USA: Eamon Powell, D, USNTDP (2020)

Over the last few campaigns, the USNTDP has always featured a smallish defender who skated very well and came ready with a robust skill set for the offensive game. Think Quinn Hughes, Cam York, David Farrance, Adam Fox, Marshall Warren, Domenick Fensore, Matt Grzelcyk. There were certainly others as well. Eamon Powell is in that mold. His physicality does not suggest high end, but once he hits the ice, his game is easy to appreciate. His skating is near elite. He picks his spots to activate in the offensive end wisely. He plays above his weight class (not by much, but still) in his own end.

If you look at the names listed above, you might notice that only Hughes and York were first rounders. The others all slipped. While it is still early days for some, the bulk here have outperformed their draft stock in the following years. There is no guarantee that Powell will be taken in the first round. In fact, it is unlikely. But my belief is that he will perform on par with a player taken that high within a few years. His speed gives him game breaking potential, while his biggest weakness, his physical game, is less and less important as the years go by.

Eamon Powell. Photo by Rena Laverty

Skating – The speed with which Powell flies up the ice, with or without the puck, is apparent immediately. His first few steps are good, and so are the rest of them. He loves to carry the puck and the USNTDP generally trusts him to do so, even with a defensive parent of the caliber of Jake Sanderson, himself no slouch. Powell’s stride is smooth and seemingly effortless, with good edges and a top high speed. Beyond just the speed, he shows the ability to wiggle in his rushes, helping him pass through the first and second layers of defence. Even when he gets drawn out of position, he can always recover and he works his tail off to ensure that he gets on the right side of the puck after the opposition regains control. Grade: 65

Shot – As mentioned above, Powell often paired up with top prospect Jake Sanderson, and as such, he was never really the primary option for shots from the point. But perhaps he should have been. In USHL play, Sanderson took nearly 0.5 shots per game more than Powell, but the latter outscored the former five to two, entirely the result of power play prominence (4-1 for Powell on that score). He has a strong wrist shot that he can threaten to hit twine with from the blueline. His release on the shot is quick as well and I would expect Powell to continue to receive time on the man advantage at the higher levels to take advantage of this tool. Grade: 55

Skills –  An offensively inclined defenceman, Powell has the full tool kit for playing the puck with success. His hands are very soft, allowing him to corral hard passes with ease. He is solid activating in from the blueline as well, as he can make things happen in the offensive zone by stickhandling into the danger zone, or hitting a teammate with a sharp pass. But the best place to appreciate Powell’s skill game is watching him carrying the puck up the ice in transition. Even if he isn’t the flashiest puck player, you have to appreciate his ability to do it all at top speed. Grade: 55

Smarts – Despite his strong offensive lean, Powell is still heavily trusted by the USNTDP staff to play in defensive situations, including on the penalty kill. He can be trusted to get back quickly to defend his own zone, even when he is playing deep in the offensive end. Despite lacking much of a physical presence, he makes up for it with solid positioning defending against the rush, and good use of his stick to break up plays. If there is room for criticism (of course there is – he’s a teenager!), I would like to see him get drawn out of position less often, being less prone to feints and dekes by opponents. I think that will come, but it isn’t fully there yet. Grade: 55

Physicality – This is not really Powell’s strength. He is undersized and has a narrow frame suggestive of a ceiling on his future growth as well. Perhaps in recognition of this deficit to his game, he is not very aggressive and does not go out of his way to initiate contact with the opposition. To his credit, despite the lack of size or strength, Powell can put up some fight in the corners when necessary, and can prove himself to be strong on the puck. Grade: 40

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 55.25

A note on the 20-80 scale used above. 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.