The term "playmaker" is usually associated with those that patrol the middle of the ice, drive the play offensively, and distribute the puck to triggermen all over the ice.
The term certainly applies to Joel Farabee, a slippery and highly energetic U.S. National Team Development Program product who has made a mark as a gifted creator from the left side. No one should sleep on his ability to fire either, though, as the puck pops of his stick with equal success as evidenced by his 15.9 percent shooting accuracy in 2017-18.
In a sport where scouts can often be size-obsessed, Farabee is a reminder that it's not about how big you are, but rather how big you play.
Farabee is a points machine with top-line NHL talent given his ability to push through a myriad of game conditions and work to get the puck on his stick. If defenders try to jam him as he enters the zone, Farabee, an entertaining scouting subject, will use his fast hands and agility to get behind them.
When things get rough, he'll bite back against much larger opponents and continue to attack. He's insatiable in pursuit and impressively hard on pucks with natural desire to compete in all three zones of the ice. His game makes him a natural penalty killer in addition to being a top-notch power-play option.
Farabee was an absolute beast in 2017-18, scoring 33 goals, including a team-leading five while shorthanded, and 76 total points in 62 games while serving as captain for the U.S. Under-18 squad. Baked into those numbers were 40 points (15+25) in 26 United States Hockey League contests, and an excellent four-goal, four-assist effort in seven games at the 2018 IIHF World Under-18 Championship to provide a strong impression his final showcase for NHL scouts.
Committed to Boston University for the fall, Farabee will continue to build up his body with the expectation of stepping right in and playing a high-pace game for one to two seasons before thinking of a professional entry.
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For more on all the youngsters in the Sabres pipeline, check out Kris Baker's website, SabresProspects.com. You can also follow him on Twitter (@SabresProspects).
