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Phantoms’ Connor has what NHL scouts look for in a top prospect
The majority of the public wouldn’t be able to distinguish lottery-bound NHL prospect Kyle Connor from their neighborhood pizza delivery boy.
And frankly, that seems to be the way he prefers it.
Soft-spoken and mild-mannered off the ice, Connor has made himself into an elite goal-scorer with a killer instinct on it. His success at the junior hockey level has NHL scouts drooling over the potential of the 18-year-old forward.
Projected to be among the first dozen or so players taken in the upcoming NHL Draft on June 26 in Sunrise, Fla., Connor’s used the last three seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms to create the hype that now surrounds his name.
It’s not really all by choice.
The hype, he enjoys. The attention, not so much.
“Everybody I’ve talked to says to just cherish the moment,” Connor said of the draft, which he’ll be in attendance at with friends and family.
“It only happens once. I just wanna go down there and have some fun. It’s going to be pretty exciting, maybe a little nerves, but it’s a great opportunity.”
While scouting isn’t an exact science, there are certain characteristics and traits scouts look for in a prospect. And who better to breakdown how Connor’s skill set stacks up in some of the most important areas than those who know him best:
Phantoms co-owner, and two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Troy Loney
Head coach and general manager Anthony Noreen
Teammates Ryan Lomberg, Josh Melnick and Josh Nenadal.
Each has a unique view on what makes Connor special and they shared those thoughts leading up to the draft.
Size & STRENGTH
Connor is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. The average NHL player this season is 6-foot-1, 202 pounds.
Josh Nenadal: “When I met him my first year here, he was just little baby Kyle. I mean he was a 15-year-old, not really knowing how to workout or practice the right way or take care of your body.
“Now, Kyle’s a professional. He’s ready for that.”
Character & LEADERSHIP
Anthony Noreen: “To me, he’s just a difference maker. He’s a guy that can change your organization and it starts with his character. He’s humble — you would never know he’s gonna be a first-round draft pick if you spent any time around him — he comes from a good family and he was raised the right way.
“I always put a ton of stock into what other teammates think of a guy and the guys love him, so you know he’s a good teammate.”
Nenadal: “Kyle’s a very humble kid and he’s also the type of kid who’s going to lead by example everywhere he goes. He goes out there and works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen play hockey and he’ll come in and he’ll just do all the little things right.
“Once you see a guy like that, a true superstar do everything right, then that’s when you really know you should be doing the same. He makes everyone around him better.”
Skill with the puck
Nenadal: “Kyle has the ability to absolutely just take over hockey games.
“When he has the puck on his stick, he just takes over the game and he can completely swing the momentum of any game toward his team’s side.”
PLAYMAKING ability
Ryan Lomberg: “All year he amazed me with what he does with the puck. It was just so much fun being able to be a part of that all year.
“I can’t even count how many times I’d be calling for a puck, thinking I’m wide open, and he does some toe drag across the ice and sees something I had no idea was there and sets up a tap-in goal or puts in bar down when it seems like the whole team’s in the net.”
Consistency
Over his three seasons with the Phantoms, Connor played an average of 58 games (out of a minimum of 60) each year and increased his scoring and point totals each season, culminating in a league scoring title this year.
Noreen: “He brings it when it’s on the line, he brings it in practice when nobody’s looking and for those things I think he’s going to be a special player wherever he winds up.”
Goal scoring ability
According to a database on eliteprospects.com, Connor’s 195 career points ranks fourth all-time in the USHL and his 82 goals are tied for eighth all-time.
Troy Loney: “He never gives up on a play, the puck always has the ability to come back to him, and when he gets in there, he buries it. And that’s special.”
Noreen: “From a points perspective, I mean there’s not many 18-year-olds that have scored 80 points in the USHL. The guys that have, have gone on to great careers.”
Hockey sense
Loney: “His instincts are really good. First of all, you have to have the attributes. You gotta be able to skate, you gotta be able to stick handle, you gotta have good vision and he’s got all of that.
“He’s very competitive, which is really, really important. And he doesn’t give up on the puck. Combine that with he scores, that puts him in a special, unique bracket.”
COMPLETE PLAYER
Lomberg: “He’s Kyle Connor. He’s an unbelievable hockey player and an even better person off the ice. He’s everything a scout could want. He works hard every day, he’s got more skill than I’ve ever seen in my life in any individual, his work ethic’s there, he’s a great teammate and he’s a great leader.
“There’s really no flaws or negatives or just OK aspects to Kyle Connor. It’s kind of all first-round, top-10 type of aspects he brings to the game and the team. I don’t have enough good things to say about that kid.”
LOTTERY-BOUND?
Lottery teams make up the first 14 picks of the NHL Draft. There’s a strong feeling inside the Phantoms organization that a team in one of those slots will select Connor.
“There’s a couple teams who have shown more interest than the others,” Noreen said. “But I’ve sat here before with other players and said the same thing and then they go to a place that maybe never talked to them once.
“The great thing is all it takes is one team to love you. One team to love what you are, what you could be for them and to go out on the line and take you. And I’d expect that to be the case with Kyle.”
How quickly Connor will hear his name called on draft night and which sweater he’ll be slipping over his head is all still a mystery.
However, it’s pretty clear he has what it takes to be the next great Phantom to play in the NHL.