The 2011 draft is
only 10 days away, and the Rangers scouting and front office staff is looking
through many prospects to see who they want to select with the 15th overall
selection. With the current state of the Rangers defense both at the NHL
and prospect level one would expect that New York will look for offense in the
first round of the draft hoping to find an impact scorer. There are a
number of offensive prospects that could be available at 15. We have
already looked at Mark
Scheifele, Mark
McNeill, Zack
Phillips, Joel
Armia, Sven
Bartschi, Ty
Rattie, Matt
Peumpel and Vladislav
Namestnikov for their potential fits for the Rangers.
Today it is time to look at Rocco Grimaldi who is a center from the USHL. Grimaldi is as skilled as just about any
player in this draft class, but where he will be taken is a mystery right
now. The reason for the differential is
because of the concerns over Grimaldi’s size as he checks in at 5’ 6”, 163
pounds.
Size has not been an issue to this point as this past season in just 23
games this year for US NTDP he scored 12 goals and added 13 assists.
Looking beyond his physical size you
see a player who has tremendous skill, speed, quickness and is extremely strong
for his stature. The level of athlete
that Grimaldi is helps to overcome some of the issues with his size. The fact that more undersized players are
succeeding in big ways should help Grimaldi in the draft, but he will likely
still slip further than his skill should allow him to. He is definitely a risk because of the size,
but in the mid-to-late first round the ability to get an top line type talent
is something that will make someone take the chance and likely be rewarded down
the road.
Grimaldi would certainly add tremendous
talent to the Rangers system and they have shown they are not against drafting
smaller players, so drafting Grimaldi is certainly a viable option for the
Rangers at #15. You likely are not going
to find a better pure talent in the middle of the first round, but there could
be a better combination of size and talent for the Rangers on the board at that
point.
Scouts Take:
Strengths: Top athlete with pure power, quickness and
strength. Strong for his size- a dedicated gym rat who understands that
pound-for-pound, he must be one of the most powerful players to compensate for
the lack of height/weight. Dynamic, explosive skater with elite speed, edge
control and balance. Low center of gravity allows him to get under bigger
players and stay on his skates when body contract occurs. Never stops moving
his feet or hustling- a whirling dervish of perpetual motion. Ultra-fast stick
and elite puck skills. Sniper with flash-fire release, pinpoint accuracy and
the mindset to finish at any level. Genius hockey IQ- can play in any zone, but
is an especially lethal threat when he has the puck. Tremendous passer who can
find open teammates through a maze of sticks and feet. Right up there with Ryan
Nugent-Hopkins as the top two pure offensive talents in the 2011 draft
class. Can do just about anything he wants with the puck, but plays well away
from it, too. Very good on faceoffs when it comes to beating his opponent
cleanly with a fast stick. Tenacious in his own end- uses his superb hand-eye
coordination to steal pucks away from opponents and interdict passing lanes.
Aggressive on the PK- uses his game-breaking speed and smarts to intercept
passes and turn them into scoring chances. Huge heart- never stops working to
prove critics wrong. Unselfish teammate who is willing to sacrifice individual
numbers and accolades in the name of winning. A winner. Devout in his faith and
convictions- Grimaldi uses his beliefs and values system as a powerful
motivational force to always brings his best.
Easily one of the more skilled players available in the
draft, Grimaldi has a proven track record of production at every level. Strong
work ethic and dedication to the game have enabled him to develop skills in
skating, passing, shooting and puck handling that could comprise a video on
“How To….” All indications are that he’ll keep developing as he moves up the
ladder. The only obvious knock is his size.
The most common phrase I hear in reference to Rocco Grimaldi
when I talk to scouts usually goes along the lines of, "If only he was
5'11", then he'd go first overall." He is one of the, if not the most
gifted player in this draft class from a pure hockey skills perspective.
Grimaldi's a true plus skater with well above-average acceleration and gets to
a plus top speed after a handful of strides. He's agile standing still and in
motion, and I've seen him out-skate a defender chasing him skating forward
while he was merely side stepping. He possesses plus puck skills and in regards
to when the puck is on his stick, there's really not a single area where
there's an issue. His hand-eye coordination, stick-handling, passing, even to a
degree his puck protection is all there and at a desirable level. Grimaldi's
shot is also at a plus level, and he can score with his wrist shot or slapper
from well beyond the crease area and he generates a large amount of power on
all his shots. He thinks the game at a solid to above-average level, has
notable vision with the puck that allows to him execute plus passes regularly,
although I have at times seem him force plays here and there. He's solid
defensively, and is effective at even-strength and on the penalty kill in that
regard. Grimaldi's intangibles are off the charts; he simply flies up and down
the ice and does whatever it takes to get the puck off players. Despite the
5'6" frame, he regularly challenges players much bigger than him and wins
his fair share of battles although not enough to erase the liability. The frame
will continue to hamper his absolute potential for his entire career, but if
there was ever an ideal model of a player who could overcome being well
below-average size-wise, that player would be Rocco Grimaldi.
