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After Auston Matthews there’s a steep drop off when it comes 
to centers in the 2016 draft. Not that the next few options aren’t good, but 
they are having difficulty climbing into the top ten rankings in draft year 
that is much deeper on defensemen and power wingers.
One of the centers who could hear his name called early in 
the draft is Clayton Keller. Keller’s offensive numbers certainly warrant him 
being considered as he has put up 144 points in 86 games for the US Under 18 
Team this year.
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<h2>Rankings</h2>
For the most part Keller has spent the year in the mid to 
low teen rankings across all scouting services. At this point everyone views 
him as a top 15 pick, but only Corey Pronman sees him as a Top Five talent, 
placing him 4th in his rankings, with Draft Buzz Hockey, Future 
Considerations, and Sportsnet being the others who can see him going in the top 
10. 
Perhaps the biggest case for Keller going later is that Bob 
McKenzie’s definitive draft list is the one that has Keller the lowest. 
Unfortunately points and talent have a hard time of convincing most scouts to 
overlook the fact that Keller is only 5’10.
<h2>What He’s Good At</h2>
1.       Creative: Most Leafs fans will be 
interested in the comparisons he’s receiving to Mitch Marner and Doug Gilmour, 
probably the two names you’d most like to associate with 5’10 forwards in 
Toronto. His crafty play often creates something out of nothing and his smarts 
easily make up for his size.
2.       Heavy Shot: Having a guy who knows how 
to find space is already nice, but having a guy who can hammer the puck from 
the space he finds is even better. Having an NHL shot is maybe the strongest 
argument for not treating Keller as someone who can only matchup against other 
teenagers.
3.       Versatility: In the past Keller has 
been able to line up on either wing and that was the key to establishing 
himself at the top of the lineup in a deep USNTDP program, now Keller has added 
to that versatility by being a capable penalty killer and someone who can 
lineup against the top lines of his opposition.
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<h2>Drawbacks</h2>
The first couple of things are hard to count against Keller, 
and that’s his size (5’10, 170 lbs) and the fact that he won’t likely be 
considered for an NHL job next season as he’s committed to Boston University. 
Given that Boston University often keeps Freshmen in the bottom six and limits 
their minutes, Keller might be a couple of years out unless he puts on an 
absolutely phenomenal showing in year one.
Beyond that, Keller looks pretty darn good. He doesn’t have 
high end speed, but he’s a smart skater. He’s good in all zones, but if he’s 
going to keep that 200 foot player label, he’ll need to do that against bigger, 
tougher, better competition, and the NCAA is absolutely the right place to do 
that.
<h2>What Others Are 
Saying</h2>
<a href="http://www.thedraftanalyst.com/prospects/clayton-keller/">The Draft 
Analyst:</a>
<blockquote>“Keller is a strong, 
shifty skater with a powerful shot, displaying brilliance and hockey sense 
strikingly similar to what Marner brings to the ice. And while Marner is a 
winger, Keller is equally adept at bringing you out of your seat while leaving 
amazed opponents on the very edge of theirs. He’s schooled amateurs of all ages 
— U.S. college seniors, European stars, NHL-bound Canadian juniors; it doesn’t 
matter. He’s a hard-nosed, fearless player with a lot of flash, but he’s been 
Team USA’s leader and go-to option for every critical situation – defensive 
zone draws, killing penalties, gaining entry into the offensive zone, etc. Does 
he have franchise potential? We’ll let you judge for yourself, but keep in mind 
he’s nearly produced as much as Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews did with the 
NTDP. Keller is also nearly a year younger than Matthews, who set the NTDP 
scoring record a year ago with 117 points. If Keller keep his current pace for 
the rest of the season and through the 2016 U18 tournament, he’ll come close to 
matching him.”</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/prospectus-prospecting-scouting-the-usntdp/">Hockey 
Prospectus:</a>
<blockquote>“Clayton Keller is a 
special offensive talent and the most intriguing draft eligible player not just 
on the USNTDP, but throughout the USHL. He has first line center potential, and 
is clever enough to withstand strong defenders, although would be best served 
by always playing with one or two brawny wingers to help create additional 
space for him in the offensive zone. Keller is set to suit up for Boston 
University next season and his CHL rights are owned by Windsor should he have a 
change of heart.”</blockquote>
<a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/14711190/top-30-nhl-draft-prospects-midseason-update-nhl">Corey 
Pronman:</a>

<blockquote>“Keller&#8217;s production 
for the USA under-18 team can be <a href="https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/693509493112578049">ranked with 
the all-time greats</a> like Matthews, Eichel, <a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/3479/phil-kessel">Phil Kessel</a> and <a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/3735/patrick-kane">Patrick Kane</a>. 
He has been great during USHL and college games he has taken part in for the 
NTDP, and should contend for the top player award at the upcoming five nations 
under-18 tournament. Keller is a dynamic scorer with top-end skating and skill 
on top of being an excellent passer.”</blockquote>
<h2>Does He Make Sense for 
The Leafs?</h2>
The Leafs are still incredibly thin on natural centers in 
their system. Transitioning Nylander to center has worked out well, but Marner 
has been moved back to wing for most of his season in London. After that the 
Leafs are looking at bottom six type centers in Gauthier, and Hyman, so yes, 
Keller is a player who makes sense for the Leafs, even if he doesn’t have the 
desired size like fellow 2016 draft eligible centers Michael McLeod, and Tyson 
Jost.
The problem with Keller making sense for the Leafs is that 
if the Leafs are picking fourth, Keller is a bit of a leap for them and unless 
he’s 100% the guy they want, they are probably better off trading down, 
acquiring whatever asset they can along the way to pick Keller around 8th 
or risk going even lower and being happy with which ever one of the McLeod, 
Jost or Keller they can get when they are ready to select.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Keller seems like a great prospect and I don’t think it’s 
completely crazy to consider him with the fourth overall pick. Clayton has put 
up points on par with Matthews, Eichel, Kane, and Kessel in the US National 
Team program and you can’t overlook someone being in that company. 
While there is certainly an appetite to find some size for 
the Leafs top six, that can’t be deciding factor, especially with Babcock’s 
preference to sprinkle his most talented forwards throughout his lineup and 
giving them players like Leo Komarov to work with.

Keller might not be the guy you want to select at 4th, 
but he’s the guy you should be targeting if you willing to drop a few spots in 
the draft order.

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</div></center>After Auston Matthews there’s a steep drop off when it comes
to centers in the 2016 draft. Not that the next few options aren’t good, but
they are having difficulty climbing into the top ten rankings in draft year
that is much deeper on defensemen and power wingers.One of the centers who could hear his name called early in
the draft is Clayton Keller. Keller’s offensive numbers certainly warrant him
being considered as he has put up 144 points in 86 games for the US Under 18
Team this year.<center><iframe src="http://www.eliteprospects.com/iframe_player_stats_small.php?player=226432" width="100%" height="265" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></center><h2>Rankings</h2>For the most part Keller has spent the year in the mid to
low teen rankings across all scouting services. At this point everyone views
him as a top 15 pick, but only Corey Pronman sees him as a Top Five talent,
placing him 4th in his rankings, with Draft Buzz Hockey, Future
Considerations, and Sportsnet being the others who can see him going in the top
10. Perhaps the biggest case for Keller going later is that Bob
McKenzie’s definitive draft list is the one that has Keller the lowest.
Unfortunately points and talent have a hard time of convincing most scouts to
overlook the fact that Keller is only 5’10.<h2>What He’s Good At</h2>1.       Creative: Most Leafs fans will be
interested in the comparisons he’s receiving to Mitch Marner and Doug Gilmour,
probably the two names you’d most like to associate with 5’10 forwards in
Toronto. His crafty play often creates something out of nothing and his smarts
easily make up for his size.2.       Heavy Shot: Having a guy who knows how
to find space is already nice, but having a guy who can hammer the puck from
the space he finds is even better. Having an NHL shot is maybe the strongest
argument for not treating Keller as someone who can only matchup against other
teenagers.3.       Versatility: In the past Keller has
been able to line up on either wing and that was the key to establishing
himself at the top of the lineup in a deep USNTDP program, now Keller has added
to that versatility by being a capable penalty killer and someone who can
lineup against the top lines of his opposition.<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8ehRjzvIwLE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></center><h2>Drawbacks</h2>The first couple of things are hard to count against Keller,
and that’s his size (5’10, 170 lbs) and the fact that he won’t likely be
considered for an NHL job next season as he’s committed to Boston University.
Given that Boston University often keeps Freshmen in the bottom six and limits
their minutes, Keller might be a couple of years out unless he puts on an
absolutely phenomenal showing in year one.Beyond that, Keller looks pretty darn good. He doesn’t have
high end speed, but he’s a smart skater. He’s good in all zones, but if he’s
going to keep that 200 foot player label, he’ll need to do that against bigger,
tougher, better competition, and the NCAA is absolutely the right place to do
that.<h2>What Others Are
Saying</h2><a href="http://www.thedraftanalyst.com/prospects/clayton-keller/">The Draft
Analyst:</a><blockquote>“Keller is a strong,
shifty skater with a powerful shot, displaying brilliance and hockey sense
strikingly similar to what Marner brings to the ice. And while Marner is a
winger, Keller is equally adept at bringing you out of your seat while leaving
amazed opponents on the very edge of theirs. He’s schooled amateurs of all ages
— U.S. college seniors, European stars, NHL-bound Canadian juniors; it doesn’t
matter. He’s a hard-nosed, fearless player with a lot of flash, but he’s been
Team USA’s leader and go-to option for every critical situation – defensive
zone draws, killing penalties, gaining entry into the offensive zone, etc. Does
he have franchise potential? We’ll let you judge for yourself, but keep in mind
he’s nearly produced as much as Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews did with the
NTDP. Keller is also nearly a year younger than Matthews, who set the NTDP
scoring record a year ago with 117 points. If Keller keep his current pace for
the rest of the season and through the 2016 U18 tournament, he’ll come close to
matching him.”</blockquote><a href="http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/prospectus-prospecting-scouting-the-usntdp/">Hockey
Prospectus:</a><blockquote>“Clayton Keller is a
special offensive talent and the most intriguing draft eligible player not just
on the USNTDP, but throughout the USHL. He has first line center potential, and
is clever enough to withstand strong defenders, although would be best served
by always playing with one or two brawny wingers to help create additional
space for him in the offensive zone. Keller is set to suit up for Boston
University next season and his CHL rights are owned by Windsor should he have a
change of heart.”</blockquote><a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/14711190/top-30-nhl-draft-prospects-midseason-update-nhl">Corey
Pronman:</a><blockquote>“Keller's production
for the USA under-18 team can be <a href="https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/693509493112578049">ranked with
the all-time greats</a> like Matthews, Eichel, <a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/3479/phil-kessel">Phil Kessel</a> and <a href="http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/3735/patrick-kane">Patrick Kane</a>.
He has been great during USHL and college games he has taken part in for the
NTDP, and should contend for the top player award at the upcoming five nations
under-18 tournament. Keller is a dynamic scorer with top-end skating and skill
on top of being an excellent passer.”</blockquote><h2>Does He Make Sense for
The Leafs?</h2>The Leafs are still incredibly thin on natural centers in
their system. Transitioning Nylander to center has worked out well, but Marner
has been moved back to wing for most of his season in London. After that the
Leafs are looking at bottom six type centers in Gauthier, and Hyman, so yes,
Keller is a player who makes sense for the Leafs, even if he doesn’t have the
desired size like fellow 2016 draft eligible centers Michael McLeod, and Tyson
Jost.The problem with Keller making sense for the Leafs is that
if the Leafs are picking fourth, Keller is a bit of a leap for them and unless
he’s 100% the guy they want, they are probably better off trading down,
acquiring whatever asset they can along the way to pick Keller around 8th
or risk going even lower and being happy with which ever one of the McLeod,
Jost or Keller they can get when they are ready to select.<h2>Conclusion</h2>Keller seems like a great prospect and I don’t think it’s
completely crazy to consider him with the fourth overall pick. Clayton has put
up points on par with Matthews, Eichel, Kane, and Kessel in the US National
Team program and you can’t overlook someone being in that company. While there is certainly an appetite to find some size for
the Leafs top six, that can’t be deciding factor, especially with Babcock’s
preference to sprinkle his most talented forwards throughout his lineup and
giving them players like Leo Komarov to work with.
Keller might not be the guy you want to select at 4th,
but he’s the guy you should be targeting if you willing to drop a few spots in
the draft order.

TLN Draft Prospect Watch: Clayton Keller

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