This is going to be a very weird draft. A good portion of the previously can’t miss players that would’ve likely had this Top 5 set in stone got hurt at various points throughout the season, and it’s left the consensus on who should go when completely blown open to wild speculation.
Perhaps none more than what’s going to happen to Roger McQueen.
Who is He?
McQueen is a Canadian-born Center, who measures up at 6-foot-5, and weighs in at 192 pounds. He plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL; a junior league.
What’s he good at?
Taking over shifts.
The first thing most notice about McQueen is that size; effectively starting at NHL Size from jump.
Being big does not pigeonhole him into being a bruiser however; he’s actually quite deft with his hands, and can move nimbly when in tight spaces around the ice in order to both keep control of the puck as well as open up a lane to shoot or pass through, something that his teammates very much appreciate when he can deposit a shot over to them in short order; even when he’s being defended.
He uses all of that space his long stick affords him to turn his possessions into elaborate games of keepaway; frustrating defenders to no end as he maneuvers entirely independently of their backcheck thanks to his stickhandling, and the power he can put behind that shot is not just impressive, but nearly effortless; he surprises a lot of players with how quickly he can pick a corner, and had he completed a season he likely would’ve been neck and neck with Berkly Catton in the points race.
And of course, if he ever has to use his size? He’s more than willing to go throw a big hit or absorb some punishment out in front of the net. His fearlessness in net-front duty helps him glide effortlessly into the opposing defense and begin to bring goalies on a dark, dark path that leads to them looking foolish thanks to that hand-eye.
What does he need to work on?
Consistency…and also making sure everyone believes his injury history was a freak accident rather than a sign of things to come.
Mechanically, the big thing for McQueen is making sure he keeps up the pace of his game from shift to shift. he CAN use his big body to bruise his opponent, but sometimes he’ll just settle for a pokecheck instead. He CAN step up into plays and use his explosive speed to join plays in time to force his opponent to either rethink their attack or adjust into defending a transition chance…but sometimes he figures he’s got enough speed and stops moving his feet; using his hands to try and create chances that just aren’t there.
But all of those pales in comparison to the great knock against McQueen, one that will follow him for the rest of his career, two little words that scare the living daylights out of anyone who reads it as a scout: Back Injury.
McQueen had an injury which ate most of his season which was initially was rumored to be a slipped disc, but was clarified later to be Spondylolysis, or a Pars Fracture of the Spine, which sounds scary, but is quite common in both contact and non-contact sports where forced spine extension is a part of the deal (Gymnasts and O-linemen are frequently the victims of this), and while it usually does require a brace, physical therapy, and plenty of rest, it is usually treatable without surgery.
Doesn’t matter though. He lost a lot of this draft year to this injury and then followed it up with a pretty disappointing playoffs. That kind of thing gives the impression that his back is truly changed for the worse, and that will seriously change the way he plays, the way his talent manifests on the ice, and . Which is unfair to the player, he certainly didn’t intend to shoot up like three inches and then get seriously hurt, but it’s happened enough in the sport that it can and likely has already decided who is and who isn’t going to take a chance on him.
My Verdict
Look.
I think it goes without saying that this team needs to add a lot more high-end talent to it. Roger McQueen at least might get you there if the macrophile in your life wants the team to get bigger without sacrificing something in terms of ability to skate or move the puck in the right direction.
Personally, while I can definitely see the upsides of this young man, I think the more mechanical issues he has would’ve been something that were at best nitpicks had he played a full season; we would’ve seen the full breadth of his play and be able to contextualize it against his massive growth spurt and his play over the course of the year…but we never got that.
It’s entirely possible he returns to Brandon and absolutely wrecks shop next year, and then goes to the AHL and does the same; he is completely fearless of any punishment taken while maneuvering the puck like a pro, it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that this is a fluke and he turns out to be fine. But the uncertainty is a killer in a league that likes certainty.
I definitely think he’ll make somebody happy! It’s up to you to decide if Seattle should be that team.
Were it in my hands? I’d probably be looking somewhere else.