Toughness is a common theme in most hockey discourse, particularly when it comes to Los Angeles of late. GM Rob Blake and company partially tried to address it last summer with the addition of Andreas Englund to the Kings roster. Looking down the road a bit, it can also be observed in the team’s pipeline with prospects like Jack Sparkes, Koehn Ziemmer, and Kaleb Lawrence.
Watching people willingly engage in physical play is not only subjectively much more entertaining, but it also often acts as a rallying point for teammates to stand up for each other and become more difficult to play against in the playoffs. Worst-case scenario, grit and toughness can make the opposition look over their shoulder for an extra second, buying the team just enough time to coordinate an offense attack or shut things down defensively.
Up next in our 2024 NHL Draft Preview series, we’ll look at a player who could possibly help in this area.
Dean Letourneau
Vitals
Date of Birth: February 21, 2006
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 209 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Center
2023-24 Season
Letourneau spent most of 2023-24 playing for St. Andrew’s College at the AAA level. In 56 games, he had 127 points (61 G, 66 A).
Boston College Commit
Although he was selected by the Owen Sound Attack in the 2022 OHL Draft, he hasn’t arrived there just yet — partially due to a rarely discussed rule. Playing in the CHL (either the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL) would preclude him from playing NCAA hockey. The giant forward opted to play AAA hockey to retain his college eligibility. Currently, he’s slated to play for the Eagles next season. We’ll have to see if that changes following the NHL Draft in Las Vegas.
League Leader
Posting 127 points stands out in any league, especially when it comes after playing only 56 games. Suffice to say, Letourneau led the league, albeit by only six points (his teammate, Jack Good, had 121 points).
Combine the Tests
Letourneau attended the recent NHL Combine in Buffalo, and he stood out in some of the physical fitness testing with the following numbers:
Aerobic Fitness Test Duration: 13:00 (t-6th)
Pro Agility – Left time (sec): 4.39 (22nd)
Mean Power Output (watts/kg): 12.1 (t-8th)
Peak Power Output (watts/kg): 17.6 (7th)
Wing Span (inches): 83.25 (1st)
Force Plate: Squat Jump (inches): 16.38 (24th)
Left Hand Grip (lbs): 144 (t-18th)
Horizontal Jump (inches): 114.5 (t-4th)
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked No 34 by Hockey Prospect. “Offensively he has clear talent as a point producer at his current level, but things will not come as easy for him as he continues to climb the ladder. Letourneau has continued to improve his offensive skills like his puck handling as the year progressed with a major change by the end of the year which helped in puck protection down low and on the rush with his finesse game. Letourneau has a quick and heavy release on his shot and is in no way afraid to shoot the puck. He developed a strong one timer that he uses effectively on the power play when he is working on the outside. He also excels as a playmaker with good vision and smart passing while making players around him better as a result. A physical aspect of the shooting and passing that will help translate him to the NHL is his long arms. Not only used in puck retrievals, but his long reach is also good for shooting and passing around defenders and gives him much more range with the puck than the average offensive forward. This will be a great benefit to him at the pro-level against bigger and smarter players as it gives him a layered offensive skill set with his reach, his skills shooting and passing in tight and his physical dominance down low and along the boards. This is all shown with a high level of confidence with the puck on his stick and how he is not just simply bullying kids in Canadian High School Prep hockey. Letourneau has the skills and athleticism to make the plays no one else is currently making at this level.”
Ranked No. 29 by Elite Prospects. “While one may look at Letourneau’s production against lesser competition and use that as a knock on his projection, it’s important to look at how he creates in the context of his size. While Letourneau is limited by some awkwardness, he doesn’t succumb to the same limitations other tall quantities typically struggle with. Crossover scout Daniel Gee broke this down in a December game report, saying:
‘The things Letourneau did in transition were a bit shocking – it’s wild to see such a big player operate with this level of synchronicity. He blended his hands (absurd range of motion), incorporated a delay game, and worked quick, short passing plays like give-and-goes, flashing a tonne of passing skill. At this level, he’s got a pretty soft touch, working triangle-slip handles, popping pucks through defender’s feet and using weight shifts and lateral pushes to leverage his incredible range further. On top of that, he flashed a legitimate power game.’”
Ranked No 41 by Draft Pro. “Watching Letourneau, he was a man amongst boys this season, he found lanes to the net using his body. A very positive instinct to his game is his willingness to play the body. As the season progressed, he finished his checks more consistently and found ways to keep the puck on his stick, making it more difficult for opponents to knock him off the puck. He plays with quick hands in tight, he scored several of his goals this season by moving the puck forehand to backhand and roofing the puck over the goalie.”
See For Yourself
Here is video of Letourneau playing against South Kent School:
Final Comments
We’ll start with the obvious: Letourneau’s size and talent with the puck suggests (pardon the pun) enormous potential. Poorly skilled players can’t hit triple digits and lead a league in scoring by accident. To add, he’s not shy of hammering smaller players along the boards, which one could say about 99% of the hockey population. Defenders have to look up over their shoulder as they see a hulking center barreling towards them in the corner.
Despite his size, this unit of a forward still needs to learn to utilize it better. He doesn’t play soft, but instead, his massive wingspan doesn’t get used to block passing lanes or engage in the forecheck. While he can protect the puck, he still has plenty of reach to keep the puck further from defenders. Letourneau is a rare specimen where physicality isn’t a missing element from such a large player while also having questions of how they use their size.
Playing smaller also contributes to having gaps in intensity. While a good skater for his size, he misses explosiveness in his actions and strides. Some of this can be the level of competition he plays against, as Brian Boyle also had issues in this regards.
Letourneau’s biggest question mark is the aforementioned level of competition. Scoring over two points-per-game isn’t expected at any level, so the question becomes how will he adjust in tougher leagues? The issues of playing smaller and pace of play will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Should those issues be addressed, they will complement a very enticing set of skills: solid skating mechanics and agility, ability to handle the puck in tight, a cannon of a shot, and a willingness to plaster the boards with opposing players.
What we haven’t even addressed yet are his results from the Combine. He doesn’t rank in the top 25 in a lot of their physical testing, so imagine additional strength to his frame. The hulking center is truly the definition of boom-or-bust. Failing to put everything together would make for a questionable professional player, but there’s too much potential to overlook him. Will the Kings?
As Los Angeles needs to restock their cupboard with high-end prospects, it would be wise to try to acquire more picks to mitigate the previously mentioned risk. There are currently 97 spots between their first pick and their next, so having an additional pick or two as a buffer in between would be ideal. If they like him enough, though, it’s worth taking a chance even without additional safeguards.
Chat with David: You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
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