OHL: Cam Hillis (2018 Draft Eligible)

Cam Hillis is among the best skaters in the OHL who are entering the 2018 NHL Draft according to Scott Crawford. Crawford provides a detailed scouting report on all aspect so Hillis's game 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

Cam Hillis of the Guelph Storm. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Skating: A superb skater, one of the better skaters in the NHL draft coming out of the OHL, Hillis has hidden value is his ability to out skate opponents one on one to take on a goaltender by himself. In the CHL Top Prospects Game, his speed was on display to a greater audience. His impressive leg works to out skate a defenseman one on one and turn that type of situation into a mini break away giving him ample opportunities to create scoring chances for himself. Grade: 60

Shot: His shot is a weakness when driving to the net at a quick pace. Most times he will shoot and miss the net all together. When he is at a stand still and has time to make his shot he will hit make his mark most times. His wrist shot is most effective inside the high slot area. He is good at close shots to the net but lacks anything else from a distance. Behind the net he has wicked wrap around, but nothing more. He needs to work on his slap shot to be more dangerous when he is on the powerplay as his wrist shot become more predictable. Grade: 45

Skills: He has the puck skill to be a mobile forward, but he lacks control when he is moving at a fast pace. One thing that he needs to improve on is becoming an all around offensive threat as he possesses both skill of fast skating and mobile puck movement, but he needs to combine the two to reach his full potential. For example, he makes several turnovers in the neutral zone when he is trying to carry the puck through the neutral zone, but his lack of puck control drives him to lose the puck because he is skating too fast. He is one of the better passers on the ice. With his quick vision to spot open teammates for a play he is a vital part of the Guelph Storm’s offensive attack. He is more of creator of offense. Grade: 55

Smarts: Overall Hillis is a smart player both with the puck and away. He may overcommit on the offense sometimes by skating into traffic and expecting that things will be all right. He knows how to play defense and commits to his defensive role in his coach’s system and does not play away from his defensive region. He needs to work on committing to the transition game because whenever his team turns the puck over and he skates down the back check he is slow at times to get all the way back to his own end. This is unacceptable because it leaves your defenseman vulnerable to an odd man rush and potential defensive breakdown. Grade: 50

Physicality: He is odd player because he is too small physically to do any damage, but instead of being afraid he takes the challenge of competing even against the bigger players. When he is skating up ice he will not let a 6-7” defenseman scare him, and he meets him head on. However, it does not always work, and Hillis ends up turning the puck over. He is not afraid to be hit and knows the correct position to pin himself against the boards when a player comes at him. Grade: 50

Overall Summary: Cameron Hillis has shown promise that he could be an NHL player one day, but it will be a while before that happens. He has a long way to go before he can compete with men. He is an elite skater with huge upside to be one of the faster skaters in the league but lacks control with the puck when he is skating at a fast pace. The other worry is his indecisiveness when playing defense. He will play defense in his own zone without problem but lacks the commitment to come back on the forecheck at 100% effort. His shot needs work especially when he is skating in on a break away as has a poor tendency to miss the net all together.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 52.25