Vancouver Canucks: 5 Players to Watch for 2017 NHL Draft
Gabriel Vilardi — Windsor Spitfires, OHL
If there is one forward who could challenge Patrick for the No. 1 spot, it’s Gabriel Vilardi. The No. 3 on Future Considerations’ November ranking sees himself as a player similar to New York Islanders captain John Tavares, which would be an incredible player to have on your top line.
From Future Considerations:
"A dynamic and often brilliant offensive attacker…has skilled hands and outstanding awareness…looks to set up his linemates with timely passes, but can also finish off the play when the opportunity is there…has nice size and uses it to protect the puck…has a quick jump and agility on his feet, but is not really a speed demon screaming up the ice…plays aggressively both when his team does and does not have the puck; often hunting it down and stripping it from his opponent…has a bag of tricks he uses to shake defenders and get his hard, accurate wrist shot off or dish a soft pass…very difficult to knock off the puck and is able to dangle in very tight spaces while under heaps of defensive pressure…a toolsy center who is just scratching the surface of his potential…a constant threat in the offensive zone…has the look of a future offensive catalyst at the NHL level."
Unfortunately, Vilardi carries a question mark with him as well. It is not about injuries or bad performances, but rather his current situation.
Vilardi sits at eight goals and 21 points in 13 OHL games this season, playing on the left wing of 2016 first-round draft pick Logan Brown. Which is the tiny yet significant issue when evaluating him. Vilardi sees himself as a centre and that’s where he has been playing up to this season, but scouts are unsure whether he projects as one at the next level.
Either way, Vilardi will be worth the pick for the team that gets him. Whether he becomes a winger or a centre in the NHL, Vilardi should become an outstanding playmaker who would help a Canucks rebuild.
Plus, a team like the Canucks might be the right place for Vilardi to transition back to centre, in case he stays on the wing for the rest of his junior career.