Scouting Max Domi

The Scout’s Notebook is a sneak-peek at the notes we compile on the players we see. These are snapshots, conveying our impressions of how a player looked in one particular game or over a small sampling of games.

Very impressive player. His ability to control the game at this level reminds me of Nugent-Hopkins. Heady praise I know, and he’s not at that same level as a playmaker, but to watch this guy operate in the offensive zone is a thing of beauty. He can make people miss one-on-one, he works give-and-goes, he knows how to buy time and draw defenders out of position. He simply has outstanding hockey sense and understanding of the game. He’s also competitive and a willing combatant in the corner. He has Brad Marchand-like puck protections skills down low along the walls, using quick feet and excellent balance to roll off checks and maintain control.

He’s a heady player defensively as well and has a knack for bottling the opposition in their own zone by reading and disrupting breakout passing sequences or just picking a guy’s pocket before he reaches the blue line.

He’s a good skater although he looks more quick and darting than breakaway fast. He’s a quick creative stickhandler. He has a very accurate shot both on the forehand and backhand. Outstanding vision. Best of all, he wants to be a difference maker.

The only flaw I can find in his game at this point is his size. There simply aren’t many 5’9 centers in the NHL, but Domi’s hockey sense is so good that I can’t see him having any problem switching to wing. Stylistically, he reminds me of Martin St.Louis.

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Bill Ladd

Bill is the northeast regional scout for Future Considerations, the Boston Bruins correspondent for Hockey's Future, and a former collegiate goaltender.

Latest posts by Bill Ladd (see all)

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