The rising Ottawa 67's two-way centre should see some love as an option in the second-round.
While the OHL draft is coming up this Friday, the NHL draft is also right around the corner, and prospect lists are coming in hot with the big event just over two weeks away.
Today's draft profile is on Thomas Vandenberg, a riser who had a fantastic season as a rookie on an upstart Ottawa 67's team.
In 59 regular season games, Vandenberg put up 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points, while being a very useful two-way centre.
Thomas Vandenberg's speed and two-way play should see him selected in the second round at this year's draft. (Photo: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)What will really endear Vandenberg to NHL scouts and fans alike is his detail-oriented game. As one of the youngest draft-eligibles, being born on Sept. 8, 2008, he never takes a shift off and was trusted in key situations for Ottawa as the year went on.
Vandenberg's hockey mind is very good, and couple that with how fast he is, and you get a toolkit that is very well-suited for a good defensive forward.
Offensively, there isn't anything that really jumps off the page in the Nepean native's game, but he was able to score at a very solid rate in Ottawa this year, and has enough of a goal-scoring touch to be able to translate that up to the pro level.
The real separating factor with Vandenberg is that skating and speed. His size is pretty average at 6-foot, 181 pounds, but his feet move so quickly so he can use that speed in all three zones.
Defensively, he can track back quickly and help break up transitions, while being able to shift quickly and stay with his mark in the defensive zone. In transition, the speed is a weapon to blow by standstill defenders, and push back the opposition off the rush. Offensively, he can beat you off the boards and get to open space quickly to capitalize on opportunities.
Having that separating speed is a huge plus and what vaults Vandenberg up from being a late-round pick to a guy that should hear his name called in round two, or maybe the start of round three.
What keeps the 67's top pivot from being a first-rounder, though, is his ceiling. While his base package is very good and projectable towards being a bottom-six, penalty killing NHL forward, he lacks the offensive pop and skill to really be seen as a player that will be a serious top-six forward at the NHL level.
While his shot is useful and can beat goalies, he's not a natural playmaker and likely won't be a guy who can pick apart a defence with his passing. While he's quick and uses his speed in transition, he'll typically just make a good, safe play than anything outstanding.
These traits aren't bad, per se, but limit the true upside of the player, and make it more likely he'll be selected with the idea of being a projectable and good bottom-six forward at the next level.
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