• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
National Juniors

Slater Koekkoek – The Next Ones: 2012 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

By Carl Maloney April 25th, 2012

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Slater Koekkoek THW Close-up:

Date of Birth: February 18, 1994
Place of Birth: Mountain, Ontario
Height: 6’2″  Weight: 183 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defence
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2012
 

Slater Koekkoek (Aaron Bell/CHL Images)

 

Slater Koekkoek has seen his draft stock rise and fall quite a bit this season throughout the many draft rankings that get released.  Based on his skill set and potential he rates very high on just about every list there is. Unfortunately for Koekkoek he has plenty of time to look at them as he has been out injured with a torn labrum since early in the year.  Whether it’s due to injury or the rise of other top prospects, the Peterborough Petes product has found himself dropping recently in some rankings.  He has been ranked anywhere from mid first round to as low as late second round in some rankings.  NHL Central Scouting recently had him ranked #23, whereas International Scouting Services had him #18, and TSN analyst and former GM Craig Button had him #36 in his April 16 rankings.  The consensus seems to be somewhere mid to late first round, but each ranking you see places him somewhere different.

Koekkoek possesses as much upside and potential as just about anyone in the draft, but is still very raw as a prospect.  An offensive defenceman by trade, he boasts an impressive package of size and skill that can make scouts drool.  Prior to his injury, he was leading all Pete’s defencemen in scoring with 18 points in 26 games and was logging 30+ minutes of ice time a night on some occasions on a very inexperienced defence group.

A great skater with an ability to lead the rush, Koekkoek makes good decisions and moves the puck well. He possesses a good shot from the point which he uses effectively on the powerplay, and will become a bigger weapon for him as he gains confidence in his game.

Koekkoek has good size, although he is still filling out his frame, and has the ability to play a physical style of game.  While his defensive game still needs some polishing, it was showing signs of improvement before he went down with injury.

International Tournaments:

Koekkoek represented Canada as a member of the Ontario squad at the 2011 World U17 Hockey Challenge, scoring 3 points in 7 games en route to a gold medal.  He also suited up for Canada at the U18 World Championships registering 2 points in 7 games at that tournament.

Scout’s Honour:

Koekkoek has a tremendous package of size, skill, and potential which could be a home-run in a few years…..Koekkoek is a great skater and does a good job of moving the puck and making good decisions. His skating ability allows him to lead rushes and his offensive zone play is very good. He’s still in the progress of filling out his frame and improving his defensive zone play, but the skill-set that Koekkoek brings to the table cannot be overlooked as his ceiling could be as high as any of the defensemen in this draft. – The Scouting Report

Koekkoek is a smooth skating defenseman that uses his frame and strength to his advantage.  He loves to join the rush and can be counted on to use his hockey IQ in knowing when to jump up or stay back.  His shot is quick and accurate which makes him even more of a threat when he decides to wheel with the puck.
If Koekkoek continues to improve his footwork and outlet passing, he will be that much more of a threat as opposition will begin to think twice about dumping the puck into his corner.  One of the underrated areas of Koekkoek’s game is the fact that he has experience not only playing in high pressure games but excelling in these games; a quality that a lot of players in the 2012 draft don’t have. – Hockey Prospect

Slater Koekkoek (Aaron Bell/CHL Images)

Statistics:

Bio/Interview Links:

  •  Yahoo! Sports

ETA:  2-3 years

Risk/Reward Analysis:

Risk: 3/5  Reward: 5/5

NHL Potential Upside:

Potential top pairing, big minutes defenceman

Strengths (See THW Close-up):

  • Skating
  • Stamina (plays big minutes)
  • Shot
  • Physical play
  • Hockey IQ

Flaws/Aspects He Needs to Work On:

  • defensive zone play
  • Fill out frame/add strength

Fantasy Hockey Potential:

Offensive 8/10  Defensive 8/10

NHL Player Comparison(s):

  • Alexander Edler
  • Zach Bogosian

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWE0ZS-tDuk

 

THW “The Next Ones” prospect profile template design architect is Chris Ralph

 

  • Tags
  • Peterborough Petes
  • Slater Koekkoek
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 21st 5:55 PM
Edmonton Oilers

McDavid Has the Maple Leafs’ Number and Needs to Keep it That Way

Jan 21st 5:08 PM
Archives

NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World

Jan 21st 4:50 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Missing Klefbom and Neal on Power Play

Jan 21st 4:40 PM
Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Soucy & Sturm Look Comfortable Filling Roster Gaps

Jan 21st 4:30 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche With Career Milestones in Sight in 2020-21 Season

Jan 21st 3:45 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning & Pat Maroon Are a Really Good Fit…For Now

Jan 21st 3:35 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Depth Separates Them From the Rest

Jan 21st 3:15 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets’ Alexandre Texier, New Faces Shine to Begin Season

Jan 21st 2:45 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers News & Rumors: Neal, Yamamoto, Tippett, More

Jan 21st 2:15 PM
Column

Senators News & Rumours: Stützle, Norris, Galchenyuk and More

Editor’s Picks
NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

The 1979 NHL – WHA Merger

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information