Ht/Wt: 6′ 2″/177 lbs
Position: C
Team: Erie (OHL)
Strome finished as the leading scorer in the OHL with an impressive six point night in the final regular season game to surpass fellow 2015 draft eligible prospect Mitch Marner with a 129 point total in 68 games.
Strome is the big offensive centre every team covets at drafts and is a sure fire top ten pick; if not top five come June in Florida. Strome has excellent playmaking abilities as evident as he led the OHL in assists with 84 and makes pro level passes making sound decisions that seldom lead to turnovers. Strome can hold possession of the puck for long stretches using his puck-handling skills, reach and size effectively to protect the puck and draw in opposition that leads to open teammates. Strome has good skating skills, balance and agility are strengths but top speed is wanting for a higher gear.
While Strome has good size at 6’3” and 187 pounds he needs to play a more physical and aggressive game to be successful at the pro level. Playing against junior level opposition he tends to shy away from heavy traffic and heavy lifting in the corners. Another season in Erie as the clear cut leader of the team in McDavid’s absence and another season of physical and strength development should help.
Some may have concern that Strome produced by virtue of playing with Connor McDavid. Put those concerns to rest as Strome and McDavid played on separate lines when not on the powerplay. Strome’s regular line mates were rookie sensation Alex DeBrincat and Nick Baptiste. McDavid also missed 20 games from November 11th to January 28th due to injury and the World Juniors, during that span, Strome continued to produce scoring 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points in 17 games.
The OHL playoffs and possibly the Memorial Cup will have a influence in the final ranking and ultimately where in the first round Strome is selected but he is a blue-chip franchise type centre a rebuilding team can build around.
Profile from: Peter Harling – Apr. 3rd
It was apparent right from the first puck drop in the Ivan Hlinka tournament that Dylan Strome was going to be that special player that many thought he could be this year. Bigger, stronger, faster, providing real offense, Dylan has almost kept up with his famous teammate, Connor McDavid, with twenty-one points a game after eight games. He was also a real sniper in the Ivan Hlinka – getting a goal per game in the tournament.
Profile from: Eldon MacDonald of The Hockey Writers – updated Oct. 19th
A smart, good skating, center who can not only make plays but can finish them also. Reads the play so very well and he gets himself into positions where he can take advantage and be a threat. He’s multi-dimensional in that he can play two-ways, can play a skill game, can play a ‘heavy’ game but regardless of the situations he plays a game where he contributes in some way, some fashion.
Analysis: Craig Button – TSNs Direct of Scouting – updated Sept. 25th
Elite offensive forward…a big forward who moves well, and demonstrated some very good power and speed…is tough to contain as he used his speed, strength and creativity to beat defenders…has great vision with the puck and sees the ice very well…uses his crafty hands to dance around defenders and get into positions where he could shoot or set-up teammates…distributes the puck well and is able to create a lot of chances…has a lethal wrist-shot with great power and a pretty good release…uses his size and reach on the boards to win the puck and get in good supporting areas to pick up loose pucks…defensive effort goes up and down. (August 2014)