2013 NHL Draft Profile: Keaton Thompson

With the 2013 NHL Entry Draft but a day away, TOE wraps up its draft profile series with incoming freshman defenseman Keaton Thompson of Devils Lake, ND.


Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Player Profiles:

• TOE: Recruit Profile: Keaton Thompson
• Future Considerations: Prospect Profile
• The Hockey Writers: Prospect Profile
• First Round Bust: Prospect Profile
• Last Word on Sports: Prospect Profile
• Buzzing the Net: NHL Draft Tracker
• The Scouting Report: Prospect Profile

Player Rankings:

• No. 33: Future Considerations
• No. 45: TSN (Craig Button)
• No. 45: The Scouting Report
• No. 48: Last Word on Sports
• No. 49: The Hockey News (Ryan Kennedy)
• No. 49: International Scouting Service
• No. 53: NHL Central Scouting (NAS)
• No. 72: TSN (Bob McKenzie)
• No. 72: Hockey Prospectus
• No. 75: The Hockey News Draft Preview
• No. 77: Hockey Prospect
• No. 78: The Hockey Writers
• No. 79: The Hockey Writers
• No. 85: McKeen's Hockey
• No. 106: North American Central Scouting

What People Are Saying:

• Future Considerations: "a smooth two-way defender that when he is on his game plays a virtually mistake-free game...really fluid and graceful skater; effortlessly hovers across the ice...a very good directional skater, strong on his edges, very efficient and maintains his speed when changing direction...not afraid to jump up in the play on the rush, but knows when to rein it in when the time is not right to jump up or retreat back to the point when his job is done on the rush...makes a good first pass and sees the ice real well...makes smart little plays to relieve pressure; little touch passes against the grain, etc. and is ridiculously poised with pressure bearing down on him...not a physical player overall...offensive upside is truly an unknown as he is not overly creative with the puck on his stick with hand or head fakes, instead opting for the simple play more often than not. More of an active stick type of defender than a physical one; uses his lateral mobility and reach to defend."
• Hockey Prospect: "an excellent skater and when he’s on his game, his decision-making is near perfect...not overly physical, but intelligent, aware, poised, and fundamentally sound, with pinches at the right times, puck-rushing ability, excellent passing, the ability to quarterback a power play and get pucks on net, and instinctive and smooth defensive zone positioning...hasn’t shown that he can play at his peak on a consistent basis...footwork is borderline elite and has carried him quite far, and the tools are certainly there...hockey IQ remains a major question mark."
• Hockey Prospectus: "plays an advanced and mature game for his age...was up-and-down this season, tailing off toward the end of the campaign...shows a good panic threshold with the puck, and he tends to make good decisions...knows how to position his body and his stick in such a way to make him an effective defender despite his slightly undersized frame...a quality puck mover who makes good outlets, and he can be decent on the power play...an above-average skater with good footwork, top speed, and closing ability. Combining those attributes with his defensive sense allows him to make a lot of stops...fairly average with the puck."

Previous Draft Profiles:
Gage Ausmus
Luke Johnson
Tucker Poolman
Adam Tambellini


*Special thanks to these scouting services who granted permission to use their scouting reports for this profile series:
Hockey Prospect
Future Considerations