Alex Gillies THW Close-Up:
Date of birth: 1/18/1996
Place of birth: Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 190 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: LW
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2014
THW The Next Ones Rankings (January 2014): not ranked
Other Rankings:
THW War Room Rankings (April): not ranked
Future Considerations: not ranked
Craig Button: not ranked
CS Final Rankings for North American skaters: not ranked
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You’ll find a handful of players drafted out of the BCHL each year. Alex Gillies hopes to be one of those players.
Gillies has steadily grown as a player over the past three seasons with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. He has great goal scoring ability, terrific shot, quick release, and crashes the net hard. A strong skater with powerful strides, Gillies likes using his speed to break to the net. He’s eager to have the puck on his stick, allowing him to get defenders out of position to set up plays.
This season he took on more defensive duties and built a solid foundation for his two-way play. He’s a versatile winger that can play on the powerplay or penalty kill. Doesn’t cheat up on the play as most wingers do and puts himself in good positions to transition his game from defense to offense and vice versa.
Still very raw, Gillies will be attending Michigan Tech next year. If a team chooses to use a pick on him in the late rounds, it’d be best to let him play all four years in the NCAA before calling him up.
Where Will He End Up In June:
I don’t think he’ll be drafted, but some team may use a 7th rounder on him.
Scout’s Honor:
“Gillies is as close to an all-round player as you’re going to find in the BCHL, and he has all the attributes of becoming a solid Pro player in the coming years. He has an excellent shot, which is very accurate and makes him dangerous anywhere in the offensive zone. And, as much as he is a pure goal-scorer, he can distribute the puck effectively also, very similar to a bigger Mike Cammalleri in this regard. Like all good offensive-minded players, Gillies is deceptive, and finds ways to create room for himself and get into the scoring lanes. He has excellent lower body strength which allows him to fend off the opposition and have quick skating bursts to effectively play the transition game. He can be utilized in any role whether on the PP or PK, and isn’t afraid to play in the high-traffic areas and engage physically. Why I have no doubt he is headed for big things in hockey is because of his compete level on and off the ice. I’ve witnessed his progression from a 13-year-old til’ now and he works incredibly hard at everything he does. He has that special Sidney Crosby quality where failure is not an option, is a true student of the game, and wants to sharpen every tool in order to succeed. He just get’s it when it comes to the training and way you have to conduct yourself in order to take that next step. When it comes to weaknesses there are few in his arsenal. It just will come down to getting used to going against bigger, faster, mature players for Gillies, which I don’t see being an issue.“
Dan Sallows – Indiana Ice scout
Statistics:
ETA:
5-6 years
Risk/Reward Analysis:
Risk: 2.5/5 Reward: 2/5
NHL Potential:
3rd or 4th line all-around winger
Strengths:
Powerful shot
Quick release
Knack to score goals
Passing
Strong on the puck
Battles everywhere on the ice
Defensive positioning
Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:
Take time to develop his all-around game further
Add muscle
Fantasy Hockey Potential:
Offensive: 4/10 Defensive: 4/10
NHL Player Comparison:
– NHL comparison: Mike Cammalleri
Video(s):
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THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph
