A tough, skilled center who has an excellent scoring touch, great hockey sense, and soft hands. The Latvian born import projects as a power forward who can finish but excels in generating offense through his set-ups. He is a player who shows up every night and gives it all, with skills and feet that make him strong on the puck. In a draft year where defensemen clearly outweigh forwards in terms of polished players, he stands out in his class as a guy with significant upside as a potential two-way dominant center. He is at the very least three or four years from being NHL ready, so teams without immediate needs should hope that he is passed on by those looking for quicker additions to their roster.
Committed to University of Vermont.
--Bill Placzek--
