Draft rankings

The Continued Improvement of Caleb Malhotra

Caleb Malhotra is the son of former NHLer Manny, and that’s all I intend to say about that because the younger Malhotra is a different player. A much more offensive player. Bloodline is a bonus, but that wouldn’t be the main reason I would draft a player. 

The first thing I noticed about him was his skating. It’s excellent, and these days, if you want to be a pivot, you need that speed. It’s hard to be effective in the NHL if you’re not– especially playing in the middle. 

His 23% defensive zone starts show the coaching staff trusts him.  He’s averaging over 19 minutes of ice time and plays in all situations. That’s good. He does use his frame at times, and I think he will be more aggressive in the future. Malhotra does lose some puck battles, but not an alarming number. I like the fact that he’s very active on every shift. His engagement is top-notch. He draws penalties; that’s a great trait to have.  

According to InStat, he’s hitting the net at a 60% clip, and his face-off percentage is up. It’s now 49%. I see his potential. I am still unsure if he’s a true #1 center; few are, and that’s why my early rankings had him at 14. Most centers never turn into #1s in the NHL. It’s one of the hardest positions, and the fail rate at center alone is very high. He’s a #2 for sure with #1 upside. 

He may shoehorn his way into my Top 10, but not yet. I need to see more. And as luck would have it, we have more season left and playoffs to do just that. He won’t be the best center in this draft; Tynan Lawrence is that guy. That’s no slight to Malhotra, it’s just how the tiers fall for me. 

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