With the No. 61 overall pick, the Dallas Stars select … Beau Akey of the Barrie Colts (OHL)
Why pick him? With L.A. Kings prospect Brandt Clarke heading to the pros full time next season, the Barrie Colts are losing their No. 1 defenceman. Luckily for them, they have Akey, who will need Akey to step up and fill Clarke's role. It's something he has experience with, having scored 11 goals and 47 points in 66 games this year.
Akey, who might not be as adventurous in the offensive zone as Clarke, doesn't have one trait that stands out. Instead, he does a bit of everything. The only question is can the 6-foot and 173-pound defenceman do it at the NHL level?
"He's just a solid all-around defenceman," one scout told THN. "He doesn't possess elite skills and he's not going to be a No. 1 guy, but he's solid. He's a stocky kid who can handle the physical play and also produce offensively."
Although plenty of NHL defenders no longer rely on size to succeed, there is often a dynamism attached to such talent. That doesn't appear to be the case with Akey. However, on a team that already has Miro Heiskanen, maybe having a solid No. 2 isn't such a bad thing — especially one who projects as a Sean Durzi type of defenceman.
Scouts say: "I'm torn. The way the league is going, it's speed and skill. But I think to be successful, you still need size on the back end. He's a bit of a tweener. He can skate and he's got skill, but I wouldn't call him hyper-offensive. He relies on his foot speed and quickness to defend. There's something there, but does he put it all together at the next level?"
Who are the other options? If the Stars want to stick with someone on the blue line, then Shawinigan defenceman Jordan Tourigny (ranked No. 123 among North American skaters) or Kingston's Quinton Burns (ranked No. 34 among North American skaters) make sense. Another option is winger William Whitelaw (ranked No. 42 among North American skaters), who projects as a Max Domi type of competitor.
What else is on the agenda: The Stars don't have a first- or third-round pick. They also don't have Evgeni Dadanov or Max Domi signed to contract extensions. Based on how both played for Dallas in the playoffs, keeping both unrestricted free agents will be high on GM Jim Nill's off-season check list.