Before the NHL changed the way the game was played there was little room for 5-9 defensemen. Thanks to the premium on puck movement a defender that size who can produce is in demand. That was proven when the Nashville Predators, already pretty solid on defense, grabbed Ryan Ellis with the 11th pick in the 2009 draft. Ellis scored 89 points overall and picked up more than an assist-per-game while playing for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL).
Ellis became a hot property during the World Junior Championships this year when he moved up from an offensive specialist to a full-time defender on Canada’s goal medal club. There are those who don’t believe he can be effective in the NHL, but he will have his chance to play.
“I’ve only been in the (OHL) three years and other coaches I talk to, they’ve never seen a defenseman have an impact in a junior game like Ryan Ellis,” said Windsor coach Bob Boughner. “He seems to be in on every play defensively and offensively. If you come away from the game and you look at who was your favorite player, who played the best, his name always seems to come to mind. There are plays where he’s making something out of nothing. And his biggest asset is his shot. He’s got an NHL one-timer, he’s got an NHL slap shot, and that’s a dangerous weapon.”
PHN analysis; we had our differences with this player and in the end moved him down our mock draft. We had one member who kept pointing at his numbers and making his case, but in the end—incorrectly—we dropped him. Perhaps that is the same situation as what happened in the draft today, some people probably don’t like Ellis, but all it took was one to like him and in Ellis’ case it was David Poile.
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