NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Andrew Mangiapane

Get to Know Andrew Mangiapane

Date of Birth: 4/4/1996
Place of Birth: Bolton, ON, CN
Ht: 5’10” Wt: 161 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Center
Team: Barrie Colts (OHL)

Another re-entry player after going undrafted in the 2014 NHL Draft, Andrew Mangiapane is similar to Pius Suter is many ways. His offensive breakout, from a 51-point season to a 104-point season, was substantial and certainly put him back on the NHL’s radar this year.

While still undersized, Mangiapane benefitted from playing with other overage players on a high-scoring Barrie Colts team. His production simply can’t be ignored, though, and he should absolutely hear his name called by an NHL organization this time around.

Statistics

What Scouts See

Hockey Prospectus:

With the league moving steadily away from brawn and into a more purely skilled game, this is the type of player who would benefit most. In some ways, Mangiapane is a poor man’s Mitchell Marner. He is actually slightly bigger than his more heralded draft class mate and has trailed him by a touch in both of their years in the league (Mangiapane – 155 points in 136 games, Marner – 185 points in 127 games), although Mangiapane is the more pure goalscorer.

Brock Otten, OHL Prospects:

Mangiapane is a smaller guy who plays a lot bigger than he is. For all the skill level he possesses, he’s certainly not a perimeter player. The key to Mangiapane’s game is his vision and hockey sense. He’s so smart when operating off the rush and sees passing lanes before they open up. He also exhibits great patience with the puck and doesn’t force plays. His confidence this year is much higher than it was last year.

When the puck’s not on his stick, he’s fighting hard to get it back and has evolved as a 200 foot player. That said, he’s still undersized. And there’s no question that he’s more effective on the power play with more room to operate. But as he gains strength and gets even quicker, he’ll no doubt be a more effective player 5 on 5.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Watching Mangiapane, I was reminded a lot of Pius Suter, who I profiled yesterday. They’re both smaller players with dynamic offensive abilities who are looking to become middle round draft choices after going undrafted last season. Whereas Suter has more of a complete 200-foot game, Mangiapane is a far superior playmaker on offense.

While his offensive breakout is a tad exaggerated, Mangiapane’s skills are nothing to scoff at. He possesses great vision, great hands, and good creativity. Put together, Mangiapane is a natural playmaking force in the center of the ice. He’s a natural point scorer who relies on his high hockey IQ and vision to create for those around him.

Where Mangiapane struggles is in the dirty areas of the ice. He’s a small player who plays a small game. He lacks a physical element to his game and brings almost nothing to board battles. It’s not that he doesn’t play hard on defense because he definitely exerts consistent effort, it’s simply that he hasn’t found a way to make himself effective in all areas of the ice. As someone who is already 19, this is a major cause for concern as he looks to enter pro hockey in the next 12 months.

Highlights


NHL Potential

It’s tough to get a read on Mangiapane because his size is such a limiting factor. He’s a skilled player but his breakout came at age 19, which is always a bit of a red flag. Mangiapane is likely a player who is going to have to be in a team’s top 6 forward group if he’s going to last in the NHL because his size and game don’t lend themselves to a quality grinder role.

Expected Draft Position

It’s amazing how much a year can change things for prospects. Last year a team could’ve had Mangiapane for a mere 7th round flier. This year, based on his rankings just inside the top 100, Mangiapane is likely going to cost a team a third or fourth round selection to acquire his services.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Mangiapane, on the service, is a redundant player for the Avalanche organization and is extremely unlikely to be selected by the club. With smaller players such as Joey Hishon, Colin Smith, Andrew Aggozino, and Troy Bourke already seeing ice time in the AHL, the Avalanche have made moves to clear this type of player from their organization.

Were the Avs interested in another player of this ilk, they could have simply signed Mangiapane’s teammate last year, Joseph Blandisi, who was an Avalanche draft pick in 2012. Instead, the Avalanche saw fit to let Blandisi go, seeing him as a carbon copy of players they already had in the system and was part of the process that saw former Avs Head Scout Rick Pracey removed from his position.

Selecting Mangiapane, especially in the middle rounds where the team can find better fits for the organization, would represent a shift to a philosophy that Patrick Roy publicly railed against throughout the course of last season. Mangiapane is a fine prospect and makes plenty of sense for center-starved franchises to take on. Colorado simply isn’t one of them.