2012 NHL Draft Scouting Report: Trevor Carrick

Trevor Carrick / Mississauga St. Michael Majors / Defence / 6’1″ / 172 / Jul. 4th, 1994

Write Up

Carrick seems to be the type of player who was born to play hockey. The third of fourth brothers, Carrick has always been a layer who impressed. Dating back to his Markham Major’s days, Carrick has always displayed a nice projectable upside. He has always looked to be a player who could have NHL level potential, but this year he has really established himself as a potential high draft pick for June. After joining the Majors this year after a year with the Stouffville Spirit of the OJHL, he was a pretty raw prospect who really had some good upside, but I was not sure about where he would fall in the NHL Draft. Once he got use to the pace of play and started to become comfortable with his surroundings and adjusted to the style of play, he started to really show growth. He projects out as a smart defensive first defenceman with some interesting offensive upside. I’m not sure how much offense he will produce at the next level, however he does show potential with the offensive size of his game.

Strengths

Carrick has many attributes that make him a player to watch for the NHL Draft. First and foremost is his intelligence. He is extremely strong positionally and is always in the right place. He is quite strong at playing his gaps tight in his own zone, and rarely will give opposition forwards much room in his own zone. He has an active stick in passing lanes and is always knocking down pucks. He is quite effective at engaging physically down low and along the boards, and good at pinning opposition forwards out of the play. He rarely if ever will simply stick check an opposition forward and always engages physically in his own zone. He is an excellent skater who has above average footwork and acceleration. His footwork while transitioning from offensive to defensive skating and rarely will be beat wide. He makes good overall decisions with the puck on his stick, more so within 5-10 feet of him, not necessarily when he stretches the ice.

 

Weakness

The one aspect of his game that Carrick needs to continue to develop is his offensive abilities. He makes smart, intelligent plays with the puck, but struggles with his stretch passes. When he has no options within a close proximity, he can force the puck into pockets of the ice that are over populated. He makes poor reads down the ice, and has makes poor, low percentage passes that can end up as icing, or as a turnover. He has shown some good growth offensively as the season moved forward, but some of the decisions that he makes need to be improved. I do wonder much better he will get offensively, but it shouldn’t limit his long term upside as a smart defense first defenceman.

 

Individual skill Rankings (out of 10)

Skating: 8

Skill : 7

Complete: 7

Hockey Sense: 8

Positional Play: 8

Strength/Toughness: 8

Projection

Carrick is projected to be a top 4 defense first defenceman. He will be able to play a strong defensive role, and add some occasional secondary scoring from the back end. He still has offensive growth, just not sure how much offensive impact he will have at the NHL level.

Draft Ranking:

Carrick is projected to be a second round draft selection, and should be a 31st – 40th overall selection for the NHL Draft.