Christopher Ralph is a hockey writer with a focus on prospects and the entry draft, as well as the Leafs’ correspondent here at THW.
11. Jared Cowen – Allan, SK – 6’5″ – 218 lbs – WHL – Spokane – D
One-Timer: The towering all-around defender unfortunately had his season cut short in February with a knee injury. He has already won a Memorial Cup at age 16 and was a valuable shutdown defender on that squad. While the injury may hurt the big and mobile d-man’s stock on draft day, if he does drop at all he will likely have GMs who passed him over regret their decision in the future. I only have him outside of the Top 10 because of other prospects I like more. He likely comes back from the knee injury unscathed and could easily land in the Top 6 of this draft.
Bio/Interview Links:
http://www.andrewsstarspage.com/index.php/site/comments/nhl_draft_jared_cowen_profile/
Scouting Combine Performance:
- Eug Sorokin reported: “Had some small talk with him in the end, complemented him on the great recovery on the knee, as he didn’t look bothered by it during the tests. An absolute tree at 6’5”, and could be the steal of the draft if he falls outside the top 7.”
- Gare Joyce noted Cowen’s rehab is on schedule, but he didn’t do the jumping and bike tests.
International Tournaments: n/a
NHL Player(s) Comparison: Pronger-lite, Chara Jr., Braydon Coburn, Robyn Regehr, Derian Hatcher
ETA = 2 to 3 years
Risk-Reward Analysis: Risk = 2.5/5 Reward = 5/5
NHL Potential: Top 2 shutdown defensive defenseman with offensive upside
Fantasy Hockey Potential: Offensive = 6.5/10 Defensive = 9/10
Other Rankings:
- ISS: 7
- CSB: 9-NA
- TSN: 11
- THN: 4
{Above Derian Hatcher photo credit: Matthew Thornton}
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