The reigning Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared McIsaac proved himself in 2017-18 as a durable two-way defender for the Halifax Mooseheads. His offense comes and goes, but he grades out well overall thanks to his natural defensive posture and ability to give and take physical punishment.
The foundation of McIsaac's game is his superior footwork, agility, and all-around skating ability that sees him generate power in all directions. He moves very well laterally with a light set of feet that allows for smooth pivoting and edgework. His feet keep him in the play, and when bundled together with a long reach, he rarely gets beat around the edge at the junior level.
McIsaac's skating ability also allows him to spark the transition game with a high comfort level when carrying the puck out of the defensive zone. He can quickly skate it over three lines, sometimes taking it deep into the offensive zone, but he's more successful when keeping his head up, surveying what's in front of him, and relying on his excellent passing game to hit the forwards in stride.
McIsaac has the look of a modern-day NHL rearguard that can defend and move the puck, but as previously mentioned, scouts will be looking for more shift-to-shift consistency and game-to-game steadiness to prove that he can play major minutes at the next level. All the tools are in place. He just needs to keep working to have it all come together on a nightly basis.
Still, McIsaac contributed a healthy nine goals and 47 points this season for the Mooseheads, and then posted another goal and two assists at the World Under-18 Championship en route to being named one of Canada's top three players in the tournament.
The next stages of McIsaac's development will focus on his upper-body strength. He's been well-coached with his angles and positioning, so having the ability to gain leverage in the corners and in front of the net will help complete the puzzle as an aspiring NHL defender. Of course, the added muscle will help him get more zip on what is currently a rather pedestrian slap shot.
<< #31 Calen Addison | #29 Ryan Merkley >>
Click Here For The Full List
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).
