Jacob Holmes

Jacob Holmes
Rankings
Strengths
Under Construction (Improvements to Make)
NHL Potential
Holmes Statistics

2020-21 Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Date of Birth: July 4, 2003
Place of Birth: Alliston, ON, CAN
Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 205
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
NHL Draft Eligibility: First-year eligible

Rankings

NHL Central Scouting: 70th (amongst NA skaters)
McKeen’s Hockey: 185th

Jacob Holmes is another player from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) who didn’t get to play in 2020-21, as the OHL cancelled its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recently-turned 18-year-old only has a small sample size, as he’s played just one year in the OHL for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Risk – 2.5/5, Reward – 3.5/5

Justified or not, his lack of a sophomore season is going to hurt his draft stock. While he didn’t play anywhere during the 2020-21 season, Holmes worked on getting stronger and faster. He has a high upside and is looking to see a lot more ice this upcoming season for the Greyhounds.

A bigger defenseman who can skate and get involved offensively, while maintaining defensive responsibility, isn’t something to overlook if you’re a scout or general manager. Look for him to go as early as the fourth round, but don’t be surprised if he drops down to the fifth.

Strengths

Vision
Skating
Two-way play

Under Construction (Improvements to Make)

Puck skills
Scoring

NHL Potential

Holmes could turn into a bottom-pair, depth defenseman on a contending team, or potentially a No. 4 defenseman on a decent team that may not be at its full potential yet. He’d get there by continuing his two-way play and seeing his offense develop into somewhere around the 20-30 point range. Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin would be a decent comparison.

Brodin has a similar build – 6-foot-1, 195-pounds, and plays a similar two-way game to Holmes. Brodin averages first-pair minutes and sees time on both the penalty kill and power play, and while Holmes may not be looking at first-pair minutes, the special teams shifts are what he could strive towards as he looks to round out his game over the upcoming seasons.

Brodin has blocked over 100 shots six times in his nine NHL seasons and has never scored more than 28 points in a season. Expect a bit more production out of Holmes, and if his defensive ability can emulate Brodin’s, he’d be a strong piece to an NHL defensive corps.