• Tristen Nielsen - 2018 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

    From The Hockey Writers@1:266/404 to All on Monday, June 18, 2018 10:12:38
    Tristen Nielsen

    2017-18 Team: Calgary Hitmen (#15)

    Date of Birth: February 23, 2000

    Place of Birth: Fort St. John, British Columbia

    Ht: 5';10" Wt: 180 lbs

    Shoots: Left

    Position: Center

    NHL Draft Eligibility: 2018 first-year eligible

    Rankings

    THW (Pike';s Picks): 104th (final)Future Considerations: not in top 100 (final)ISS: not in top 31 (May)Bob McKenzie: not in top 90 (Mid-season)Craig Button: not in top 90 (March)

    In every draft year, there';s a player that somehow falls off the draft radar despite appearing to be a decent bet for selection. Maybe the player missed time due to injury. Maybe they';re not terribly large. Maybe their team wasn';t
    very good. Maybe scouts only saw part of their season. The ultimate dark horse,
    long-shot value pick in the 2018 NHL Draft may be Tristen Nielsen of the Western Hockey League';s Calgary Hitmen.Tristen Nielsen of the Calgary Hitmen (Candice Ward/Calgary Hitmen)

    A first round selection in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft, Nielsen made a brief three-game appearance in 2015-16 before becoming a full-time WHLer in 2016-17. He had 7 points in 49 games as a rookie and seemed to have a ton of energy, albeit unfocused - he was the hockey equivalent of an unattended fire-hose, spraying in a thousand directions.

    His 2017-18 campaign can basically be split into two: he played 23 games prior to a hand injury where he was buzzing around the net but things just didn';t go
    in, and then a 26 game period after his return from said injury where everything went in. He had 35 points in 49 games, with 23 of them coming in the
    second half of the season. The biggest question for scouts is which Nielsen is the "real" one; the answer is probably somewhere in the middle, but how much credence you give to his second half likely determines if you think he has NHL upside. Regardless, his energy was much more focused throughout the season and it helped the Hitmen immensely.

    Nielsen';s not a big player, but he';s a buzzsaw. He has an average to slightly
    above-average level of overall skill, but his game is elevated by his skating and gas tank - he creates a lot of chances and draws penalties by beating opponents to pucks. He may not be a great finisher - he was for 26 games, but he also bobbled many grade-A chances - but he';s got enough hockey sense to always be in the right place to create chances. Physicality might be a challenge at next level and he';ll need to bulk up to survive, but he';s got the wheels and awareness for it. The biggest challenge for him is converting chances and near-misses on a more consistent basis.Related: THW's 2018 NHL Draft Guide

    Nielsen';s undersized, but works hard and his pace is what sets him apart from the pack. The gamble for NHL clubs is whether his final 26 games of this season
    is indicative of his offensive upside. More and more teams are taking gambles on players with his offensive profile in the later rounds and there may be some
    value here. Teams with multiple picks - and the ability to take calculated risks with those picks late in the draft - may take a calculated risk with him.Tristen Nielsen - NHL Draft Projection

    Nielsen seems to be a candidate to be selected in the sixth or seventh rounds. His size may give teams pause, but his offensive output this season after his return from injury will earn him quite a bit of consideration in the waning moments of the draft.Quotables

    I just noticed that Tristen Nielsen didn't crack NHL Central Scouting's North American skater rankings. I'm baffled that a player in such a big market could get so badly missed.

    Hooooo boy, is he going to prove those scouts wrong

    - Derek Neumeier (@Derek_N_NHL) April 16, 2018

    Strengths

    Plays with a ton of pace and tenacityGood situational awareness in all three zonesGreat fore-checker

    Under Construction (Improvements to Make)

    Lacks size and will need to add muscle to his frameArguably doesn';t have a single high-end attribute to his gameNot great at burying chances consistentlyCould stand to improve his decision-making in offensive zone

    Other 2018 NHL Draft Profiles

    Luka BurzanKristian ReichelLuke Henman

    NHL Potential

    Nielsen projects as a bottom six energy forward at the pro level.

    Risk-Reward Analysis

    Risk - 1.5/5, Reward - 3/5

    Fantasy Hockey Potential

    Offense 8/10, Defense 8/10Awards/Achievements

    Nielsen represented Canada at the Under-17 Hockey Challenge.Interview/Profile Links

    Dub NetworkFuture Considerations

    Videos

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