2011 Draft POI: Shane Prince

The Ottawa 67s appear to this observer to be a legitimate force in the OHL this year. Five players are currently performing at a point-per-game pace through nine games. Their leading scorer however is not the highly touted Tyler Toffoli, a recent second-round pick of the LA Kings. It is also not Oilers 3rd round pick Ryan Martindale. He is unheralded Shane Prince, a 5’11” forward with a late 1992 birthday and forcing his way into the minds of scouts for the upcoming NHL draft. Currently torching the OHL for 17 points he’s tied for 4th in league scoring.

Prince should be a player of interest (POI) for the Oilers in the coming months. His statistics read a little oddly, as the OHL website has him playing in 104 regular season games last season, but we’ll ignore that. Taking just his point totals from Ottawa last year (he was traded from Kitchener) he was a 15-15-30 man but looks well on his way to eclipsing those totals this year.

The early buzz on Prince is mostly positive, with a couple mentions of his high level of competiveness, something I like to see in a prospect. He’s playing on the 1-line with Toffoli and Cody Lindsay (9 games 10 points) so he’s sure to get every opportunity to increase his offensive skills.

He’s going to need to put in a lot of work this year in order to convince NHL scouts that he’s a one-trick pony. His +/- last year was absolutely horrible on a strong 67s team. Of the top 14 skaters in terms of points, he was the only one in the red. He’s currently leading the 67s in +/- this year, but that could be as much a factor of his improved quality of linemates (they’re +3 and +5) as it is improved two-way play. If he wants to take the next step he’s going to have to show commitment to the defensive side of hockey, something I thought he’d have shown given his alleged tenacity and high compete level.

As it stands now Shane Prince would make a good mid-round selection for the Oilers. He could be nicked a couple of points because of his small size and the fact he’s a LW doesn’t make him an ideal player type for the Oilers, but he could bring another offensive dimension to the prospect pool. Continued offensive production combined with further growth of his two-way game, and he could be quickly climbing the draft lists.

I’d bet on the Oilers getting a good look at him this year as their scouts already have a reason to attend 67s games in scouting Ryan Martindale’s progress. Here’s hoping Prince performs when they’re in the building.