NHL Draft Prospect Profile: J.D. Greenway

Get to Know J.D. Greenway

Date of Birth: 4/27/1998
Place of Birth: Potsdam, NY, USA
Ht: 6’4″ Wt: 205 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
Team (League): USNTDP (USHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Last Word on Sports:

Greenway takes full advantage of his tremendous size. He throws punishing bodychecks to attackers who come in with their heads down. They are the type of hits that force opponents to reconsider rushing up his side of the ice. Greenway also uses his size and strength to clear the crease and win battles along the boards. Greenway has good skating ability, and is tough to beat one-on-one as a result. However, Greenway needs some work on his positioning and defensive fundamentals.

SBN College Hockey:

Greenway has really good size at 6’4″ 205 lbs. and isn’t afraid to use it. He can be a punishing physical force to opponents, especially along the boards. He’s going to get under the skin of the opposition and make life difficult for them. He also has the ability to step up and make a big hit if he catches an opponent not looking in the neutral zone.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Greenway isn’t so different from his older brother, Jordan, who I profiled last season. The younger brother, however, is a defenseman. He plays with a real mean streak and he certainly understands how to use his size to punish players who come into his space. He’s a monster in the making with all the raw tools you could honestly ask for. Like his brother, he’s a project but could be a major payoff down the road.

Unlike his brother, he’s actually a good skater so that will help him, especially along the blue line. Greenway struggles under pressure a bit more than I’m comfortable with and he doesn’t consistently create offense on his own. He’s had some moments, like the amazing goal below, but a lot of his scoring comes as a result of playing with good players. If Matthew Tkachuk can spend all year being dinged for secondary assists, so can Greenway.

Highlights

https://vine.co/v/itU7A6DAZeA

NHL Potential

I like to err on the side of caution with this section so I’ll say Greenway profiles as a third pairing, rotational kind of defenseman. If he ever puts together all the tools, however, the team that drafts him could have a real tour de force on their hands. Lots to learn for Greenway but the potential is there for him to really be somethin’.

Expected Draft Position

Greenway is likely looking at a second or third round draft grade when all is said and done. I think he’d be a better fit in the middle rounds but someone with his size and upside will be very hard to pass up when the third begins.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Greenway would fill the void left by Kyle Wood as the big-bodied defenseman who could figure it out and be the steal of the draft or another big guy with lots of tools that fails to become much of anything in pro hockey. Greenway checks off an awful lot of boxes for the Avalanche but the team would be wise not to invest before they pick at 71st overall.