OHL: Sean Durzi (2018 Draft Eligible)

Scott Crawford provides a scouting report on Owen Sound Attack's Sean Durzi, currently ranked by McKeen's to be drafted in the middle rounds in the 2018 NHL Draft. A 1998 born overage OHL'er brings skating and scoring with some areas that need work.

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.

Sean Durzi of the Owen Sound Attack. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Images.

Skating: He is a deceptive skater on the defensive end. Instead of using his body to oppose players off their offensive rush, Durzi simply stays with them like a basketball man to man defensive zone cover. He does a good job of staying with faster players on the opposing team and does not let up until the offensive rush is no more. A fast skater, he does an ok job of moving around, but he is no means on the level of a slick forward skater. He is slow to maneuver his feet, that is why when he carries the puck up ice he has struggles moving around different players. He needs to work on his edges to be a quality caliber skater. Grade: 55

Shot: The one improvement from last season has been his ability to improve his shot selection and shot power. Durzi lacked any coordination to hit the net and it is obvious this season he has shown commitment to being an all-around defenseman. His strong wrist shot from the blue line is noticeable because he shimmies the puck making it look like he will pass instead of shoot and it fools the defender giving Durzi enough space to let off a decent shot. Grade: 55

Skills: The one drawback to Durzi’s game is his average puck handling skills. He is all right at protecting the puck, but he tends to get trapped in the corner by his opponents especially in his own end. He is limited to what he can do when he tries to carry the puck out of his own end. Depends on a teammate to take the puck up the rest of the way. If he is standing still he can fake a move here and there, but when skating it is a different story. Grade: 50

Smarts: He has an interesting way of looking at the game. He is a player that has patience with the puck and makes good decisions with passing and shooting and not forcing anything too crazy. Last year that was a problem, but he made an improvement this season. He communicates well with his teammates if he is pinching into the offensive zone until it becomes a problem. Durzi has a bad habit of pinching too much causing his teammates who substitute to the defensive position to be confused with where they need to play. Durzi is not even a good pincher as he ends up missing the puck most of the time. His defense is underrated and has show improvements in his offensive capabilities, but he still struggles to play the little things in hockey. Grade: 50

Physicality: Not physical at all, he needs to be more aggressive when he is being challenged for the puck. He is not a player that a coach can rely on to win 50/50 puck battles and he will rarely attempt any hits, thus why he likes to chase opposing forwards instead of using his body to influence where the opposing puck handler goes. Grade: 45

Overall Summary: Being a 98 born overage player this is the year Sean Durzi needs to be drafted. He has shown dramatic improvements in his offensive game as well as continuing to commit to the defensive side for the Attack. His backwards skating and commitment to challenging a player man to man is a hidden value and he can always be rely upon to stay in his defensive region. However, overshadowing his improvements is average puck handling skills that as a 98 born defenseman should have seen some improvement. His clumsy forward skating and overconfidence in the offensive zone confuse his teammates and kill the offensive play because he wants to continue scoring. His lack of toughness and inability to throw the body is another pressing issue, especially since he has one more year in the OHL which makes his chances of playing in the NHL even slimmer. He will most likely be a late round draft pick but has a potential to sign an entry level contract if he is able to put up the same offensive numbers as he did last year.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 52