NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Kyle Capobianco

Get to Know Kyle Capobianco

Date of Birth: 08/13/1997
Place of Birth: Mississauga, ON, CN
Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 179 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defenseman
Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

Drafted 7th overall in the 2013 OHL Draft, Capobianco faced major expectations in helping turn around the Sudbury Wolves. While things went well for the team in his first year, Capobianco went goalless in his rookie OHL season,  managing just 11 assists in 53 games played.

In his second season and his draft year, Capobianco stepped his game up, scoring 10 goals and 30 assists in 68 games played. Unfortunately for Capobianco, his Wolves team bottomed out, winning just 12 of 68 games in regulation, finishing in last place by miles. Capobianco looks to help improve his team’s fortunes next season when he returns to the Wolves as a member of an NHL organization.

Statistics

What Scouts See

Future Considersations:

Capobianco is an underrated two-­‐way rearguard who plays top pair minutes and plays a fair share of special teams. He is a smooth skater who is very mobile on his feet and is quite balanced. He possesses a strong skating base and is hard to knock around. Moves well laterally and can cut the angles effectively thanks to this. Fast feet, but could slow it down and lengthen his stride a little more in order to make his movements more powerful and efficient. Skates fairly well with the puck–can protect it as he moves up ice, but not overly creative.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Is there a polite way to describe a prospect as blah? Capobianco isn’t good or bad at anything, he’s just kind of average at everything. Every good thing about his game is held back by something negative. He’s a good, fast skater but wastes a ton of energy with an inefficient stride. He’s a good passer but has limited creativity to make use of the ability. He moves well laterally but gets beat north-south by speedier players. He’s tough on his skates but doesn’t use physical play that often. See the trend?

Capobianco is a fine player and a good prospect but when scouting him in limited viewings, it’s tough to appreciate his game. He plays sporadically on both special teams units for Sudbury but wasn’t a staple of either. His game is very well-rounded and he faces tough competition on a regular basis.

Simply put, Capobianco is a good player who isn’t going to stand out much.

NHL Potential

If everything breaks right for him, Capobianco could be a middle-pairing defenseman who dabbles in both special teams units. He’s more likely a depth defenseman who can fill in ably but isn’t a player you’re going to regularly give tough minutes to.

Expected Draft Position

The only service that ranks Capobianco above the 90’s is CSS, which has him ranked 44th in North America. His highest ranking beyond that is 92nd, from ESPN’s Corey Pronman. This suggests Capobianco is likely a 3rd round pick at the highest but likelier to be drafted in the 4th-5th round range.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Capobianco is a player who, if drafted by the Avs, would be another defender on the left side with a long development track. He’s not going to be a fast-riser and isn’t the kind of flashy player that warrants excitement from fans.

He’s simply a solid, reliable defenseman who plays a smart game and could be a fit in the future. Depending on what the Avalanche draft in the first 3 rounds, Capobianco would make sense in the 4th round and beyond. He’s not a high upside player but every organization needs lower ceiling players that are likely to fulfill their potential instead of constantly drafting boom-or-bust prospects.