A deep dive into 2024 NHL Draft prospect and Vancouver Giants' defenceman Colton Roberts.

The WHL is set to play a significant role in this year's 2024 NHL Draft. 57 players were included on NHL Central Scouting's final rankings, with a handful expected to be drafted in the first round. Today's draft profile is of Vancouver Giants' Colton Roberts, who enters the draft as the 36th-ranked North American Skater.

Roberts is one of the more intriguing defenders heading into the 2024 NHL Draft. He has great size at just under 6'4" and 204 pounds and also checks a lot of the boxes scouts and GMs are looking to add to their prospect pool. One of the top right-shot defenders available from the WHL, Roberts will be a player who garners plenty of interest early on day two. 

Arguably, Roberts' best quality is his skating. He can transition the puck well and is able to beat forecheckers to lose pucks. Overall, Roberts combination of size and speed provides him with a significant advantage as he can not only knock the opposition off the puck but also is very difficult to get the puck off of when he generates speed on the rush. 

As for the physical side of his game, Roberts understands how to use his size to his advantage. He uses his long reach to knock the puck away from the opposition and can win board battles at a high rate. Once he fully gets used to playing at his size, he has the potential to be one of the best shutdown defenders in the B.C. Division. 

When it comes to Roberts, the biggest question is whether he will be able to take another step forward in his development next season. While there was improvement over the past year, he needs to be more of a threat in the offensive zone moving forward. Expectations will be high during the 2024-25 season as he is projected to not only play top pair minutes but be a crucial part of Vancouver's special teams.

As for the draft, Roberts is a player projected to be a late second or early third-round selection. If he can take the next step in his development, he could become a solid two-way defender who can play on a team's second or third pair at the NHL level. Roberts has a high ceiling; now it is a matter of whether he can hit it.

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