Dallas Stars Draft Profile: Brooks Bandits Defenseman Cale Makar

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 look at Cale Makar.

Name: Cale Makar

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right-handed

Birthdate: October 30th, 1998

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta

Size: 5-foot-11, 187 lbs

Team: Brooks Bandits (Alberta Junior Hockey League)

Stats: 24 goals, 51 assists, 75 points in 54 games

NHL Ceiling: Top-two, puck-moving, power-play defenseman

Cale Makar represents the changing landscape of the modern NHL defenseman better than any other player in this year’s National Hockey League Entry Draft, set for June 23rd and 24th.

The hockey world is trending towards smaller, speedier defenders; the Dallas Stars, similar to many of the NHL’s 31 teams, have reaped the benefits of physically smaller defenders that have better skating and offensive abilities than their bigger, stronger counterparts.

In Alex Goligoski, Julius Honka, and even Trevor Daley, the Stars have excelled with these types of defenseman guarding the blueline. What makes Cale Makar an intriguing potential selection for the Dallas Stars, who will be picking third overall in the Draft later this month, is his status as one of these blueliners.

More from Blackout Dallas

Makar is a magnificent puck-mover who can combine his offensive talents with dependable, speedy skating, which allows him to remain defensively responsible as well. At 5’11 and 187 lbs, Makar fails to register big numbers on the scale, however, he really doesn’t need the size his peers possess.

NHL teams are becoming increasingly, albeit gradually, aware of the value smaller, fast defenseman like Erik Karlsson can bring over big and strong, Shea Weber-types. Makar, being only 18, can find himself in a league that fits his playing style when he matures into an NHL-calibur athlete.

Makar, with the wheels to set up plays himself when he doesn’t immediately have a passing lane, shows a variety of skills that would fit in the changing NHL. His goal-scoring and facilitating in the offensive zone would put him amongst the NHL’s elite offensive defenseman, while he rarely gets burnt inside of his own zone.

He’s very strong on the puck for a defenseman of his size, of lack thereof, although he will need to pack on a few pounds to further solidify his NHL skillset. Makar will never be a lockdown, penalty-killing defenseman, but having those defensive fundamentals that impress coaches will help him more than it will hurt him.

NHL.com

Makar was not unheard of prior to suiting up in the 2016 World Junior A Challenge for Canada West, but that proved to be quite the coming-out party for the righty. In the tournament held for players under 20-years-old, the native of Calgary, Alberta donned the captain’s “C” and chipped in four goals and four assists over just four tournament games.

Makar impressively tallied five points in Canada West’s 6-2 win over Switzerland, with two goals and three assists in the game played in front of “dozens of NHL scouts,” as Bob McKenzie from TSN put it. He had catapulted his way up to perhaps the top defenseman prospect, and undoubtedly the top North American defender, in the Draft.

Makar has been putting up absurd numbers since the beginning of his career in second-tier Canadian junior hockey. Makar was named AJHL Rookie of the Year and AJHL South Division All-Star after his 10-goal, 45-assist season in 2015-16 at just 17 years old.

He helped lead the Bandits not only to the AJHL championship with 14 points in 13 games, but to the Royal Bank Cup National Junior A title; Makar netted four goals and three helpers in five games on his way to being the event’s top scorer.

While the competition is not too stout in the second level of Canadian junior hockey, Makar is evidently leaps and bound ahead of his opponents and teammates. Makar is a deceptive playmaker that draws defenders to him and either releases his nasty shot or feeds a forward instantly.