Dante Salituro THW Close-Up:

Date of birth: 11/15/1996

Place of birth: Don Mills, ON, Canada

Ht: 5’8″     Wt: 185 lbs

Shoots: Right

Position: C

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2015

Twitter: @dantesalituro

THW The Next Ones Rankings (February): not ranked

Dante Salituro of the Ottawa 67s [photo: OHL Images]

Other Rankings:

THW War Room Rankings (March): not ranked

Future Considerations: not ranked

HockeyProspect.com (February): not ranked

Last Word On Sports (February): not ranked

Craig Button (March): not ranked

CS Final Rankings for North American skaters (March): 109

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Whenever you see a prospect under 5’10” who can put up points, you typically think one of two things. Either it’s ‘he is too small to play in the NHL’ or ‘he could be the next Johnny Gaudreau’. Both statements are what’s wrong with the old mentality and we are beginning to see smaller players carve out their path to the NHL. Dante Salituro will begin his path to the NHL in June at the NHL Entry Draft.

Salituro stands 5’8″, but plays the game like a fiery 6’2″ center. He goes hard every shift and fights like hell against bigger, stronger players. Salituro might not win every puck battle, but he leaves his mark on the other team by showing them he won’t easily get pushed around. Without thinking, Salituro drives to the high traffic areas and finds his way around defenders since he keeps the puck so close to his body at all times.

As we’ve become accustomed to seeing from smaller players, he jets past people by always keeping his legs churning and his sights on the net. Salituro can wired wristers past goalies and potted 37 goals this season for the Ottawa 67s. He’s also an above-average in the circle and can win big faceoffs at crucial points in the game. Salituro has more than enough promise to get picked by an NHL team, but as it is with most short players, their size might cause them to drop in the draft.

Where Will He End Up In June:

Despite his size Dante Salituro’s should still get drafted in the 5th-7th round.

Scout’s Honor:

“A skilled, pint sized forward that goes to the dirty areas of the ice…is a strong, balanced skater for his size who has a fast top speed and good overall agility…darts around the ice and is elusive…has a good shot that is accurate and quick off his blade…gets himself to areas where the puck will be for a prime scoring chance…not afraid to get knocked around for a scorning chance…has good intelligence and on-ice vision…makes crisp passes but is more of a shooter…interesting to see if he can get over his size and carve out a pro career. (December 2014)”

Future Considerations

“Superb short stocky centre who is a top skater that can make plays at top speed. Dynamic top end skater with great jump and dangle at breakneck speed. A great skater whose balance makes tough to knock him off the puck. Any loose puck has a chance of being his because he works hard to unearth them and make chances for his team. A battler who doesn’t seem to view himself as the smaller guy and it can hurt him. He is so surprisingly quick and has a very deceptive shot. His puck skills let him set up his linemates, and he makes sure he is in position in the defensive end. Works hard, and leads by example. He is more of a long term prospect because he needs lots more core strength and then he will become a bigger threat.“

Bill Placzek – DraftSite.com

Statistics:

Bio/Interview(s)/Link(s):

Interview with Neate Sager of Buzzing The Net

International Tournaments:

Middle-six center with tremendous work ethic and high offensive upside.

ETA:

4-5 years

Risk/Reward Analysis:

Risk: 3/5   Reward: 3.5/5

NHL Potential:

Middle-six center who can win faceoffs with offensive upside.

Strengths:

Work ethic

Balance

Wristshot

Quick hands

Speed/Agility

Fights for every puck

Hockey IQ

Faceoffs

Vision

Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:

Size

Defensive play

Fantasy Hockey Potential:

Offensive: 6.5/10    Defensive: 4/10

NHL Player Comparison:

– NHL comparison: Rocco Grimaldi

Video(s):

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