Height: 6’
Weight: 180 pounds
Date of birth: July 28, 2001
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
Position: Center/Wing
Shoots: Right
OHL Draft: Round 1, 5th overall, 2017 Priority Selection
NHL Central Scouting Rankings: Preseason: B prospect, November: B prospect, Mid-term: 24th, NA
There was a pleasant intrigue surrounding Philip Tomasino last season as he broke onto the Ontario Hockey League scene with the Niagara IceDogs and posting 5 goals and 19 assists in his rookie season. And while he only posted one assist in 5 games for Team Canada at the World Hockey Challenge Under-17, that intrigue was still there.
Tomasino played his Minor Midget AAA hockey for the Mississauga Rebels during the 2016-2017 season and recorded 37 goals and 31 assists in 54 games, locking the IceDogs in on his offensive prowess.
OHL Central Scouting had this scouting report on Tomasino:
Philip is a hard working, skilled centre that you can never give up on when he is on the ice. He has explosive speed with the ability to change gears in mid-stride and is always moving his feet and putting pressure on the other team. He has very good one-on-one skills and is dangerous whenever he has the puck. Philip has a good shot with a quick release that catches some goalies by surprise. He plays a complete game and is reliable in every situation.
His flair for offense has shone through this season as he has 22 goals and 25 assists through his first 44 games and his 47 points trail only Arthur Kaliyev of the Hamilton Bulldogs and Connor McMichael of the London Knights among first time draft eligible players. He started off slow, but on a veteran team with OHL and Memorial Cup aspirations, Tomasino has been on fire. Through his first 22 games, Tomasino recorded 7 goals and 9 assists. But in his last 22 games he’s notched 15 goals and 16 assists and has registered at least one point in 15 of his last 22 games with 14 of those contests producing multi-point games.
As Central scouting’s report says, Tomasino has explosive speed, both in first steps and top end speed. He has excellent agility and able to change direction instantly and has excellent lateral mobility. Along with an ability to read situations quickly, he uses those quick bursts to bust into lanes and make himself available for teammates. He uses that speed to attack defences and, in most cases, that opens up ice for his linemates. When you do that, you have to be able to feed your linemates, and Tomasino can do that. He’s also not shy about taking the puck straight to the net.
Among draft eligible players, Tomasino’ s work ethic doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone. He has a relentless work ethic that rubs off on his teammates and he attempts to make something happen every time he hits the ice. To be able to do that, you have to have a certain amount of confidence from your coaches and the belief that you can make a difference. And Tomasino has both.
As dynamic as Tomasino is offensively, his defensive game can not be overlooked. He is predominantly playing wing now, but earlier in the season Niagara would use him in the middle in a shut-down role. It was an injury to Akil Thomas that enabled Tomasino to move up into a more offensive role.
He uses his quick steps to get on top of players in a blink of an eye, He keeps his gaps tight, has a very active stick, understands and closes lanes very quickly and is not shy about dropping to the ice to block a shot.
I am often asked id I see Tomasino more of a winger then a pivot. That’s a tough question. I love his game on the wing, but he is so in tune with the defensive side of the puck and with his smarts and skating and ability to defend, he can find a career in the middle.
OHL Writers 
One thought on “Philip Tomasino – Niagara IceDogs – Player Profile”