One Sharp Blade

Colton Gillies
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Country: Canada
Position: Center/Defense
League: WHL
Team: Saskatoon Blades
Height: 6'4''
Weight: 182
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: Saskatoon’s young Colt is an impressive, towering centerman with elite skating ability… the ease with which he skates is a pure joy to watch … smooth accelerator with powerful crossovers … can blow by guys with straight line speed and can rotate from forwards to backwards at the drop of a hat … plays in all situations: 5 on 5, PK, and PP … already wears an A … is able to make plays on the penalty kill with agility, reach, and hustle … is a burgeoning threat on the rush … looks like a human freight train when dumping/banking the puck and chasing … owns a quick release that is not the most accurate or well placed … has good offensive sense and anticipation when the puck is on his stick … has fairly soft hands, receives passes well, and can stickhandle … adept at processing defender’s gap control and knows when to get rid of the puck … as a result makes some pretty passes from time to time … loves contact and finishes every check hard … is great along the boards with good puck protection and has the acceleration to roll out quickly for an offensive breakout/chance…could stand to think the game a hair quicker as he tends to chase the play a little too often … did not look comfortable or meshed with his linemates, which may have skewed his stats some … needs to be more consistent in driving to the net …can play defense as well, which shows attractive versatility … Gillies is a tantalizing blend of many talents who needs to show a little more confidence and ability to control the game.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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65 games 13 goals 17 assists 30 points -20 148 PIM
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WJC U18 - Team Canada

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6 games 2 goals 1 assist 3 points +3 10 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Gillies is a the ultimate draft day project. Because of his versatility, we would say a team has multiple shots at making Gillies a pro. He could make it as an energy line checker, top six power forward, or punishing second-third pairing defenseman. DraftBuzz has him ranked 17th and thinks he is a good bet to get drafted anywhere from 10th overall to 25th overall.

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(photo courtesy of Gord Waldner, The StarPhoenix)