Alexis Vanier – The Next Ones: NHL 2014 Draft Prospect Profile

Alexis Vanier THW Close-Up:

Date of birth: 12/21/1995

Place of birth: St-Constant, Quebec, Canada

Ht: 6’5″     Wt: 225 lbs

Shoots: Left

Position: D

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2014

Twitter: @AlexisVanier

THW The Next Ones Rankings (January 2014): 36

Alexis Vanier
Alexis Vanier (Photo: Denis Thibault)

Other Rankings:

THW War Room Rankings (April): 39

Future Considerations: not ranked

Craig Button: not ranked

CS Final Rankings for North American skaters: 112

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If your a forward trying to get into the zone, the one guy you don’t want to go up against in this year’s draft is Alexis Vanier of Baie-Comeau Drakkar. He’s an imposing blueliner with the size of an NFL linebacker. And he’s not afraid to use that size to intimidate opponents.

A solid bodychecker, Vanier is a great positional defender who knows where to be at the right time to either lay a big hit or break up a play. He packs a great deal of power into his slapshot given his 6’5″, 225 lb. figure. He was used on Drakkar’s powerplay frequently to tee up his blast from the point. He has some decent offensive skills, too.

The most he has to work on is his skating – all aspects of it. He’s not very fast and when he moves around the ice it looks very choppy. He loses momentum in his strides and moving laterally, so agility is something to focus on. However, he can be a potential force in the NHL if his skating improves over the next few seasons.

Where Will He End Up In June:

Many rankings have him going relatively high. I’d say Vanier is more likely to go in the 3rd or 4th round of the draft.

Scout’s Honor:

“Though he has skating issues, the rest of Vanier’s package is very entertaining. The hulking defenseman isn’t shy to throw the body and picks his spots well. With his frame, he also has a booming shot that is highly effective on the power play. (October 2013)

Aaron Vickers – Future Considerations

Statistics:

Bio/Interview(s)/Links:

Profile on Last Word On Sports

ETA:

3-4 years

Risk/Reward Analysis:

Risk: 3/5   Reward: 3.5/5

Alexis Vanier
Alexis Vanier #3 at the 2014 CHL Top Prospects game (Photo: Brad Watson)

NHL Potential:

2nd pairing two-way/shutdown defenseman

Strengths:

Size

Strength

Bodychecking

Pokecheck

Positioning

Powerful slapshot

Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:

Speed

Agility

Acceleration

Fantasy Hockey Potential:

Offensive: 5/10    Defensive: 5/10

NHL Player Comparison:

– NHL comparison: Tyler Myers

Video(s):

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THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph

Follow Shawn on Twitter: @ShawnTHW