Evan Barratt
2016-17 Team: U.S. National Development Team (#17)
Date of Birth: February 18, 1999
Place of Birth: Morrisville, Pennsylvania
Ht.: 5’11” Wt.: 187 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Position: Center
NHL Draft Eligibility: Prospect is eligible for 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Twitter: @BarrattEvan
Rankings
- Craig Button: 42nd (March)
- NHL Central Scouting: 55th (NA, Mid-term)
- NHL Central Scouting: 65th (NA, Final)
- Future Considerations: 84th (2017 Draft Primer)
- Jeff Marek: Unranked (October)
- Bob McKenzie: Unranked (Mid-season)
- ISS: Unranked (May)
An alternate captain for NTDP’s Under-18 squad, Evan Barratt combines vision and instinct to generate scoring chances. Considered a high-ceiling center, Barratt combines smooth skating and puck-handling skills to maneuver through a defense and find open spaces. He misses few passing lanes and specializes in cross-ice connections. At times, he tends to pass up shots to look for the extra pass.
Barratt is more than a prototypical finesse player. While he is a responsible defender and doesn’t skate away from physical play, he can be knocked off the puck by aggressive fore-checkers. As he graduates to higher levels, the 2017 NHL Draft prospect will need to strengthen his upper body and add some grit to his work in the corners.
Excited to sign my NLI to play for @PennStateMHKY #weare pic.twitter.com/RRjUoGN9So
— Evan Barratt (@BarrattEvan) November 10, 2016
Collecting 18 goals among 56 points last season, Barrett was of the NDTP’s top scoring threats in league and international competition. Leading the U18 squad to a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF Men’s World Championship, Barratt registered one goal, five assists and a plus-8 rating in four outings.
Entering his freshman season at Penn State, Barratt could start 2017-18 by centering a highly-touted, all-freshman line with Alex Limoges and Sam Sternschein. While Barratt doesn’t stand out in any one area of his game, he consistently finds himself in the right position to make a play. The more one watches him play, the more his performances are appreciated.
NHL Draft Projection
Barratt could be considered one of the sleepers of upcoming draft. Projected to be selected in the fifth or sixth rounds, NHL organizations tend to value consistent scoring from their forwards and could envision value in picking him up a round or two earlier.
Quotable
“(When did you now Evan Barratt was a special player?) That would be the easy answer. Evan brought a pretty big spark to us right away. Evan has a knack of scoring a ridiculous goal to end whatever game we are playing at the end of practice to send us off before the Zamboni came out, and he probably did that day one as well.” – Ian McNally, The Hun School head coach in 2014
Statistics
Strengths
- On-ice vision
- Unselfish passer
- Skating
Under Construction (Improvements to Make)
- Developing a physical edge
- Upper-body strength
NHL Potential
His knack from discovering scoring opportunities is appealing to NHL brass. Insiders see Barratt as a future top-six center if he continues to develop defensively.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk – 2/5, Reward 4/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense – 8.5/10, Defense – 6.5/10
Awards/Achievements
A member of NTDP the past two seasons, Barratt helped the program place first in the 2016 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament, recording a goal and two assists in four games. He also gained experience at the 2016 U17 Five Nations Tournament, where he contributed one goal and four assists in six games, and the 2015 U17 Four Nations Tournament, where he compiled three goals and four assists in four matches.