Dallas Stars Draft Profile: Owen Sound Attack Forward Nick Suzuki

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 Nick Suzuki.

Name: Nick Suzuki

Position: Center

Shoots: Right-handed

Hometown: London, Ontario

Birthdate: August 10th, 1999

Size: 5-foot-11, 183 lbs

Team: Owen Sound Attack (Ontario Hockey League)

Stats: 45 goals, 51 assists, 96 points in 65 games played.

NHL Ceiling: Top-six playmaking center

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a lot of extremely skilled, fast, and smart players are routinely overlooked at the NHL Draft for their lack of physical size. The Dallas Stars have passed on players like this in the past like Mathew Barzal and Colin White, who are projected NHLers next season.

Nick Suzuki, though at no fault of his own, will most likely wait until the 12-20 range to hear his name called at United Center on June 23rd, but if I were running the Dallas Stars, I would want to further evaluate the Owen Sound center.

Nick Suzuki is a supremely talented, 17-year-old center with legitimate top-six potential in the NHL. Suzuki racks up points at will despite being as defensively responsible as any other Owen Sound forward. He added 23 points (8G, 15A) in 23 OHL playoff games while playing on the penalty kill, which speaks to his dynamic two-way talent and responsibility.

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Suzuki netted 47 of his 96 points during an unbelievable 33-2-3 season end for the Attack, and it was evident that the youthful London native was as energetic and profilic as any player on the ice. Even as Owen Sound dropped a Western Conference Finals matchup to eventual Memorial Cup finalists, the Erie Otters, Suzuki was arguably the most impactful athlete in the building.

How does a player of that size, playing the toughest position to play, make that big of an impact? Suzuki’s combination of puck-handling excellence and immense speed is the main reason to as to why he was able to bring Owen Sound the most single-season standings points (102) in franchise history.

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Suzuki is a very hard center to take off the puck when his feet are moving at full speed, and it’s also exceedingly challenging to catch up with the 5’11” center at full stride. His playmaking abilities comes almost exclusively from his skating, going from end-to-end and finding the right lanes.

Suzuki is a tireless worker who would wind up being an excellent two-way forward in the NHL, as he can play in all three zones consistently and skate his way out of any issues. His defensive capabilities are very underappreciated due to the prowess he possesses in his own zone.

One thing the Dallas Stars have to be aware of is that Suzuki, at 17 years old, could still have another slight growth spurt in him. While his main issue is being undersized, causing issues as far as puck protection and physicality within all three zones, that may not be an issue for long; Suzuki would ultimately become 6’1″, according to many people around the Owen Sound center.

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If he fills out physically and bulks up, he could become one of the most complete players in the 2017 Draft class. His potential is one of the more intriguing and puzzling storylines surrounding the NHL Draft, but to me, he’s a can’t-miss player and a potential steal. Suzuki reminds me of a smaller, perhaps even faster Evgeny Kuznetzov of the Washington Capitals.

Often times with players this young, there are questions regarding their commitment level and coachability; Suzuki’s status as the 2017 OHL Sportsman of The Year eliminates those concerns. He’s much more mature than those of his age group.

For Suzuki to succeed in the NHL, he needs more of the same of his days at Owen Sound; intense, hard-working, three-zone playmaking and responsibility. If he does this all with the Dallas Stars, potentially, Suzuki will become one of those players that makes everyone around him perform better.

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It will be interesting to see where Suzuki winds up and how teams assess his skill level against his size. Nick Suzuki is one of the most likable players in the field, and I’m pulling for a high Draft pick for the young righty.