The Vegas Golden Knights could look to target the big, puck-moving defensive defenseman EJ Emery.
The Vegas Golden Knights could look to target the big, puck-moving defensive defenseman EJ Emery.
The 6'3, 185 lbs right-handed defenseman was born in Surrey, BC, Canada and has dual citizenship, allowing him to play for the USNTDP.
Emery excels at defending the rush and is a good disruptor on the cycle. His size allows him to use his long reach to force opponents to the outside and he also knows how to use his body to keep opponents from getting inside positioning on him. His skating allows him to maintain good gaps and his active stick is constantly knocking pucks off his opponent's stick.
His offensive game isn't at the same level as some of the top-end defensemen in the draft but he is a great puck mover and starts many of his team's transition chances.
He uses his foot speed to avoid forecheckers and consistently makes passes while moving forward. The past season he played in 61 games recording 16 assists. In the U-18s, Emery registered six assists in seven games.
Emery projects to be a top-four defenseman who can play big minutes at 5v5 and on the penalty kill. He likely won't run any power play units but his ability to play in any scenario will be a huge aspect of his game.
The 18-year-old will be heading to the University of North Dakota to begin his NCAA career. North Dakota has produced many great NHL players such as Brock Boeser, Zach Parise, Brock Nelson, Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie.
Emery has many similarities to Chris Tanev. A great defender who isn't game-breaking offensively but is able to keep the play alive and make the right read. Similar to Adam Jiricek, Emery would benefit greatly from learning from Alex Pietrangelo.
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