NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Will Lockwood

Get to Know Will Lockwood

Date of Birth: 6/20/1998
Place of Birth: Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA
Ht: 5’10” Wt: 172 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
Team (League): USNTDP (USHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Last Word on Sports:

Lockwood is an outstanding skater. He has a great first step, excellent acceleration, and elite top end speed. He uses that speed to create opportunities off the rush, taking defenders wide and going to the net. He can also use the defenceman as a screen and unless a quick wrist shot. Lockwood is a straight line player, who is not very creative with the puck. He could stand to work on his puck handling; as well as his vision and passing skills.

Hockey Prospectus:

Lockwood is a solid-average skater. He is a good penalty killer with a decent wall game. Although well undersized, he is generally a pretty physical player and a frequent hitter. Committed to the University of Michigan, he has low upside, but plays a coach friendly game.

What BSN Avalanche sees

It’s interesting when you get a guy like Lockwood who drives a wedge into the scouting community. The above reports mentioned limited upside and a need for work on puck handling but ESPN’s Corey Pronman lists him as a top 10 puck handler in the entire draft. Pretty divergent opinions. When I watch Lockwood, I see a guy with lots of skill. He doesn’t jump off the ice like Clayton Keller but he isn’t lacking. He’s a great skater, for one, and he has an explosive first step that allows him to hit top speed in a flash. Using that and a quick release with good hands, Lockwood should create more offense than he did last season.

That, plus his questionable size, is where Lockwood loses me a bit in scouting him. You see the individual tools but rarely do you see them working in harmony to create a dynamic offensive player. He works hard in game but every time I watched him I was left wanting. I think Lockwood has more to give than he’s shown.

NHL Potential

He’s a hard worker who doesn’t mind working in the dirty areas of the ice, even if his size doesn’t suggest he will excel there in pro hockey. His skill level apparently is still up in the air, depending on who you ask, and if he’s the maestro that Pronman sees, you feel better about him moving forward. If he’s the lackluster, low-upside guy others describe, nothing about him will really rev your engine.

Expected Draft Position

Lockwood’s rankings are pretty varied, with him coming in in the 70’s in some places and at 190+ with Future Considerations.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

It really depends on where he’s selected. If he’s drafted 71st, that’s not a very good use of the pick. If the Avs take him in the fifth round or later, you’re taking a chance on a smallish guy with intriguing tools. It’s a Rick Pracey kind of move so it would be surprising to see the Avs make it given the way Patrick Roy has relentlessly trashed the former Avs Head Scout.