Well holy freaking moly!! It’s Friday BLH’ers! We made it! Well, some of us barely did. Happy Friday dudes and dudettes! This is the final prospect in the top half of this ten part series. I have tell you, it’s been tough. There’s some decent kids out there this year. Now mind you, this is what I think the Oilers draft list should look like. This isn’t a “draft the best kid available” list….well, necessarily. It would be kind of hard to ignore Matthews if we land the first overall pick haha! With that being said…Onward friendo’s, there’s f*ckery to spread!
Check out the players previous to #6 below!
10 – Alexander Nylander
9 – Pierre-Luc Dubois
8 – Mikhail Sergachev
7 – Matthew Tkachuk
So next on tap here at the Beer League brewery, we have #6:
Dante Fabbro
Penticton Vees (BCHL) *2016 Boston University commit*
6’1” 185lbs
45GP 14G 53A 67PTS 30PIM 0+/-
Here we are kiddies, #6 on the list, and looky looky, we got ourselves a defenceman! Now trust me, if this list wasn’t based on need, or taking a prospect that can’t be ignored, I probably would have placed both Dubois and Tkachuk hire than Sergachev and Fabbro. But that’s not taking anything away from these kids. It’s just, we need defence like I need burrito’s….burritos are life…mmmmm burritos….
”Whoa!!! BLH calling Kosmic, BLH to Kosmic, come back to your blog buddy, I have…….BURRITOS!”
There’s a lot to like about Fabbro’s slick, two-way defensive play. But one thing that stands out, is his maturity. At 17 years old, Fabbro is an incredibly dependable rock on the back-end, who makes a lot of smart plays while under pressure. If he’s not shutting you down with his body, blocking passing lanes, or just making smart defensive plays in general. Then he’s using his elite mobility to maneuver around defenders, and drive the offensive play. He’s a very cerebral player, who seems to be aware of the puck at all times, and constantly thinking ahead of the play. He possesses a high offensive upside to also go along with his already dependable defensive talents. He should also be able to grow into a true power-play quarterback, as he has excellent range, crisp and precise passing ability, and he possesses a deadly, hard and accurate shot with a super quick release. All in all, an excellent defensive prospect.
NHL Comparable(s): Tyson Barrie and Duncan Keith
On defense, he’s positionally sound in coverage and combines excellent gap control with an active stick. He runs into problems, however, during puck retrieval as he’s shown an aversion to physical contact. Far from soft, Fabbro needs to learn to take a beating to complete a play rather than continue to rely on smarts and stick skills. – Steve Kournianos, thedraftanalyst.com (source)
Though still needing refinement on the defensive side of the play, Fabbro projects to be a solid all-around d-man with scoring upside and should be one of the top 10 defenders selected in the 2016 draft. He is likely to need several more years before breaking into the NHL. – Dobber Prospects (source)
His low-maintenance style combined with an elite hockey mind that anticipates and reads his competition extremely well projects him as a high-end transitional defender. – Brendan Ross, McKeen’s (source)
Why would this player be on the Edmonton Oilers Draft List? It’s as simple as…WE NEED DEFENCE!! That’s it…Why wouldn’t we want a defender with Fabbro’s wide range of skills? I would welcome him with open arms….and maybe a burrito or two!
BLH’s Comments: To add to Kosmic, not only do the Oilers need defence but the team is devoid of quality right-handed shooting defensemen. Ethan Bear being the best of the bunch at the moment. I don’t like to read that he needs to learn to take a hit though… Sounds like someone the Oilers just jettisoned. And I’d be lying if I wasn’t concerned about how the Oilers have treated former right-handed shooting defensemen who plied their trades in the NCAA before landing in Edmonton. But that was under a different regime, one could only hope those days are behind us now.
Well folks, there you have it. The top half is complete, stay tuned as we work our way from #5 on downwards! And remember to get out there and enjoy your mutha-f**kin’ Friday!!!
Write to me on Twitter @kosmicburrito
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpm7I8gV6oc
I see this player as more of a late first round selection myself. Sure the need is glaring but this is far from a complete ready to step in player and five years from now when he’s ready I hope we have long past solved our RHD problems. Here’s to hoping he falls to #31. So, so hard to project players in the BCHL but he is dominating that level.
Hi Mr.Gerber! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
I couldn’t agree more. To me he looks to have a bit of the Justin Schultz to his game and we all know how that turned out. But if he’s the real deal and falls out of the 1st rounder, I don’t see why taking a chance on him wouldn’t be a good idea. He’s been projected to be a mid-first rounder all season.