Evan Nause- 2021 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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Evan Nause

2020-21 Team: Quebec Remparts
Date of Birth: Jan. 20, 2003
Place of Birth: White Rock, BC, CAN
Ht: 6-foot-2 Wt: 185 pounds
Shoots: L
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2021 first-year eligible

Rankings

Quebec Remparts defenseman Evan Nause took a very interesting path with his minor and junior hockey career. After spending most of his time playing for Newbridge Academy U18’s in 2017-18 and 2018-19, he then proceeded to play for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL. He then ended up with the Remparts in his draft year. Even with a lot of movement in his minor hockey career, Nause’s consistent play has been getting some attention for the 2021 NHL draft.

Related: 2021 NHL Draft Guide

Nause’s game is simple but he’s very effective, playing a very strong two-way game. He has great poise and vision with the puck as he never panics. When there’s pressure in his own end, he circles back to evade an attack. He always takes the time to assess his options and always makes the right play. He has the ability to make a strong first pass as well as long breakout passes to connect with his teammates to push the play forward quickly. 

Evan Nause Remparts de Quebec
Evan Nause, Remparts de Quebec (Photo credit: Jonathan Roy)

Nause is a very good skater for his size. He has a good stride and edges, which allows him to carry the puck very well in transition and move the play quickly. When pressure is put on him, he uses his size to his advantage to provide great puck protection and avoid any sort of danger. While he can increase his speed, he still manages to pick the perfect time to pick his lane and rush the play up. 

Nause’s strength lies in his defensive game. He’s very strong when defending against a rush and is great in one-on-one situations. He is always in position to break a play as he has an active stick. His size allows him to be aggressive in the corners and in front of the net bringing a physical presence and blocking out players and tying them up effectively. He has great gap control where he’s able to keep the opposition to the outside and not allowing them any time to get into the middle of the ice.

Nause also possesses a good wrist shot from the point. While he does have power behind it and gets it on net for a shot or rebound, he is also patient in getting into position and select his shooting lane. This allows him to make the most of his opportunities to create scoring chances by using smarts to try and set a play up. If he’s able to work on his shot, he can be an even more offensive threat.

Other THW Draft Profiles

Evan Nause- NHL Draft Projection

Currently ranked inside my top-40, Nause’s chance of being selected in that range are pretty good as other outlets have him ranked as a mid-second round pick. While someone has the chance to draft a really smart defenseman earlier, if he falls any later than 50th overall, he could end up being a steal. 

Quotables

“Nause is a clearly intelligent player with incredible in-game communication abilities, directing the play not only with his play but also verbally. Defensively, he is excellent at using his skating and sound positioning to deny centre ice and keep an excellent gap on the backcheck. Through the neutral zone and upon defensive zone entry, Nause has impeccable positioning, keeping his stick in lanes and really dictating where his opponents go. He’s capable of separating opponents from the puck with a good poke check or rubbing them out physically. His East-West mobility is excellent and allows him to cover a wide range of the ice.”- Dylan Galloway, FC Hockey 

“Nause’s game is not defined by points and flash but more via awareness, decision making and general hockey sense. He understands the game, the position, and all game situations. The sum of all his parts is what makes Nause an effective player. He is a smooth skater who moves effortlessly throughout all zones. This combined with a high IQ allows him to move around without being caught out of position or flat footed.” – Danny McGillicuddy, The Draft Analyst 

“Nause’s skating ability is exactly what NHL teams look for in a defensemen. His edge work and agility are elite, and the only thing he’s missing is high end speed. He’s the kind of player who can beat you coast to coast using deceptive edge work and crossovers, as opposed to pure speed. There’s no glaring technical flaws in his stride, which gives me promise that a few more years of power skating will turn him into a real burner.”- Alex Taxman, Future Scope Hockey 

Strengths

  • Skating and mobility
  • Breakouts and passing
  • Defensive IQ
  • Size and physicality

Under Construction (Improvements to Make)

  • Work on Shot
  • Increase speed

NHL Potential

Nause is a prototypical defenseman that can thrive in today’s game. He has the ability to be a steady, second-pairing defenseman with the ability to play in any situation and is effective on the power play and penalty kill. Teams love smarts and vision and Nause has that to provide a positive impact.

Risk- Reward Analysis

Risk- 2/5, Reward 4/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense- 6/10, Defense 8/10

Awards/ Achievements

Nause was named to the USHL All-Rookie team in 2019-20. 

Quebec Remparts

Evan Nause’s Statistics

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