Ryan Ellis doesn’t come with the same intrigue and excitement as Sidney Crosby did in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft but for many reasons, Ellis now represents the new face of the NHL.
Ellis embodies such a drastic changing of the guard in the evaluation process where the NHL’s brain-trust is concerned.
The product of Freelton, Ont. is blessed with dynamic offensive upside given his elite-level hockey sense and cannon of a slap shot. His offensive instincts are among the top of players eligible for this weekend’s draft in Montreal.
On top of his skill-set, Ellis is a natural winner. In a span of less than 12 months, Ellis has captured a World Under-18 gold medal, an Under-20 World Junior gold medal, the Ontario Hockey League championship, a Memorial Cup championship and he was named his league’s top defenceman.
Such a résumé would normally warrant a lottery pick on draft day.
And yet draft pundits are still quicker to point out his shortcomings than his attributes. The biggest red flag is his size, or lack thereof. Ellis stands five-foot-nine and weighs 173 pounds.
Ellis has heard the criticism throughout his career, a never-ending saga of reasons why he won’t succeed rather than being rewarded and lauded for his lofty accomplishments.
In spite of all the reasons some feel he won’t succeed, Ellis is the next great ambassador for the league.
As much as the term "new NHL" has been thrown around since the lockout, it is not without warrant. The "new NHL" is not the same league it once was.
Players as talented as the Spitfires’ power-play specialist would have hardly been considered pro potential some 10 years ago.
Now however, Ellis is a sure-fire, first-round pick in Friday’s draft and a possible Top 10 selection.
But as much as things have changed, the old perceptions haven’t completely vanished.
Ellis’ ascension helped make up ground for a new generation of diminutive puck-rushing defencemen, but the criticisms aren’t too far behind, either.
"If you look back over where guys were drafted that played a similar style to Ryan (a decade ago, they were either drafted) late in draft or they weren’t drafted at all," said Al Murray, head scout for Hockey Canada’s national junior team, under-18 and under-17 programs.
"If you were small and didn’t have a lot of speed that could wow people, you had a difficult time getting your foot in the door, but when you look at what Ryan’s accomplished both in the CHL and internationally, I don’t think anyone should be questioning the kind of impact he can have on a team," Murray said.
The tendency toward selcting the big, hulking defenceman who can clear his crease still exists.
After all, size coupled with skill is hard to acquire and it is one of the main reasons why Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman is being touted as a potential first overall pick.
National Hockey League teams could see the value of bigger players who were willing to make forwards pay a price. While teams will continue to covet those bigger defencemen, the defenceman with size, a mean streak and perhaps less skill are virtual dinosaurs in a pre-historic, clutch and grab era.
Ellis is a prime example of the new phase slowly being ushered in.
As Murray, who was a long-time NHL scout and director of amateur scouting with the Los Angeles Kings prior to joining Hockey Canada, says, a player with Ellis’ skill-set fits the mould of the success enjoyed by the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings.
"You look at a team like Detroit that plays a puck-possession style and had a lot of success at it," he said. "There’s a lot of copycats in the league. When someone’s successful at something others tend to copy.
"I think that’s great for those defencemen who handle the puck."
Murray cited Detroit’s Brian Rafalski and San Jose’s Dan Boyle as examples of similar smaller defencemen who were able to overcome the odds, as neither were drafted.
Both, however, have the element of speed, a common trait with smaller players.
For that reason, Murray understands the hesitation some have regarding the pint-sized, OHL defenceman of the year.
"I think for Ryan it’s a combination," he said. "It’s lack of size and lack of speed. If you have one or the other I don’t think there’s much of a problem but when people question both of those areas, then you have to continually prove yourself and I think Ryan’s done that. I think he’s prepared himself for every challenge that’s come his way and come out on top of it."
The change in perception regarding players like Ellis is a sign of just how drastically the NHL has changed.
And what better player to begin ushering in the new philosophy than one of the most decorated junior players in recent years.
