Here is what you need to know about top prospect Vince Dunn, the 10th ranked North American defencemen ahead of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Age on June 26: 18
Birthplace: Lindsay, Ont.
Current team: Niagara IceDogs, OHL
Position: Defence
North American Central Scouting rank: 32nd
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 185 pounds
Twitter account: @vince_dunn
Jeff Marek’s Take: A really exciting player to watch especially when he has the puck on his stick. His skating is what separates him from the pack but occasionally his enthusiasm leads to poor decisions. NHL Comparable – Mike Green.
He’s had a recent surge
Dunn has put himself into a good position going into the 2015 NHL Draft thanks to a solid second half during the Ontario Hockey League’s regular season. Dunn was ranked 53rd in the NHL’s draft prospect mid-term rankings for North American skaters, only to jump up to 32nd come season’s end.
In the final three months of the year, Dunn put up 35 of his 56 points to finish with 18 goals and 38 assists.
“In the second half of the season, I thought he really took over and might have become our most important player,” Niagara coach and general manager Marty Williamson told the St. Catharines Standard. “Game in and game out, I can’t remember talking to him about too many weak hockey games.”
He’s a playoff performer
Talk about a good start to the playoffs. Dunn scored four goals in the IceDogs’ Game 1 loss to the Ottawa 67’s in round one. Yes, he scored four goals and Niagara still lost the opener. The IceDogs won the series 4-2.
Round 2 didn’t start out as well for Dunn, who received a two-game suspension for a slew foot against the Oshawa Generals.
Dunn would return for Game 4, but was out with a knee injury in the series clincher against Oshawa, which won the best-of-seven series 4-1. He would finish the playoffs eighth in OHL defencemen scoring with six goals and four assists.
He’s taken an unconventional path
Dunn was drafted 109th overall in the 2012 OHL priority selection draft by the IceDogs, he but didn’t start his junior career with Niagara. In 2012-13, Dunn played with the Thorold Blackhawks of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, otherwise known as Junior B. He says that season was instrumental in his development.
“I needed to learn a few more things to move up to the next level,” Dunn told The Peterborough Examiner. “I thought Thorold would be the best place for me. It turned out I had a great year last season in the OHL and Thorold was the best thing for me.”
The extra ice time worked out as Dunn joined the IceDogs the next season and in January he played for Team Cherry at the CHL Top Prospects game. Dunn was pointless in the 6-0 loss to Team Orr and finished as a minus-one.
He’s an offensive defencemen
Dunn told The Brock Press that he considers himself a puck-moving defencemen, similar to Ryan Ellis of the Nashville Predators.
But even with the solid season, Dunn still thinks he can improve.
“I think I can work on my defence part of the game,” Dunn told Yahoo!. “Maybe be a little tougher in the corners, hitting guys when they’re coming down on me. I think I use my stick really well to take my one-on-one battles.”
He’s a rap fan
