USHL: Jack Drury (2018 Draft Eligible)

Strong hockey bloodlines from father Ted, and uncle Chris, Jack Drury finished fourth in scoring in the USHL this season (63 points in 54 games). Ryan Wagman provides a detailed look at this game and cautions that half of his goals (24) came on the power play (12) along with over half his assists (41) with the man advantage (22) and may have inflated his offensive upside. He explains below.

A note on the 20-80 scale used below. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.

Skating: It can be tricky to judge Drury’s skating prowess as he is not a high motor player for the most part. I would definitely like to see him move his feet more often, as he can be static in both ends. Generally speaking, he plays without a lot of wasted motion. He will glide around at a low tempo, waiting for something to happen instead of trying to force. Most player who play like this see their skating grades suffer, but Drury keeps a positive grade as he can reach another gear in a flash when something does present itself. Grade: 55

Shot: Tied for 13^th in league scoring, it is notable that over half of his goals have come with Waterloo on the man advantage. Drury has a decent shot. He can get it off through a crowd and towards the net, although not always on net. He can also get a shot off from the end of a pivot, if he starts off with his back to the net. The release does not set him apart but the velocity of his wrister ensures that he will need to be respected from the slot area. Grade: 50

Skills: With one week to go in the regular season, Drury is tied for second in the USHL in helpers. Many of those points, both at even strength and the power play, are through his vision and ability to control the play once the offensive zone has been captured, rather than fancy or creative passes. Often used on the point or half wall on Waterloo power plays, he often sets scoring chances in motion with well-timed passes to the shooters on his line. Also solid on faceoffs. Grade: 55

Smarts: The Waterloo co-captain (along with veteran teammate Garrett Klee), Drury has some of the hockey IQ of father Ted and uncle Chris both had in their NHL careers. Trustworthy at both ends, he is given heavy shifts by Black Hawks’ coach P.K. O’Handley, including time on the penalty kill. In his own zone, he is less liable to shut down plays as he is to restrict their development through body positioning and a well-placed stick. Would like to see him play more of a active role in puck winning, as he currently has a tendency to fly the zone, looking for others to hammer it out down low. Grade: 55

Physicality: Although not one to spend too much time mucking about in the corners, or looking to lay out an opponent with a big hit, Drury does have a noted physical side to his game. Waterloo is a fairly physical team in general, and Drury is fourth in penalty minutes taken, with 83. He is not overly big and needs to put on more muscle before his path leads to the pros, but he is not spindly or gangly. He should carry a decent frame when all is said and done. Grade: 50

Summary: If you focus solely on his eye catching point totals, Drury would seem like one of the clear-cut top non-USNTDP prospects in the USHL this year. He is tied for fourth in league scoring and sits head and shoulders above all other U18 players in the circuit. The reason that we need to look beyond the raw numbers is due to how heavily slanted they are to his power play usage. Waterloo has one of the best power plays in the league, and Drury deserves full credit for his role in their success. But once we strip those numbers away and evaluate his 5-on-5 production, it does not look so shiny. He leads the league in both power play goals and power play assists and only 23 of his 63 points have come at even strength. Another six, to his credit, come on the penalty kill, where he also leads the league in shorthanded goals. His 23 even strength points would not fall in the top 20 of the league, for reference. His hockey IQ and vision should still make him worthy of a pick towards the middle of the draft, perhaps as high as the back half of the third round.

Overall Future Projection (OFP) = 53.5