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NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Jonas Siegenthaler

AJ Haefele

June 15, 2015

Get to Know Jonas Siegenthaler

Date of Birth: 5/6/1997
Place of Birth: Zurich, SUI
Ht: 6’3″ Wt: 220 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
Team: ZSC Lions (NLA)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Elite Prospects:

Jonas Siegenthaler is a smooth skating defenseman with a tremendous combination of size and mobility. Keeps his game simple, by not risking too much and always looking to make a short safe pass. Needs to improve his shoot, despite most of the time being on target, his release is poor and it lacks power. Has fine hands and puck handling and his passes are soft and accurate, but like his shot they lack power. Stands his ground along the boards and is not afraid to use his body, while playing a reliable defensive game.

Scouting Factory:

A solid defender with good size and strength. Is able to shut down opponent players. Uses his stick very well to interrupt plays and is excellent in preventing forwards from scoring on rebounds. Reads and understands the game well. His Size and strength allows him to get involved physical though could use his body more often to make plays. Needs to improve his offensive play and rarely gets involved in the opponent teams zone.

First few steps need to be better but isn’t a bad skater, not very explosive though. Needs to gain strength in his shot and could work on his first pass which is always a secure one but rarely an opening pass. His pass is very strong though and receives passes well too. Very good at one vs one situations and stays calm and focused without panicking. Overall a very solid and matured defender with great defensive skills.

Last Word on Sports:

Jonas Siegenthaler has ideal NHL size at 6’3″ and 220 pounds already. He’s not afraid to use that size to get involved physically. He’s not a big hitter, but he does battle along the boards and clear the front of the net. He maintains excellent gap control and positioning. Siegenthaler forces attackers to the outside, and into poor shooting positions. He has an excellent understanding of angles and how to cut down the dangerous areas of the ice.

He controls his man down low, and is excellent at playing against the cycle game, keeping the puck to the outside, and sometimes stripping it with a quick poke check. Siegenthaler uses his size and a long, active stick to cut down on passing and shooting lanes. Siengenthaler has very good defensive instincts. He reads the play well and anticipates where attackers are going to go with the puck.

Siegenthaler could stand to add some muscle to his upper body, and this would help him even more in those battles as he moves to a more physical North American game.

Highlights (Or in this case, a full game)

NHL Potential

Siegenthaler profiles as a decent middle-pairing defender who could end up as a top defender on a bad blue line (such as Colorado’s) or be a very good role player on a deeper blue line (such as Nashville’s). He should be a penalty kill mainstay and his defense will be his calling card.

Expected Draft Position

Seigenthaler is the 12th-rated skater in Europe by CSS but slots in from 28th to 53rd from the other rankings we use. This makes Siegenthaler a strong second round candidate who appears to be a reach in the first and a steal in the third.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

As a 6’3″, 220 pound left-handed defenseman, Jonas Siegenthaler fits pretty nicely in the Avalanche system. While there is currently a glut of quality defenders in the Avalanche system on the left side (Siemens, Bigras, Geertsen, Corbett, Butcher, Lindholm), the old cliche about never having too much defense rings true. The chances all of those prospects currently in the system turn into quality NHL players is extremely small so selecting Siegenthaler would be a move made with foresight.

Siegenthaler’s strong defensive style also fits Colorado’s need as it currently has a glut of puck-movers either already in the NHL or knocking loudly on its door. His game is already advanced enough to justify coming to the AHL as early as next season, though it is likely he plays at least one more season in Switzerland before making the jump. Given more time to develop his offense, Siegenthaler could eventually make a very good fit along Colorado’s blue line.

With Colorado holding the 10th pick in the second round, 40th overall, it would not be a big surprise to see the Avs, who have drifted more towards both bigger players and Europeans in recent years, select Siegenthaler. While he’s not the most dynamic player, he’d represent a sound stylistic fit with Colorado’s organizational needs.