Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 pounds
Date of birth: July 21, 2000
Hometown: Port Perry, Ontario
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
OHL Draft: Round 1, 5th overall, 2016 Priority Selection
NHL Central Scouting pre-season: B Prospect
NHL Central Scouting mid-term: 76th overall, North American Skaters
NHL Central Scouting final rank: Not available at this time
It’s quite possible there isn’t a bigger enigma then the Flint Firebirds’ Ty Dellandrea when it comes to rankings for the 2018 National Hockey League Draft. After the top two, the list of Ontario Hockey League players could go any which way, and Dellandrea’s name is all over the map.
NHL Central Scouting ranks him 76th among North American skaters. When you factor in Europeans and goaltenders, that puts Dellandrea in the fourth round. TSN’s Bob McKenzie, whose list is based on surveying NHL scouts, ranks him 10th among OHL players and 41st overall. His list includes goaltenders and Europeans and that ranks him as a solid mid-second round pick.
There aren’t many better then Brock Otten when it comes to covering the OHL and on his excellent blog, Otten ranks Dellandrea twelfth among OHL players on his mid-term rankings, which puts Dellandrea in line with McKenzie’s list.
Normally at this time of year I would ridicule Central Scouting and while they have him lower then any of the public lists available, there isn’t a real consensus on Dellandrea.
Dellandrea played his minor midget hockey during the 2015-2016 season with the Central Ontario Wolves where he compiled 36 goals, tops in the Eastern Triple A Minor Midget Hockey League, and 21 assists in 36 games. He would represent Team OMHA at the OHL Gold Cup and score once while adding two assists in five games.
The Firebirds would select Dellandrea with the fifth overall pick at the 2016 Priority Selection. Here’s what OHL Central Scouting had to say about him prior to his draft:
Ty is one of the most improved players in the draft since the start of the season. His skating is noticeably better, he is quicker in every area and has become very hard to handle off the rush. He is also playing with way more confidence and is trying things he never would have at the beginning of the season. Ty has the puck on his stick a lot and creates chances for himself and his teammates. He has a very hard and accurate shot off the wing and surprises goalies with his release.
Dellandrea broke onto the OHL scene a season ago and competed in 57 games while putting up 13 goals and 11 assists in those contests. He twice represented Canada internationally, first at the World Hockey Challenge Under-17 (5 GP, 1G, 1A) and at the World Junior Championship Under 18 (pointless in 5 games).
This season began with a gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial for Dellandrea. He returned to Flint and had an A sewn on his jersey which speaks to his leadership qualities. He finished the season with 27 goals and 32 assists in 67 games, one of the rare occasions where his helpers have outnumbered his own goal production.
Among draft eligible players, Dellandrea finished the regular season in ninth spot in points and fifth in goals. He finished eighth in faceoff percentage, winning 750 of 1481 draws or 50.6 percent. He was also tied for top spot with Cam Hillis and Evan Bouchard in powerplay goals with ten and finished second to only Bouchard in shots on goal with 239.
When looking at Dellandrea, you surely must take into consideration that he played on a poor, non-playoff team in Flint. How much consideration is put into that is the subject of great debate.
Dellandrea has decent size, some very intriguing skill sets and is a very good skater with good speed and an explosiveness to his first few strides. He protects the puck extremely well and controls it on his stick while flying up the ice. He can beat defenders wide with no fear of taking the disk to the net.
Dellandrea’s skating allows him to get in on the forecheck quickly and cause havoc for defenders. He’s not afraid to lay the body on the forecheck and create turnovers. When he has control of the puck in the offensive zone, he sees the ice extremely well and can dish it very well. He usually looks for and finds the safe play. I would like to see him “force” a play periodically. If he doesn’t see the opportunity to make a play, he’s not shy about taking his own shot – which is a very good shot with one of the quickest releases.
Defensively, Dellandrea has made some huge strides and is one of the better two-way centers available in the draft class. Once again, his quick first steps allow him to get into lanes quickly and with an active stick causes turnover, especially in the neutral zone. He can anticipate extremely well which makes him an very effective penalty killer as well.
OHL Writers 