NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Brayden Burke

Get to Know Brayden Burke

Date of Birth: 1/1/1997
Place of Birth: Edmonton, AB, CAN
Ht: 5’10” Wt: 163 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Center/Left Wing
Team (League): Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Prospect Black Book:

Burke is a second time-eligible who put up fantastic point totals this season. The skills that stand out for him are his ability to set up players in the offensive zone and passing ability in general, strong vision with the puck and a good skill level. Ultimately, Burke will have to answer how much of his game and production is translatable to the pro level. Undersized and not particularly the strongest defensive player, Burke’s situation means that he will almost certainly have to play on a scoring line if he wants to make the NHL.

What BSN Avalanche sees

High hockey IQ jumps out at you when you watch him as he finds himself in the right position in all three zones. That same intelligence allows him to be such a prolific playmaker, even if his raw skills don’t really overwhelm you. Isn’t a highlight reel player but consistently makes little plays the stand out and create successful offensive rushes.

Pretty unspectacular overall package. He’s not small but he’s certainly not going to be confused with being a big guy anytime soon. There is no physical element to his game. Despite excellent production, he doesn’t jump off the ice as a dangerous threat on every shift.

NHL Potential

Burke is strictly a top-six player in the NHL as he doesn’t have the defensive acumen to adequately fill out a grinder role. He will sink or swim based on his offense.

Expected Draft Position

After going undrafted in 2015, this is as good a chance as Burke will have to get picked up. He should be a late-round guy.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Colorado showed an affinity for overage players, drafting two last season and yielding immediate results from Sergei Boikov, who just completed his best campaign in the QMJHL and will be in San Antonio next season, so the idea of selecting Burke near the end of the draft isn’t out of line. He would be a stylistic match with the Avalanche as they don’t have many players with his particular skills. Size, though, would be the biggest limiting factor in him joining the Avalanche organization.