NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Jordan Kyrou

Get to Know: Jordan Kyrou

Date of Birth: May 5, 1998
Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario
Ht: 6′-0″ Wt: 175 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Center/Right Wing
Team (League): Sarnia Sting (OHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Curtis Joe, Elite Prospects

A highly mobile transitional two-way playmaker who always looks poised and reads the game well. A strong skater who moves with a natural ease and accelerates with purpose and drive. Defensively looks to block passing lanes and battle for puck possession. Transitions to offence tremendously well and is very dangerous with the puck. Displays excellent puck control and has a quick release on his shot. His forte is his ability to make plays, as his creativity and hockey sense seem to take over on the attack.

All-in-all, a hard-working two-way player who can be relied upon in all situations to make a positive difference.

Future Considerations

Kyrou is a wiry, but creative and skilled, winger who blends impressive vision with tenacious drive. He shows great hands and ability to maintain puck possession through traffic; showing determination and fight to get it back if he does lose it. … can go through stretches where he seems to be doing a little too much with the puck, causing some turnovers. … has a quick little release, but fails to always get his shots through lanes, having his shooting lanes eliminated or shots blocked instead. The kid plays hard on the forecheck, and forces the puckcarrier into making silly mistakes or moving the puck quicker than he would have liked. Defensively, he picks up his check on the way back and plays him hard, though this is a little inconsistent at times. … A real character player and workhorse, he needs to put all the tools together on a consistent basis if he is to find NHL success.

What BSN Avalanche sees

His puckhandling is the first thing that stands out. He’s the type of guy that could stick handle all day in a phone booth and not even touch the side walls. As a result, Kyrou can make defensemen look a bit silly when given even a little time and space. His speed and agility are sights to behold as well, so he really shines when coming through the neutral zone. It also translates to the forecheck, where he’s a relentless puck hound.

The downside to having such great hands is overusing them. Occasionally, he’ll try a fun, flashy move, only to have the puck slip away mid-deke. He’s also not the biggest guy on the ice, and it shows. His frame has room to fill out, but he’s still somewhat easy for the bigger players to push around.  His shot is just okay, and he looks to pass first.

Highlights

NHL Potential

He certainly has the tools to end up a solid top nine contributor at least. The defensive play, the good forecheck, the intuition on defense – it makes him a valuable third line player even before his sweet hands are added in. There are flashes of top six upside as well, but he’d need to improve his shot and consistency first.

Expected Draft Position

Most rankings have him in the first part of the 2nd round. He’s a low risk, moderately high reward player, so he’ll be off the board quickly once teams start looking to make picks to bolster their 2nd and 3rd lines instead of their first.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Kyrou would be a great second round pick for the Avs.  With the farm weak at the 2-way forward position after the O’Reilly fiasco and the Bleackley mishap, his tenacious drive and defensive instincts would be a welcome element.

But he’s not just a defensive forward.  There’s lots of upside there if he can just find a way to improve his nose for the net.  His speed is a major boon for the transition, and his vision and hands are great.  A lot of the tools are there, but a spot in the Avs organization and a slower development track would give him plenty of time to refine them.