Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Prospect Report: Jacob Trouba (D)

Current team: USA National Development Team (USHL)
2012 Stats: 22 GP, 4-14-18 33 PIM
Central Scouting Rank: 9
Likely Destinations: Toronto Maple Leafs (5th Overall), Anaheim Ducks (6th Overall), Washington Capitals (11th Overall)

Coming up next is our report on Central Scouting's highest rated American prospect (Alexander Galchenyuk doesn't count, so don't even be a smartass and tell me how he is technically American).

Trouba is a Rochester, Michigan native and is your prototypical American defenseman, above average skill to go with massive truculence and size. Trouba is never afraid of a conflict, and at over six foot, it's easy to see why. Trouba will only continue to get larger and more aggressive, and when it comes to top defenseman prospects, these are the only parts of their game you can count on. Trouba has been repeatedly praised for the fact that his size is not wasted. He combines it with good, but sometimes inconsistent decision making ability to create separation and remove opposing players from the puck.


Trouba has been assessed by International Scouting Services as the potentially best stay-at-home defender in the class, if not the best defenseman, stating "For his size, Trouba skates extremely well and his transitional skating is near flawless." These are two skills that cannot be undersold as an NHL defenseman. They are paramount.

For those who disfavor the taste of international tournaments, you may have not been aware of Team USA's play in this years U-18 tournament. Their defensemen stole the show, and Trouba was the headline player.

With no glaring weakness it's hard to project where he goes in the draft. As pointed out in the Yakupov profile, defensemen can be unpredictable, so even with his ability, Trouba could be taken earlier than deserved or slide to anywhere in the top 15 or so. For my money, the Anaheim Ducks might be drooling to see him drop to their spot at 6th Overall. If not, look for Washington, or Ottawa to snag him up before too long. But there's always the "Big, bad American" factor that Brian Burke just about faints when he has a chance to draft.

While the above video compares him to Dion Phaneuf, I find that insulting for an extremely talented player, and think of him as a guy who compares better to Chris Pronger. It is a stretch to think that he will reach Pronger's level in the NHL, but on the right team, he could be just as impactful.

Unfortunately, he chose to go to Michigan, so I will hate him forever. Such a shame.

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