Canucks: 3 defencemen they could draft in the third round
By Joshua Rey
The Vancouver Canucks don’t pick until the third round. If they are looking at defencemen, here are three possible targets.
NHL draft season has arrived, and it should be an exciting time for Vancouver Canucks fans, as general manager Jim Benning gets another chance to bolster the team’s prospect pool.
Vancouver won’t be drafting until the third round. Their first-round pick was sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the J.T. Miller trade at last year’s draft. That pick was eventually traded to the New Jersey Devils in the Blake Coleman trade. The team’s second-round pick was shipped to the Los Angeles Kings as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade.
So Canuck fans will have to wait a couple of rounds before Jim Benning and company make a selection with the 82nd overall pick.
If the Canucks are looking at defencemen with their third-round pick, here are three prospects they could target.
Brock Faber, 6’0″, 182 pounds, shoots right
Brock Faber (no relation to Canucks Army’s Chris Faber) has spent the last two years with the US National Development Program and is committed to the University of Minnesota to play for the Golden Gophers next season. He is widely projected to go between the third and fifth round.
Faber had three goals and nine assists with the US National U-18 team in 2019-20. The Maple Grove, Minnesota native is also one of the youngest players in the 2020 draft (he was born on Aug. 22, 2002.
Faber is a smooth skater with good speed and agility, which would complement Vancouver’s core players nicely. In the this clip, Faber uses his speed and stride to enter the zone cleanly, and he protects the puck with ease.
The right-handed defenceman provides plenty of offence, but he has very smooth hands and tends to make very good decisions with the puck.
Faber is also reliable in his own end as a defensively sound blueliner. His hockey IQ translates well to the defensive side of the ice as he takes away passing and shooting lanes. Faber can win battles along the boards and in front of the net. He also uses his stick quickly to poke check the puck away from the opponent.
Faber can be a solid defensive defenceman in the NHL, and if he is available by the time Vancouver picks, they should consider taking him.