A raw-ish power forward whose primary function is cleaning up plays around the goal mouth, Serron Noel has NHL size and strength with a lot of room to grow his game.
Being an August birth date, his foundational tools present a rather intriguing upside when considering he's a relatively younger player in the draft class. That intrigue was represented by an NHL Combine meeting schedule that included 28 teams.
Noel isn't a player that will drive the bus offensively, but he projects as one that can complement a high-speed attack by creating space and being a load to handle down low. He has a nice set of hands to finish in tight as evidenced by his impressive 27 per cent shooting. He won't use those hands to over-handle the puck as much as he will to fire shots from the center of the house, but scouts can see him coming along in that regard.
Following a 28-goal, 53-point campaign and a mediocre one-assist effort in the five playoff contests, Noel boosted his draft stock with Canada at the 2018 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, scoring twice and totaling six points in five tournament tilts.
Scouts see in Noel a smart, high-reward player who shows signs of being coachable. He needs to improve the strength of his skating stride and ability to generate more top-end speed, but it has already come a long way from where he was a season ago as an Ontario Hockey League rookie.
For his efforts, Noel was rewarded with a second-place mention as Most Improved Player in the OHL's Eastern Conference Coaches Poll.
It's hard to teach his natural puck-protection ability, and he appears willing to work hard defensively and win his share of own-zone battles. If it all comes together, Noel could be a formidable top-line winger. Interested teams, especially those with ample prospect depth near the end of the first round, will exercise patience when it comes to a player like this by making him stronger on his skates and focusing on his stick-handling skills.
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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).
