Height: 6’8”

Weight: 232 pounds

Date of birth: March 6, 2000

Hometown: Oakville, Ontario

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

OHL Draft: Round 4, 76^th overall, 2016 Priority Selection (Barrie Colts)

NHL Central Scouting pre-season: C Prospect

NHL Central Scouting mid-term: 70th overall, North American Skaters

NHL Central Scouting final rank: Not available at present

Windsor Spitfires’ giant Curtis Douglas played minor midget hockey with the Mississauga Senators during the 2015-2016 season where he posted 8 goals and 4 assists in 32 games. The Barrie Colts would select Douglas with their fourth-round pick, 76^th overall at the 2016 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.

Last season Douglas appeared in 53 games for the Colts posting 4 goals and 5 assists in those contests.

He got off to a good start this season with 7 goals and 11 assists in his first 28 games with Barrie. On December 14, 2017, he was biggest piece (no pun intended) the Spitfires received in return for sending Aaron Luchuk to the Colts.

Following the trade, Douglas played in 38 games for the Spits scoring 15 goals and 13 assists and adding another goal and 3 assists in 6 playoff games.

First and foremost, you must be impressed with the 6’8” frame Douglas has. By NHL standards, he would be the second tallest player in the league behind 6’9 defenceman Zdeno Chara and the tallest forward ahead of 6’6” Brian Boyle. He is more then willing to use that size advantage. He can be a physically dominating force battling for pucks along the wall. Once he plants himself in front of the opposition net, defenders are unable to move him. And he uses that enormous reach he possesses in all zones to break up plays.

Despite the tall frame, Douglas is a deceptively quick skater. However, continuing to work on his overall skating is a necessity. Agility, first step speed and a breakaway gear could stand improving. His size could hinder that, but even a small improvement will help him succeed at the next level.

Douglas is a smart player who almost always makes the right decisions whether in the offensive zone or defensive zone. He has extremely soft hands and can make plays. He has excellent vision and can sometimes make plays out of nothing. He could at times though slow the pace down allowing his linemates to get into lanes or danger areas. He has the ability to find them and if he did so, he could become even more dangerous offensively.

He has an excellent work ethic and on many nights is the hardest worker on the ice. He can score the dirty goals but can also beat you with a shot. When he is totally engaged, he can dominate the offensive zone.

The 2018 National Hockey League Draft isn’t a particularly strong nor deep draft for centremen. Teams will look long and hard at Douglas. He could even go before most of us have him ranked.

Stat page of Curtis Douglas from Elite Prospects