2024 NHL Draft Notebook: Sam Dickinson, Tomas Galvas, and Beckett Sennecke

Sam Dickinson, Tomas Galvas and Beckett Sennecke are three talented prospects and after impressive showings recently, their stock could be set to climb, writes Tony Ferrari.

As we begin another year of draft analysis and prospect evaluations, I look to give more insight into the process of how I track draft-eligible players throughout the year. Through numerous views, both live and in person, I do my best to evaluate what I see on the ice with players from their big flashy plays and highlight reel goals or assists, to minor details such as board play or off-puck tracking.

In this new bi-weekly series, I will open up my notebook to give you a peek behind the curtain. Throughout the season, I maintain a “notebook” with scouting reports on players throughout the year. While I don’t write a game report for every game I watch of a player, I attempt to do so for the majority of the views I have on a player. This provides me with an excellent chance to track a player's development throughout the season and note improvements or shortcomings in their play.

In the first notebook of the year, we will look at London Knights’ defenseman Sam Dickinson, Czech defender Tomas Galvas, and Oshawa Generals’ winger Beckett Sennecke.

September 30, 2023 - Dickinson was a force at both ends of the ice in this game, putting up a goal and two assists offensively and thwarting just about every chance defensively. He was on the ice for a goal against while on the penalty kill but it was a bit fluky. He had his man tied up on the back side and an opponent shot the puck off of the London goalie’s back from the goal line on the opposite side of the crease.

His gap control was excellent when defending the rush, using his stick to dislodge the puck and jump onto it quickly to move it up ice. His skating was simply fantastic. Dickinson was unshakable for the opposing attackers, staying with them whenever they tried to evade or stop and start in an effort to lose him. He used his edges effectively to evade pressure with the puck on his stick. His elusiveness when dealing with a forecheck was impressive as well, reading where they were attacking and sneaking out into space. Dickinson’s transition ability and speed were evident throughout the game. He attacked downhill, pushing defenders back onto their heels while overwhelming them with his agility at top speeds. Dickinson’s shot was a big presence in this game as he was more than willing to send a booming slap shot on net from time to time, setting himself up to fake it with a windup and then move laterally before firing a snapshot from a better spot. His lateral mobility allowed him to open shooting and passing lanes throughout the offensive zone, attacking down the wall or penetrating the slot. On a couple of occasions, he stared down the goaltender to draw in the attention and eyes of defenders and the netminder alike before sending an east-west pass across the slot. One assist came on a play like this. His other assist came as he joined the offensive play late with speed, attacking down the slot and then sending a hook pass back to a lone teammate in front of the net. Dickinson was simply a force of nature in this game. He was the best player on the ice and it really wasn’t close.

September 27, 2023 - It was immediately apparent in this game that Galvas plays the game at a higher pace than most players in the Czech league. His skating is upper echelon and he used it so effectively in all facets of the game. Galvas closed gaps quickly, got into the body of the attacking players when defending transition and forced mistakes regularly. Galvas was so quick to jump on a loose puck in the defensive and neutral zones.

Galvas’ entire game is built upon his impressive skating. In transition, Galvas is a slick passer and a more than willing puck carrier. He has the puck skill and handling ability that allow him to evade traffic and make space for himself. In the offensive zone, he is slick and agile. He moves incredibly well laterally and understands spacing in the attacking zone at a high level. He jumps into skating lanes and activates down the wall. Galvas has precise passing and he looks to find teammates in high danger. He reads the very well, exploiting seams and penetrating the slot. Galvas scored a goal by joining the rush, getting behind defenders, and receiving a pass to get in on his own before burying the puck from in tight. Galvas was buzzing all over the ice in this game and it kicks off his scouting coverage at a big-time high.

October 1, 2023 - The Oshawa Generals are relying on Sennecke to be an important part of the squad right now and he is showing well in the expanded role. His ability to layer his skills is impressive considering none of his individual skills are overly impressive in their own right. This allows Sennecke to generate more of an impact overall. His two assists in this game came from maintaining a high compete level while using his passing skill to advance play. His second assist in particular was impressive even if it was a secondary assist. Gathering the puck in the offensive zone, he got tripped to his knees. He steadied himself by extending one leg as he corralled the puck and then passed to his teammate in the high slot while down on his knee.

Sennecke’s intelligence was shown throughout the game as he would arrive to his spots on time, on the right side of the puck, and provide his teammates with support when needed. He was consistently providing his defenseman with an outlet for the breakout, staying low along the boards or cutting into open space for a pass. Sennecke understood the need to hunt down loose pucks, maintain possession, and force opponents into mistakes as well. There were a number of times when his neutral zone pressure would lead to a puck being dumped in without support or a turnover that can be turned up ice quickly. Overall, Sennecke put together a nice showing early in the draft season.