Nate Schnarr – 2017 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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Nate Schnarr

2016-17 Team: Guelph Storm (#16)
Date of Birth: February 25, 1999
Place of Birth: Waterloo, Ontario
Ht: 6’3” Wt: 181 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: C
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2017 first-year eligible
Twitter: @Schnarzy68

Rankings

  • THW Alternate Rankings: 50th (January)
  • Future Considerations: 88th (Spring)
  • ISS: Unranked (April)
  • McKeen’s Hockey: Unranked (February)
  • Bob McKenzie: 55th (Mid-season)
  • Craig Button: 73rd (March)
  • Jeff Marek: Unranked (March)

At six-foot-three and nearly 200 pounds, Nate Schnarr is a big center with the ability to get up and down the ice fairly quickly for a player his size. While he still has some filling out to do, but he has a heck of shot for a lanky kid.

The 17-year-old scored 18 goals and added 18 assists in 54 regular season games for the Storm this season – this his first full year in the OHL. Unfortunately for him, Guelph failed to make the postseason.

Nate Schnarr, NHL Entry Draft, NHL, Prospects
Nate Schnarr has the height, but needs to develop some of his skills a little more to take that next step. (Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

Schnarr is an all-around competitor though and should be an asset to any club that takes him in the upcoming draft. He uses his size to play a physical game, blocks shots in his own end and has a willingness to go hard into the corners. While he hasn’t perfected any one skill just yet, he has the potential to be a legitimate power forward in the NHL.

NHL Draft Projection

While Schnarr isn’t quite there yet to be mentioned in the discussion of first-round picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, he may climb into a late second-round spot. More realistically, though, he’ll be taken early in the third round in the 65th to 75th overall range.

Quotables

“Has an explosive wrist shot that surprises goaltenders and often causes rebounds. Tall and lanky, Schnarr competes hard in puck pursuits and sacrifices his body, blocking shots and putting himself in the middle of shooting lanes. He has good acceleration down the middle of the ice and is tough to knock off the puck when he is in full flight.” – HockeyNow

“Schnarr is a big-bodied center that plays a two-way game. His skating is a concern as his stride is too wide and choppy. His skating affects his backchecking ability as well. He puts in effort to get back to the defensive zone but his turns are incredibly slow and unbalanced, causing him to lose speed and fall back in the race to the defensive zone.” – Future Considerations

Statistics

Strengths

  • Shooting ability
  • Size
  • Competitive level

Under Construction (Improvements to Make)

  • Skating
  • Stick-handling in tight
  • Getting the puck off quicker

NHL Potential

Right now, Schnarr is a bottom-six forward. His development will be key to whether or not he’ll be able to move up the depth chart of whichever team drafts him. If he can improve his skating and learn to control the puck in close, he could push himself into a second-line spot. Based on his competitiveness, this is definitely possible.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk – 3.5/5, Reward – 3.5/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offence – 6.5/10, Defence – 7/10

Awards/Achievements

After winning the OHL Gold Cup Silver Medal as part of the Waterloo Wolves Minor Midget AAA team in 2014-15, Schnarr was named to the First All-Star Team in the GOJHL as a member of the Waterloo Siskins in 2015-16. He was also named the GOJHL’s Rookie of the Year last season before making the jump to the OHL in 2016-17.

Interview/Profile Links

Videos