Owls' Quick Draft Hits: David Farrance
#David Farrance: USNTDP (USHL/USDP)
Following in the footsteps of Flames draft pick Brandon Hickey, David Farrance is a left-handed defenseman committed to Boston University for 2017-18. As with so many of the defenseman ranked highly in this draft (and the defensemen that I personally prefer in general), Farrance plays a very modern style, relying on solid puck carrying skills to beat forecheckers, maintain the break-out, and explode into the neutral zone. What Farrance has over other defenders in this draft is that he's blistering fast, and his speed kills defenders, lets him cover for mistakes, and guarantees that he rarely loses body position on attackers.
He's an excellent skater in every direction, with powerful strides that let him accelerate effortlessly, and an active stick that serves him very well breaking up plays and keeping players to the outside. Puck handling skills are a strength, particularly relative to other defensemen, and he's excellent at performing dekes without losing speed. He's not shy about going for the big hit or getting into the corners, but some added strength would help him immensely in winning battles there (as is the case for so many seventeen year olds). Defensive positioning and awareness isn't a particular strength, but it isn't a weakness either. On the other side of the ice, he likes to shoot, but his shot lacks power -- a quick release lets him get it on net, but there's no howitzers here. He's great off the rush, where his speed gives him the ability to make space and time for himself that other players only dream of.
Farrance's main problem is his decision-making. He'll make bad passes under pressure, shoot into lanes that don't exist (blocked shots are a common complaint), skate into traffic while trying to enter the zone, and make passes into interceptions. These problems are fixable, as Stockton fans have begun to see with Kylington, but that doesn't mean they're fixable for every prospect. Some won't ever get past this type of mental hurdle. Maturing into his frame will help with some of his strength issues, particularly where his shot and his board-play/checking game are concerned.
NHL-wise, Farrance has a very large range of possible results. At the low end, you're looking at someone who struggles mightly at the AHL level because he doesn't think the game at a high enough level to succeed there. At the high end where he figures it all out, you're looking at someone who could drive possession like Brodie/Stralman in an underrated "holy shit how did this guy slip to like the third round" type of way.
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Happy May long weekend, everyone!
I'm gonna go drink beers to celebrate my birthday and get off the computer to enjoy the sun while it lasts. I'll see y'all on Monday or something.
Update on the series as a whole: we're currently at prospect 4 out of 24. I feel like this has been going well so far.
Posted May 20, 2017, 1:09 AM UTC