Philip Tomasino is looking like the diamond in the rough of 2019

Analysis:

The draft is a spooky thing. Surefire first and second-overall picks can have glaring flaws in their game nobody bothered to correct, and the actual best player in a given year’s first round can end up being #23 or something like that. Matter of fact, it seems like every year there’s always some late-first rounder than ends up being a way bigger deal than anyone could’ve previously thought.

While the former probably isn’t true this year, there’s a really good chance that Philip Tomasino is going to be exactly the kind of guy that fills the later spot of “Late first wunderkind”.

And a big part of why is that Tomasino is about as close to “ready” as you can make a prospect.

One of the big sells for Tomasino is his even-strength production: having the vast majority of his 72 points this year being created at 5-on-5 and being 2nd overall in the OHL in this metric. The reason why is simple...he’s just kinda good at everything, though his lightning quick skating, agility, and decision making, he became an utter nightmare for OHL defenses at any strength. And that’s even when he’s backchecking. His defensive skill arguably is his biggest selling point, as it’s head and shoulders better than pretty much everyone else around him.

Really, with how complete his game is, the areas of improvement for him seem like minor nitpicks, like his wrist shot not having a lot of power to it, or in his aggressive, in-your-face style sometimes creating awkward defensive situations when the puck takes a fun bounce. These are things coaching and time in the weight room can fix pretty easily. And he will need some weight room time, as there’s still some space on that 6’0 frame for some muscle somewhere. One thing that isnt quite a nitpick is the lingering doubt that his abrasive style may not translate perfectly to the NHL, which really...can only ever be seen by putting him in the NHL after some development.

Tomasino’s skill and production means that his place in the draft is...weird. He’s good, but how good he is in getting drafted kinda runs entirely on who likes him the best. As a result, he could be taken as high as 15th, or as low as 33rd. And you know what? You’d be right to do so either way. That’s how much upside this kid has.

If he’s around? The B’s could definitely use a guy who can do what he does.

Rankings:

• #17th by The Athletic
• #18th by HockeyProspects.com
• #22nd by Future Considerations
• #18th by ISS Hockey
• #20th by McKeen’s Hockey
• #14th by Central Scouting among North American Players
• #30th by EliteProspects.com
• #22nd by TSN/McKenzie