Ryan Roobroeck
Projection: Middle 6 Center
Strengths: One-touch release, Maturity, Situational Versatility
Weaknesses: Off-puck play, Consistency, one-dimensional worries
Analysis:
Ryan Roobroeck is the best offensively minded center in this draft.
His instant release when the puck reaches his stick makes him one of
the best pure goal scorers in this draft. Pairing that with his super
high hockey IQ provides him with the ability to read the play and take
advantage of open ice to be in a position to utilize that lethal shot.
He is also one of the more mature and disciplined players in this
draft. He uses his body and stick properly when defending and has a
long stride that helps him stick to attackers, so he rarely resorts to
taking any “dumb” penalties. With this maturity, too, his coaches can
rely on him in all situations. With his offensive mind, he is a given
for their power play, but he can also be plugged into the penalty kill
due to his reliability and great understanding of the game.
What I find Roobroeck to lack is in terms of his consistent drive to
be the best on the ice. He can cause analyzing the play instead of
engaging in it, which can leave him in an awkward spot to catch up to
the play or miss being a part of it entirely. I would classify this as
a consistency issue, where he just isn’t on his “A game” every shift.
He shows with his offensive talents and maturity how good he is when
he is on his game, but not being on it every shift really brings him
down my list. Because of this consistency issue, I would be worried
about how he would translate his game to the pro level. If he doesn’t
become more consistent as a whole, he might fall to becoming a
one-dimensional scorer at the pro level, which obviously isn’t the
worst thing in the world, but not something you’re looking for in a
top-tier talent.