Wings Nation First Round Target: Cale Makar
6 years ago
Cale Makar, from Calgary, Alberta, is the only defenseman projected to go in the top ten in this year’s draft. Makar is a right handed, 5.11 and 180 pounds two-way defensemen and has been compared to a young Erik Karlsson.
Makar: “At the beginning of the season, lots of people started comparing me to Karlsson. I knew of him, but never really watched him. So I started watching lots of film and realized we have similar tendencies. Just in terms of walking the line, breaking the puck out, and the way we jump up into the rush and read plays. He’s also a great leader and that’s a quality you need to have in order to be a champion. I didn’t wear a letter on my jersey [at Brooks], but I think people respected and listened to me when I spoke. It’s definitely a big trait to have as a character-type guy.”
Last season, Makar played for the Brooks Bandits in 54 games, putting up 75 points. This is a 20 point improvement over the 15-16 season. Makar also captained Canada in the World Juniors racking up 8 points in 4 games.
NHL CS RANKING
Projected to go 9th overall.
THE STATS
Makar is great in his offensive game which is proven by his stats, in the last two seasons playing with the bandits he has put up over 50 points. He plans to go into NCAA to continue his development.
EYE TEST
John Williams of NHL Central Scouting from “5 things to know about Cale Makar” on NHL.com
“It’s his hands and how well he can pass and handle the puck at that speed that really catches your eye, He moves it with great vision and good lateral mobility, which is so important in today’s game. It’s not just straight-ahead speed, it’s being able to create time and space in small areas and he does that exceptionally well.”
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DOES HE FIT IN WITH THE RED WINGS?
Makar plays a fast game and likes to join the rush and I think this is something the Red Wings would benefit from. With the game becoming faster, teams need speedy defensemen that can separate players from the puck and then join the rush. Makar would be perfect for this style of play. The only concern is that the Red Wings at this stage don’t have room for in the lineup, not that it’s realistic that he will be drafted this year and then put into the lineup next season. They also take a long time to develop their players and with the backlog of defensemen they have in the system, when would he be called up?
I just have one question for all Red Wings fans: who doesn’t want a player like Erik Karlsson on their team?
