Jordan Greenway THW Close-Up:

Date of birth: 2/16/1997

Place of birth: Potsdam, New York

Ht: 6’5″     Wt: 223 lbs

Shoots: Left

Position: LW

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2015

THW The Next Ones Rankings (February): Not ranked

Jordan Greenway of the USNTDP [photo: Tom Sorensen]

Other Rankings:

THW War Room Rankings (March): 31

Future Considerations: 27

HockeyProspect.com (February): Not ranked

Last Word On Sports (February): 25

Craig Button (March): 71

CS Final Rankings for North American skaters (January): 22

***

 Every team eagerly awaits a player who can become the next great power forward. It’s hard to find power forwards, and it’s even more difficult to develop them properly. But when you do, you acquire an essential part to your team. Jordan Greenway is that player.

A 6’5″ winger from Potsdam, New York, Greenway started developing his skills at the famous Shattuck Saint Mary’s before making the jump to the U.S. National Team Development Program. He makes a living standing in front of the net, making it difficult for goalies to see point shots. Oftentimes he’ll clean up the rebounds that are left in front of the net, but that’s not the only aspect that makes him a good player.

For someone as big as Greenway, you rarely see a player who can skate well. Greenway has a very brisk stride, is a bull on his skates, and quite difficult to knock the puck off him. He’s learned to use his body to his advantage in creating space around the ice. He also takes away focus from the star players, making him beneficial to any team.

As you could guess, with his strength Greenway wins a lot of battles, especially along the boards. He isn’t afraid to bulldoze any unsuspecting opponent, and has laid some massive checks all season long. Committed to Boston University, Greenway is also relatively solid defensively. He doesn’t mind getting back into the play and doesn’t cheat in the offensive zone.

There are only a few knocks to his game that can be easily fixed with some practice. While he skates swiftly, it still looks a bit choppy for my liking. A handful of power skating lessons can do wonders for his game. His shot is impressive, but his release is not. Greenway would be more lethal with a quick release coupled with his shot power/accuracy.

Those few blemishes to his game won’t make him sink in the draft by any stretch. Scouts know that if they take their time with Greenway, he’ll be a key cog in their system for a long time.

Where Will He End Up In June:

Greenway could potentially be a very late 1st round pick, but I feel he will drop to the early-to-mid 2nd round.

Scout’s Honor:

“A big power winger who can put the puck in the net…moves well for a big guy, with good feet and decent speed…very hard to handle when he has the puck, as he protects the puck with his strength and reach… makes quick feeds to generate scoring chances…possesses a heavy shot and is lethal when he sets up in shooting position off the face-off dot…has the ability to score in many different ways…strong around the net and quick to put home feeds in front…has a very good physical game and is tough to compete with along the boards and down low…helps out defensively by getting back quickly…takes away lanes and pokes pucks loose…battles bouts of inconsistent play. (August 2014)”

Future Considerations

“They don’t come much bigger than this promising winger who displays a lot more than size. Has vey quick feet for such a large man, and shows power in his stride. Emerging puck skills and good feet, coupled with his strong wall presence make him a strong candidate for selection in the first round if he continues to improve. Since he was 15, he was bigger, better and stronger than his competition. His gifts may start there, but the skill and soft hands are what put him on the upward spiral. “

Bill Placzek – DraftSite.com

“Greenway is playing a top 6 powerforward role with the US NTDP this season.  The massive winger has just 3 goals this year, though he does have a respectable 19 points in 26 games this year.  He is committed to Boston University starting in the 2014-15 season. Greenway is a decent skater for his size.  He is especially strong on his skates and shows excellent balance.  Greenway creates offence by winning battles in the corners, forechecking hard, and creating havoc in front of the net.  He has a very hard and accurate wrist shot.  His release is decent, but could be improved.  He does have soft hands and can make tips in the crease, or good passes to set up teammates.  The combination of size and skill makes Greenway an intriguing prospect.“

Ben Kerr – Last Word On Sports

Statistics:

Bio/Interview(s)/Links:

Interview with NHL.com

Interview with Hockey’s Future

International Tournaments:

Jordan Greenway has played only one time for Team USA, but he made it count. He won a gold medal while scoring three goals and two assists in six games.

ETA:

2-3 years

Risk/Reward Analysis:

Risk: 1/5   Reward: 3.5/5

NHL Potential:

Middle-six power forward.

Strengths:

Size

Strength

Crashing the net

Winning board battles

Physicality

Balance

Puck protection

Gets back quickly

Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:

Shot release

Edgework

Consistency

Fantasy Hockey Potential:

Offensive: 6.5/10    Defensive: 5/10

NHL Player Comparison:

– NHL comparison: Milan Lucic

Video(s):

***

THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph