Owls' Quick Draft Hits: Jake Leschyshyn

Draft

Son of Curtis Leschyshyn, a veteran of 1 000 NHL games and a Stanley cup winner, Jake's one of those notable prospects who's also a 'kid with bloodlines' where his NHL heritage somehow slips under the radar a little bit, a la Kristian/Robert Reichel -- likely because his dad wasn't a household name. And with a name that's as hard to spell/say as Leschyshyn, that somehow isn't at all surprising.

Moving onto actual content, Jake is a hard-working 200-foot centre who was a key part of the Pats' PK until his injury, shoots left, and mostly played checking line minutes for Regina this season (behind the one-two punch of Steel and Brooks). I believe that has more to do with taking advantage of Leschyshyn's well developed defensive skillset -- great d-side positioning and awareness, strong stick work, scrappy play, good physicality -- than any offensive flaws at the WHL level (especially when you've got access to the top six scoring abilities that Regina had this season -- think Cliff Pu on London last season).

Leschyshyn doesn't shy away from the tough areas in either end, giving and taking hits to make plays when he has to. His offensive play is good but not great, with a shot that is average and a tendency to make weak passes under pressure, but he would definitely be relied on more if he wasn't on such a deep team (and with Brooks, Leedahl, and Wagner all graduating next season, it wouldn't surprise me if he gets the chance), as 40 points in 47 games this season suggests, and there's no evidence to suggest he won't continue to improve either aspect of his game.

Jake's the kind of player who beats goaltenders and defenders primarily with speed and body position, more than with dekes: his hands aren't concrete and he's got quick mitts where hand-eye coordination (tips/deflections) and taking passes is concerned, but he'll never be someone who's got the puck on string. He does have great net front presence, jumping on loose pucks and finding rebounds quickly.

Importantly for a player who relies on speed, Leschyshyn's improved his skating this season and his acceleration is excellent, but he also tore his ACL in February, ending his season -- that's obviously the kind of injury that puts up red flags when we're talking about someone who's game relies on getting ahead of players.

In the NHL, I think Leschyshyn's defensive abilities give him a high floor, but his offensive deficiencies give him a low ceiling. Think Kyle Brodziak, Matt Cullen, Dominic Moore, and Matt Stajan -- depth NHL players who are penalty killing mainstays and carve out a career as long as they can keep putting up decent seasons, all players who typically score between 25 and 30 points but can jump to 50 point seasons if they somehow convince their teams to give them powerplay minutes (or if their teams don't have better options).

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Posted May 18, 2017, 2:58 PM UTC

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