunin said. “I was happy with my results so it was a good time. My trainer, Jim Snider at Wisconsin, he does a real good job training me for it. He’s done it in the past for guys like Jake McCabe so he’s the one I wanted to train with.”
