Dallas Stars Draft Profile: Forward Michael Rasmussen

Up until the NHL Draft on June 23rd, the team at Blackout Dallas will be rolling out previews of the potential Dallas Stars selections. Today, we have Michael Rasmussen.

Name: Michael Rasmussen

Position: Center

Shoots: Left-handed

Hometown: Surrey, British Columbia

Birthdate: April 17th, 1999

Size: 6-foot-5, 200 lbs

Team: Tri-City Americans (Western Hockey League)

Stats: 32 goals, 23 assists, 55 points in 50 games.

NHL Ceiling: Top-six power forward

The power forward in the National Hockey League is somewhat of a dying breed; only a few players, one of which is Dallas Stars team captain Jamie Benn, can be described as the classic, prototypical power forward.

Anze Kopitar, Wayne Simmonds, Rick Nash, and others fall under that criteria, but the NHL is trending smaller and faster, rather than bulky and hard to take off the puck.

With that being said, a power forward is still perhaps the most entertaining role player in the game of hockey, and the Dallas Stars have the opportunity to select someone of that variety at number three overall.

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Tri-City Americans (Western Hockey League) forward Michael Rasmussen stands at a towering 6’5″, and weighs in at 210 pounds for a center/wing hybrid. Rasmussen, who accrued the nickname of “Razzy” in his Surrey, British Columbia adolescence, is the most physically fascinating player in the 2017 NHL Draft.

“He can play that power forward game and be hard on a lot of guys, but he also gets around the ice really well. Michael skates so well for a big man that he won’t look out of place at an NHL training camp,” said Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson in an interview with Blackout Dallas last month.

“He’s going to adapt well and be able to play in a lot of different situations, and because of his maturity and his work ethic, he’s going to have success early on,” said Williamson of Rasmussen, who finished the year at Tri-City with 32 goals and 23 assists in 50 games (1.10 points per game).

Rasmussen missed the last fifth of the WHL schedule due to a lower-body injury. However, his fast start was highlighted by 11 goals in his first 11 games at just, at the time, 17 years old. “He does everything well, he just has to continue to round out his whole game. He’s not at the NHL level yet so he’s gotta continue to get stronger and quicker.”

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The left-shooting Rasmussen is best compared to Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler, who is of the same physical size at 6’6″ and 215. “Blake Wheeler is a fair comparison. He’s at his best when he’s playing a strong, 200-foot game, and he’s the best player I’ve had [at Tri-City] at getting to the net and working in those tough areas. He’s got a really good knack for getting his stick on the puck and giving himself chances to score that way.

“He’s extremely versatile. He has the big frame at 6’5″ already and still growing, so he can play that physical style, but he’s got a good set of hands. That’s where the Wheeler, Rick Nash kind of comparisons come to Michael,” Williamson told us.

Rasmussen, the sixth-ranked North American forward in Central Scouting rankings, placed fifth in the on-ice portion of testing conducted at the 2017 Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game last January in Quebec City, Quebec. He finished first in the 30-meter backwards skating drill and third in the reaction with puck exercise despite his heavy body.

“He’ll be a player that adapts to different types of styles and different types of players to play with, whether it’s at center or on the wing. Going forward, he’s going to be able to compliment many different players, and can be used in a number of different situations,” according to Williamson. “Wherever he goes, Michael is gonna play a long time at the NHL level with what he brings to the table.”

McKeen’s Hockey ranked Rasmussen at third overall in the upcoming Draft for his ability to get up to speed quickly and protect the puck as well as anyone in the field. “Michael is true to his approach, he’s never going to be out-matched physically or experience-wise,” Williamson continued. “His puck skills are really good… he’s a player that wants to play in all kinds of different situations.”

For most 18-year-olds taking the Major Junior route, commitment to the game of hockey and maturity can be speed bumps to a development. Mike Williamson is confident that Rasmussen, who scored 40 points for the Americans at just 16 years old, will not have this issue. “He’s a student of the game. He already has pro habits in terms of the way approaches his nutrition and working out.

“He’s extremely mature, and extremely coachable,” Williamson, in his 18th year as an WHL head coach, told Blackout Dallas. “His work-ethic allowed me to play him for a ton of minutes, in all situations and against the best opposing players.”

Rasmussen has the potential to play on both ends of the special teams conundrum in the National Hockey League, Williamson and many other experts state. As a net-front power play weapon, something the Stars have lacked consistency in since the absence of former captain Brenden Morrow, Rasmussen can’t be beat.

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“He’s as good around the net as anyone, so he could be a power play weapon and make plays below the goal line,” Williamson said of the 6’5″ Rasmussen, who obviously can’t be pushed out from around the blue paint. “He’s so strong with his body and his positioning that getting set up for a deflection or a screen is easier,” said Williamson.

Rasmussen led the Western Hockey League with 15 power play goals before dropping out of the lineup due to the aforementioned lower body injury. Not to be outdone, however, Rasmussen logged over 20 minutes of penalty kill time. “He’s got a long reach and good positioning, so he can play well defensively with creating turnovers to generate offense.

“He’s not going to be a shutdown centerman or anything because he’s so versatile, so he’s going to play more than one specific role. Penalty kill will most likely be one of them,” Coach Williamson said.

Williamson noted Rasmussen’s maturity once more as questions of Ken Hitchcock’s strict coaching style with the Dallas Stars arose. “There isn’t a coach out there that can be harder on Michael than he is on himself. He demands a lot from himself and tries his hardest to improve daily,” he said. “He likes to learn, likes to get feedback, so he’ll fit in well wherever he winds up. Whoever is in his ear, giving him info, he’s going to take that and implement that on the ice, even if it’s Hitchcock.”

The full potential of Michael Rasmussen really pertains to how the NHL shifts while he’s developing in his prime. With such a unique skill set for a player of his size, Rasmussen will either be a superstar or fall apart entirely, and it really depends on the level of hockey being played in the pro ranks at the time.

If Rasmussen, who could jump to the AHL or NHL this season, is able to skate as well as he has and emulate the power forward role his skill set is best for, then he’s well on his way to All-Star appearances and awards. Power forwards can be valuable commodities in the NHL, especially for the Dallas Stars’ offensively-powered system, and Rasmussen surely fits the bill.

“Top six in the NHL level, complimenting a lot of star players. He can do that on the wing or at center,” Williamson said of Rasmussen’s potential and versatility. “His leadership and his maturity are areas that have grown a lot since we got him.”

Next: Dallas Stars Draft Profile: Casey Mittelstadt

If Rasmussen can continue to grow into his body, he’ll be a bona fide elite forward in the NHL. The Dallas Stars have yet another hard choice to make here.

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