Canucks Prospect Report: Which defender will crack the roster?
Brogan Rafferty
Rafferty surprised many in his first professional campaign. He was arguably Utica’s best defenceman in 2019-20, making him the most-NHL ready player on this list.
Rafferty was an offensive boon for the Comets. The 25-year old righty scored seven goals and 45 points in 57 games, meriting an AHL All-Star selection.
Moreover, Rafferty controlled possession well for the Comets. His 115 shots on goal last season illustrates such dominance.
Rafferty is calm with the puck on the stick, using calculated decision-making to either quickly drive the play forward or make a key pass in the opponent’s end.
Rafferty’s calmness plays into his positional game, as he rarely leaves a man unchecked or available for a pass in his own end.
Further, Rafferty’s effective stick-checking makes excellent use of his 6’2, 200-pound frame to separate opponents from the puck.
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One concession about Rafferty’s game is that he can be caught out in transition, either forcing him to catch up to opponents on the break or expose his team to an odd-man rush or two.
Overall, there is not much in Rafferty’s game to criticize thus far.
However, Rafferty’s performance at the Canucks summer camp was dull. In fact, it was Rafferty who lost his spot on the depth chart to Olli Juolevi. While Juolevi did show improvement in camp, Rafferty just did not play well.
But, this shouldn’t detract from Rafferty’s incredible season, where he was a key offensive contributor for the Comets and provided some highlight-reel plays as well.
After Troy Stecher’s departure and Travis Green’s lack of trust in Jordie Benn on the right side, Rafferty could very well see himself in the mix for regular playing time in the bottom-four this season.
Jack Rathbone
Rathbone is a diamond in the rough for the Vancouver Canucks. As the 95th overall selection in 2017, Rathbone has developed into an outstanding offensive defenceman with tremendous power play upside.
In two seasons with Harvard, Rathbone scored 14 goals and 53 points in 61 career games. Rathbone sees the ice exceptionally well. He is a smooth skater and can make accurate stretch passes on a whim.
On top of his slick puck work, Rathbone possesses a great shot. As per Dobber Prospects, Rathbone led NCAA defenders in shots per game (3.36). Don’t mistake his high shot-volume as trigger-happy, though, as Rathbone seems to choose his shooting opportunities carefully.
Don’t be fooled by Rathbone’s small stature, though, as his strong edgework allows him to escape defensive pressure with ease.
Defensively, Rathbone is overzealous at times, in terms of stepping up against the opposition. However, his skating ability allows him to keep up with defenders nonetheless. When speaking with The Province, Elite Prospects expert JD Burke had this to say about Rathbone’s defensive game:
"“Harvard play a very rigid structure in their own end where they pin one defenceman to the front of the net and you can see how Rathbone chomps at the bit to extend himself, which opens him up to trouble at times […] the selling point for Rathbone is the way he’ll defend is by constantly having the puck.”"
Overall, Rathbone’s strengths fit perfectly into a Canucks defence core who’s offensive output is rather concentrated. Long-term, look for him to fit in as a secondary powerplay quarterback.
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Simply put, Rathbone is close to NHL-ready. Despite Olli Juolevi being management’s choice on the left side, Rathbone will undoubtedly give him a run for his money, if not win out in training camp.