NHL Draft 2012 Prospects: #23 Brady Skjei

The draft, hands down, is the best time of the hockey season. Maybe I'm just saying that because the Wild haven't been seen post-season action since 2008, but that is besides the point.

So, on June 22nd-23rd, we will all sit down in front of the television/computer and watch the draft. But if you are wondering, "who's who", then you haven't been reading HW because thats my job.

So without further ado:

Introducing our 2012 NHL #23 Draft Prospect - Brady Skjei

Accomplishments & Awards:

Prospect Jersey (What Would They Look Like In a Wild Jersey?)

Summarized Scouting Report

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

HW Projection:

Video Evidence:

Where Does He Fit In The Wild?

He is a very interesting prospect. He is a mobile defenseman that can bring offense, which the Wild would love, but not at #7.

Conclusion

There are quite a variety of opinions of Skjei, some very good and some very bad.

Skjei is a mobile defenseman that has size, reach, and ability to play both sides of the ice. He can rush the puck by himself from the defensive zone to the offensive zone and get the play going. He has a good array of offensive abilities in passing and shooting. He has an active stick which he uses his reach to break up plays.

The problem is his consistency. At times, he uses all his tools to the fullest and is danger everytime he is on the ice. Other times, he tries to do too much and instead of making simple plays, he rushes the puck up the ice, leaving the blueline one man short.

He does this very often, which makes him a defensive liability at times. Other times, he is rock solid. This is the reason Skjei is considered a late first rounder - early second rounder.

The Wild at #7 have better options as they don't need a boom-or-bust type of prospect selected that high.

Special thanks to HFBoards, Future Considerations, The Hockey Writers, TSN, OHLProspeccts and The Scouting Repor