Aaron Ekblad —
League: OHL Team: Barrie Colts
DOB: Feb.7, 96 Born: Belle River, ON
Height: 6’5 Weight: 207
Position: Def Shoots: Right
2012-13 Stats: Games: 54 G: 7 A: 27 Pts: 34 PIM: 64 Pluse/Minus: +29
2013-14 Stats: Games: 58 G: 23 A: 30 Pts: 57 PIM: 91 Plus/Minus: +7
Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts
Winnipeg Hockey Talk’s preliminary evaluations of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft top prospects continue today with our featured prospect Aaron Ekblad.
Aaron Ekblad is one of the few players granted “exceptional status” by the OHL and he has definitely proved that they made the correct decision.
Achievements:
The exceptional status rule: Hockey players wanting to play in the Ontario Hockey League can apply to enter the league a year early if they were to meet the criteria set forth by the league and Hockey Canada to ensure the player was ready to enter the league. Aaron Ekblad was the 2nd player to be granted “Exceptional Player” status by Hockey Canada. The first was John Tavares. Aaron Ekblad was the 2011-12 OHL Rookie of the Year and will be going into his third season in the OHL with Barrie Colts.
1. Drafted 1st overall in the 2011 OHL Priority Draft by the Barrie Colts.
2. 2011-12 winner of the “Emms Family Award” (OHL Rookie of the Year)
3. Represented Canada World U17 Hockey Challenge (Bronze)
4. Represented Canada at the 2013 U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. (Gold)
5. Played in the CHL Subway Series & the CHL Top Prospects game.
6. 2013-14 winner of the “Max Kaminsky Trophy” (OHL Most Outstanding Defenceman)
Buzzwords:
1. Ekblad is a good puck mover and makes a very good first pass coming out of his own end. 2. He is a good puck handler capable of running a teams power-play. 3. He uses his body effectively and plays a “heavy game” 4. He plays in all situations and is a factor in all three zones. 5. He is developing leadership qualities. 6. He has great hockey sense and a high hockey IQ, the ultimate compliment.
Skating:
Aaron Ekblad is a big man and is a decent skater for his size. His skating is steadily improving and he works hard in the off-season and during the season on improving his foot speed.
Projection:
Aaron Ekblad will be the top defenceman in this years draft because he is capable of impacting a game at both ends of the ice. He is joining the new bread of big strong defenceman capable of playing shut-down minutes while providing better than average offensive contributions. He is your prototypical “two-way” defenseman. He is the top defenceman in this draft class right now and is the WHT #1 pick overall.
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You know he’s high on my list, but in fairness I’ve watched him live a lot, others not so much, some not at all. I’m going to need to put some time away and grab you’re top 6 or 7 and catch some of their games. But I can confidently say IF they are better than AE then they have big game.
It could come down to positional need. I think AE is probably the # 1 overall.