NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Jesse Gabrielle

 

Get to Know Jesse Gabrielle
Date of Birth: June 17, 1997 (17)
Place of Birth: Moosomin, Saskatchewan
Ht: 5’11” Wt: 205 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Left Wing
Team: Regina Pats

After one and a half seasons with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, Jess Gabrielle, the sandpaper winger from Moosomin Saskatchewan, requested a trade and found himself with the Regina Pats for the second half of his draft year. In 33 games with each team, Gabrielle totalled 23 goals, 44 points, and 112 penalty minutes.

Statistics

What Scouts See

Unnamed NHL General Manager

I think there’s more player there, but you don’t know if there’s more player there right now. We’ve got time for him, it’s just a question of where. He’s a gritty guy and you love those other things, but at the end of the day, you still have to be able to play the game.

Curtis Joe, Elite Prospects

A gritty winger who plays with an edge and has a nose for the net. Plays an agitative style and is very effective on the forecheck. Possesses good skating ability and is able to evade larger opponents with ease. All-in-all, a scrappy, skilled winger that can be difficult to play against.

Cody Nickolet, WHL Scout for Future Considerations

his stride is low with a wide stance and he does seem to have some good power in his legs…his best offensive tool is his shot…has a very hard wrist shot with a quick and snappy release…can score from decent distance with his wrister and is dangerous if he can get a step on a defender while going wide…seems to handle himself well offensively in tight spaces, being able to make many smart little quick plays with the puck in quick succession (drop passes, touch passes, etc)

 

What BSN Avalanche sees

When Jesse Gabrielle steps onto the ice, you can bet that someone else will be leaving it with some new bumps and bruises. Gabrielle is an absolute firecracker on the ice and knows how to physically impact the game in a variety of ways. He’ll crush players with big open ice hits, wear them out with an all out assault in the corners, get under their skin and into their heads with countless little hooks, jabs, cross-checks, and slashes, and if he needs to answer for all that, he’s more than willing to drop the gloves and fight. Whether he’s initiating or receiving a hit, Gabrielle simply thrives in the muck and grime of a hockey game.

None of this is to suggest that Gabrielle isn’t talented in ways, it’s just that everything else stems from his physical game. In the offensive zone Gabrielle is a decent stickhandler and while he doesn’t do much in the way of fancy stick dekes, he’s excellent at battling through contact with possession. Gabrielle has a heavy lethal shot and loves to cut inside on defensmen to open up a shooting lane.

Though he’s only 5’11” Gabrielle has an extremely “solid” frame which should translate well if he makes it to the AHL or NHL. At last week’s NHL Draft Combine Gabrielle ranked 1st for mean power output, 1st for fatigue index, 1st for bench press, and 10th in pull ups. Physically, Gabrielle is one of the most advanced players in the draft, but there are enough questions about his talent and discipline to hold him back.

Gabrielle’s skating is his biggest area of weakness, especially when it comes to quick direction changes. Offensively Gabrielle has some nice moments, but his stick-handling and passing don’t hold up to his strong shot. The biggest problem for Gabrielle is his on ice discipline. When Gabrielle is “on” and has his head in the game, he’s a game changer physically and offensively. However, Gabrielle pendulum can swing radically from game-to-game or even shift-to-shift. Too far in one direction and Gabrielle is out of control physically and taking bad penalties; too far the other way and Gabrielle can appear disengaged.

NHL Potential

While the age of the dedicated enforcer is coming to a close in the NHL, there will always be room for pesky 3rd and 4th line agitators, especially if they can bring depth scoring to the bottom six. Jesse Gabrielle projects a s a bottom six grinder, with the potential to add depth scoring on the third line.

Expected Draft Position

At the highest Gabrielle is listed in the low 70’s, but his lack of consistency and pure skill have many scouts listing him quite a bit lower. Gabrielle is a mid-round prospect that teams will look at starting in the 4th round. That said, Gabrielle’s impressive fitness showing at the NHL Draft Combine could have his stock on the rise.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Hockey fans don’t need to search far to see the impact that a successful scoring agitator can have in the modern NHL. After all, Andrew Shaw has played an important role in the Blackhawks latest bid for the Stanley Cup, and has 11 points in 19 games so far. Meanwhile, Avalanche fans will remember the impact of “hockey pests” like Dan Hinote, Marc Rycroft, and Ian Laperriere on past Avs’ rosters.

Last time the Avalanche drafted a player of this type, they reached way off the board and selected Mitchell heard midway through the 2nd round. Now, three years later, Heard hasn’t developed how the Avalanche hoped and they will likely cut ties with the former 41st overall selection. If the Avalanche hope to try their hand at developing an effective agitator again, Gabrielle may be a good fit, and as a 4th round pick or later, he comes with significantly less risk.