The Rangers currently have five defensemen under the age of
28 on their roster and two more top prospects on the way, so it’s very likely
New York will be looking to add some offensive firepower with its first-round
pick, No. 15 overall in the NHL Draft.
Between now and June 24th, we’ll take a look at some of the
forwards that the Rangers might be thinking about taking on draft
day. Today, we look at…
Phillip Danault
HT: 6-0
WT: 178
Pos: LW
Shoots: L
Birthday: 2/24/93
Team: Victoriaville,
QMJHL
2009-2010 stats: 10g, 18a, 61gp, 54PIM, +19
2010-2011 stats: 23g, 44a, 64gp, 59PIM, +17
2010-2011 playoffs: 5g, 10a, 9gp, 6PIM
NHL.com profile >
Ranks:
The Hockey News: 31
CSS: 27 Midterm Rank: 23
ISS: N/A
TSN: 39 Midterm Rank: 47
TSN (Craig Button): 16
The Scouting Report: 48 Midterm Rank: 56
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: 46
Corey Pronman: 28
ESPN: 30
Highlight Reel >
What They’re Saying:
THN – “Some scouts have compared Phillip Danault to 2010
third-rounder Michael Bournival, a fellow QMJHL player who was a late Canadian
cut for the WJC. Neither projects to be
a top scorer, but they are lauded for their work ethic and character. ‘Danault might have a little more skill than
Bournival,’ a scout said, ‘but they’re the same type of player. He plays hard both ways, but he also has
enough skill that you notice him.’ Danault and top prospect Sean Couturier tied for second in the QMJHL
with eight shorthanded points, which is a testament to his ability to excel at
both ends of the ice. A member of Canada’s
gold-medal team at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, Danault plays an inspired game,
but has to get stronger if he wants that style to translate to the NHL
level. ‘He’s a hard-working two-way
player,’ another scout said. ‘He’s very
competitive, but he’s probably not going to be a big scorer at the next
level.’”
The Scouting Report – “Danault has quietly become a player
that has enamored TSR with his hard work and consistency throughout the course
of the season with Victoriaville.
Danault comes to play every shift and you will often find the puck near him as
he seems to always be involved in the play. He played with some talented
players in the regular season which may have inflated his numbers a bit, but
Danault rested some of those concerns with some pretty solid play during the
post-season. He seems to be a player that just does a lot of things well and
certainly is worthy of being slotted in this range.”
Bruins 2011 Draft Watch –“Le Petit Tigre- that was former
NHL coach Michel Bergeron's nickname but it works for Danault, whose
father is the team's PA announcer. Danault grew up around the team and has been
a key player and captain. He's a small guy whose feet never stop moving and he
never quits on the play. He's a good defensive center with an active stick who
is tenacious on the forecheck and brings a lot of energy, hustle and character
to the mix. He's not a high-end skill guy, but makes up for it with his effort.
His size is what is keeping him from going higher, but we imagine that NHL
teams will love his immeasurables more than what he brings to the table
offensively. A classic more than the sum of his parts player, and with Danault
we keep going back to the old scouting adage that says if a kid wants to be in
the NHL badly enough, he'll probably get there.”
Corey Pronman - "My first time viewing Phillip Danault this season was during
the Subway Super Series game where he had to leave to the dressing room because
he got injured bursting towards the net and running into it with force. This
describes Danault's game in a nutshell. He's an above-average skater with a
good first few steps and a top speed that will make pro defenders respect him.
Danault has solid vision and while I don't think his puck skills grade as
above-average, he does make notable quick moves with the puck and is able to
move the dish at a decent level. Danault got his goals this season by going to
the net, and while he's exhibited a modest finishing ability, it's nothing
really notable. His best asset is his intangibles as he's an absolute horse
skating up and down the ice and whenever the puck enters an area that requires
physical play he's getting his nose dirty. The physical game from an output
standpoint though still has a ways to go, as his frame really lacks muscle and
the tool is fringe at best. Danault has been used a lot on the penalty kill due
to his work ethic and his notable hockey sense and defensive awareness."
Hockey’s Future – “Always consistent game in and game out
during the regular season and was outstanding during the playoff for the
Tigers. Danault plays a very active game - he is always involved in the play,
and he won't go many shifts without catching your eye in some positive manner.
Impressed ISS scouts by taking on a leadership role with the young talented
squad! His growth and maturity as a hockey player have certainly been
impressive this season.”
NHL.com – “The outward exuberance exhibited by Victoriaville
Tigres center Phillip Danault is ridiculously infectious. There's something downright genuine about
Danault, who also happens to be from the city of Victoriaville. Maybe it's his broken English,
or his perpetual smile. Whatever it is,
once Danault begins describing his game and how incredibly fortunate he is to
be captain of the Tigres of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, nothing else
really matters. On the ice, he's known
for possessing a tremendous drive, great playmaking ability and intelligence.
It's a combination too good to ignore and likely won't be when the 2011 NHL
Entry Draft is held June 24-25 in St.
Paul, Minn. ‘Personally, I think he's a late first-round
guy, maybe top of the second round, but we'll see,’ NHL Central Scouting's
Chris Bordeleau told NHL.com.”
THN.com – “Already lauded for his work ethic and skill,
Danault now has a trophy to back it up: The Victoriaville winger was recently given the
Guy Carbonneau Trophy as the QMJHL’s best defensive forward. On top of that,
his Tigres have a commanding 3-0 lead over Acadie-Bathurst in the playoffs.”
ESPN.com – “I had heard a
lot of good things about Danault even if he was trending down on Central
Scouting's rankings (midterm list No. 23 among North American skaters, No. 27
on the final list). Based on my conversations with scouts, they would have kept
him at the higher ranking and maybe given him a bit of a bounce up. As I've
noted before, an assessment of Danault is a challenge for scouts because he has
been a lead player on a very weak team -- he would have been in the middle of a
lot of dog games. But when I've spoken to scouts, those who have seen him the
most like him the most -- and scouting directors have adjusted travel plans to
scope him out, based on their Q-league scouts' recommendations. That's to say,
he seems like a bit more of a priority than a No. 27. The dope from one Quebec-based scout who has
seen him 10 times over the course of the season: ‘He's a pretty slight kid and
you wonder how much he's going to grow. If he's 170 [pounds] now, you'd imagine
that he'll get to 185 pretty easily, but not much more than that. If he were a
little bigger, then you could see him breaking in as a third- or fourth-liner,
but that's not what he has physically and it's really not his game either. He's a skilled kid who has great hockey
sense. He's more of a playmaker than a finisher but that's okay. He can go back
and forth between [left] wing and center. I like him more as a center but that
just shows how he has a good feel for the game. And he has great wheels. He is
just a great-looking skater, like they try to teach kids. He should be able to
play on skating alone but there's a lot more there. He made the best of a bad
situation in Victo'. What would he look
like if he was in Saint John?
He'd be higher up the list for sure. I know Central has Zach
Phillips above Danault on their list but I like Danault over him.’”
Mock Drafts:
Adam Kimelman, NHL.com – 23
Mike Morreale, NHL.com – 28
Steven Hoffner, NHL.com – N/A
Deven Persaud, NHL.com – N/A
TSN.ca – N/A
Gary Joyce, ESPN – 26
Mark Seidel, CBC – N/A
Hockey's Future - N/A
The Hockey News - N/A
Thoughts: Danault has all the intangibles NHL teams drool
over, but his actual skill level may not match some the similarly ranked
players in this year’s draft. By all
accounts his work ethic and character will drive him to the NHL, but he may top
out as a role-playing forward rather than an offensive dynamo. That’s certainly not a bad thing, especially
if Danault drops to the second round, but the Rangers have many players very
similar to him.
The Rangers haven’t taken a QMJHL player under Glen Sather
and not at all since 1977. Considering
the concerns about Danault’s size, he doesn’t seem like a likely choice for New York, especially in
the first round.
Season Review:
Breaking Down The Defense >
Breaking Down The Goalies >
Breaking Down The Offense >
Breaking Down The Prospects >
How Three Free Agent Signings In 2007 Have Shaped The Eastern Conference >
Spotlight On Glen Sather >
Spotlight On John Tortorella >
Player Reviews:
Spotlight On Mats Zuccarello >
Spotlight On Brian Boyle >
Spotlight On Matt Gilroy >
Spotlight On Ruslan Fedotenko >
Spotlight On Brandon Prust >
Spotlight On Bryan McCabe >
Spotlight On Alex Frolov >
Spotlight On Michael Del Zotto >
Spotlight On Martin Biron >
Spotlight On Brandon Dubinsky >
Spotlight On Marc Staal >
Spotlight On Steve Eminger >
Spotlight On Henrik Lundqvist >
Spotlight On Wojtek Wolski >
Spotlight On Sean Avery >
Spotlight On Dan Girardi >
Spotlight On Erik Christensen >
Spotlight On Ryan McDonagh >
Spotlight On Vinny Prospal >
Spotlight On Derek Stepan >
Possible First Round Pick:
Zack Phillips >
Sven Bartschi >
Mark Scheifele >
Mika Zibanejad >
Mark McNeill >
Brandon Saad >
Joel Armia >
Nicklas Jensen >
Alexander Khokhlachev >
Tyler Biggs >
Matt Puempel >
Rickard Rakell >
Mario Lucia >
Tomas Jurco >
Dmitri Jaskin >
Phillip Danault >
