NHL Prospect Profile Cameron York

Statistics

Scout Quote

The Draft Analyst:

Arguably the purest offensive defenseman available in the draft, York combines speed and finesse to form a package perfectly suited to run the attack for one of the NTDP’s most heralded group of forwards in the program’s history. Finding a way to manage puck distribution with the likes of Jack Hughes, Trevor Zegras, Alex Turcotte, Matthew Boldy and Cole Caufield certainly is no small feat.

But York makes it look relatively easy thanks to his impressive skating, vision and puck skills. He is on Team USA’s top pairing and quarterbacks the power play, although most of the time he acquiesces flow and tempo to Hughes. Still, York’s vision and crisp tape-to-tape passing make him an integral part of a machine that churns out scoring chance after scoring chance.

York has an excellent shot, as both his slapper and wrister are released quickly and accurately. He fires pucks on net in one motion, including off his back foot, and you rarely see him hesitate or wait until a lane is completely unobstructed. He keeps his feet moving at all times and looks to sneak in between the hashmarks for a rebound or one timer.

To say York is a gambler would be an understatement – he always looks to move the puck deep into opposing territory and will support his forwards along the wall. His overall defensive game is predicated on smart reads and quick feet. York isn’t physical on a consistent basis, but he doesn’t shy away from contact and has thrown big open-ice hits every now and again, plus he battles hard for slot superiority. He does have quick enough feet to close on a puck carrier, but at times he affords them too much room by not standing up at his line.

AJ’s Thoughts

York is your classic puck-moving defenseman with great feet, an active stick, and high-end vision. I really saw a lot of Kevin Shattenkirk in him with his ability to distribute pucks at a high pace to his teammates. Of course, he played on an extremely skilled team and his numbers certainly were a little bit inflated because of that.

He’s going to be a great addition to someone’s blueline someday but he has to clean up his own zone play before he’s going to contribute in the NHL.

He fits basically every stereotype of an offensive defenseman as he moves the puck at will but isn’t overly interested in playing a physical game, especially defensively. He doesn’t necessarily shy away from contact but it’s certainly not his primary preference. He uses an active stick and quick reads to break plays up before they get too deep into his own zone. York is at his best when the game is in front of him and he struggles a lot when his back is turned towards the opponent.

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

York is a very talented offensive defenseman but Colorado has a few of those already. With Girard and Makar in the early stages of their careers and Tyson Barrie potentially staying on a long-term contract, the need for another puck-mover just isn’t really there. He could be available at the 16th pick and he would likely be the best defenseman on the board but like with Ty Smith last year that doesn’t mean he would be the best selection. He’s simply more of what Colorado is already strong at.

Rankings

#13 Hockeyprospect.com
#14 Future Considerations
#15 Bob McKenzie