NHL Mock Draft 2015: Vancouver Canucks select Colin White

Name: Colin White

Postion: Center/Right Wing

Height: 6'0''

Weight: 183 lbs

Shoots: Right

Born: January 30, 1997 in Hanover, MA

Considered by many to be the deepest draft since 2003, the Canucks head down a familiar path to select an American Center who plays a 200 foot game.  Doesn't this sound familiar?!?  To add another parallel to the 2003 Draft, the Canucks aren't really in need of a Center with this draft spot... But when a player with White's skill-set falls into your lap, you have to pull the trigger!

Who is this Guy?

The Massachusetts born White has spent the past 2 seasons as a member of the US National Development program where he has averaged .8 points per game in the USHL.  In addition to this, he has served as an alternate Captain on both the US U17 and U18 teams in international competition.

Rankings:

TSN-McKenzie	16
CSS	29
ISS	15
futureconsiderations.ca	19
mckeenshockey.com	19

Why did we draft him?

Skating:  Deemed one of the best skaters in the draft by multiple sources, White is a fluid skater who has excellent acceleration and is tough to take off the puck when he hits his stride.

Scoring Prowess:  The stats might not do it justice, but White has a great release and a willingness to go to the tough areas to score.

Defensive Responsibility:  White is becoming a really strong back checker and has developed an active stick in the d-zone which more often than not results in a great scoring chance off the rush.

Why He Fell To Us

Mononucleosis: Colin White lost 30 pounds to start the season this year after catching the kissing disease in the offseason.  This really set the Massachusite behind in his development this sesason.  This also resulted in being a bit more prone to injury this season.  Most of this weight has been recovered during the course of the season which is a huge indication of this fella's determination and work ethic.

Stats: There wasn't any sort of increase in base statistics from the previous season which can somewhat be attributed to the aforementioned Mono, being the #2 Center behind 2016 top prospect Auston Matthews or an increased effort on his defensive game. Regardless of the reason, his stats were pretty static to his previous season's output

Defensive Needs:  The other teams really went after the defensemen who would have been ideal for pick 23 in this mock draft.  This left us no other option than to further bolster our much improved forward prospect depth.

Combine Results

Pro Agility Left: #1

Pro Agility Right: #1

Vetical: #6

This may not look to be that impressive of a list, but there's more to it than the quantity of top 10 finishes here... Being the best player in both the Pro Left and Right tests is like catching a leprechaun while taking your unicorn for a walk... It just doesn't happen!

I feel kinda dirty, but the Oilers have the best combine footage on the interwebs... Here's a quick interview with our mock draft selection:

What's Next for Colin White?

There's no question that Colin White will be headed to Boston College in the fall where he probably spends 2 or 3 seasons under one of college hockey's best coacher in Jerry York. The Eagles roster is littered with great prospects and will be the perfect place for White to prepare for his NHL career.

NHL Comparison

It's a bit varied as to the exact player this 18 year old American will become, but the majority of hockey people see Colin White as either Patrice Bergeron or Ryan Callahan when he hits his peak.

Summary

We know that we need a blue chip defensive prospect, but there didn't seem to be the right value sitting there for us at 23 so we went with the best available player.  It is highly unlikely that Colin White is still available at #23, but if he is expect Lord Bennington to step up and walk away with another great forward in the first round!