Fansided

Top 5 center prospects in 2018 NHL Draft

By Nick McAdam

BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 26: Rasmus Kupari #34 of Finland during the second period against Canada during the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship at KeyBank Center on December 26, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 26: Rasmus Kupari #34 of Finland during the second period against Canada during the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship at KeyBank Center on December 26, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images) /
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ST CATHARINES, ON – NOVEMBER 25: Akil Thomas #44 of the Niagara IceDogs skates during an OHL game against the Mississauga Steelheads at the Meridian Centre on November 25, 2017 in St Catharines, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
ST CATHARINES, ON – NOVEMBER 25: Akil Thomas #44 of the Niagara IceDogs skates during an OHL game against the Mississauga Steelheads at the Meridian Centre on November 25, 2017 in St Catharines, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

4. Akil Thomas

Even though Thomas seems a bit small for a center, the prospect actually uses it to a big advantage in the style he currently plays. Thomas could fall to the Minnesota Wild or the Anaheim Ducks who could use the mind-blowing speed that this boy possesses.

What puts Thomas where he is on the projected draft board is his combination of positional awareness and speed; serious speed. Gaps that a goalie leaves in the net will see Thomas occupy that specific space in order to tap home a sure goal.

Even if the Niagara Ice dog loses a draw, he always finds the proper position to get back and defend. Thomas will even track back to the blueline in the offensive zone to hold the puck in to look for a pass or to just send the puck towards the net.

Thomas shows good passing abilities but he doesn’t take that much of a risk when trying to find a player that could lead to a scoring chance. The Brandon, Florida-born center seems to lay a pass to the obvious choice, which can be a mixture of a good and bad thing.

Shooting isn’t a problem for Thomas especially when combined with his speed. At the moment, Thomas looks to be a younger version of Carl Hagelin. He’s quick, good on the puck and isn’t afraid to put up a fight in order to win possession.

Thomas can play in all scenarios for his club. It will be very interesting to see where this player caps off at in his career in terms of potential. At the moment, it seems very hard to predict just how high Thomas can go up a lineup.

This past season in the OHL, Thomas totaled 22 goals and 59 points in just 68 games for Niagara.

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