San Jose Sharks 2020 NHL Draft Profile: F Brendan Brisson
By Matt Hawkins
Brendan Brisson could be a solid choice in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft for the San Jose Sharks.
If the San Jose Sharks are looking to take a forward with their first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft then center Brendan Brisson could be a solid choice.
The son of NHL super-agent Pat Brisson, the 18-year-old American suited up in 45 games this past season for the Chicago Steel of the USHL. In those 45 games, Brisson recorded 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists).
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Strengths
Brisson is a good skater. He has good speed and acceleration, and very good agility and edge work. He can change direction very quickly and turn on a dime.
Additionally, Brisson has good balance and lower body strength that makes it hard for the opposition to knock him off balance and off the puck.
With good hands and smarts to go with his skating ability, Brisson can speed up and slow down play as needed. By doing this he creates time and space for his teammates as well as himself.
After doing this, Brisson has the vision and passing ability to find open teammates and make a tape-to-tape pass. Brisson also has accurate wrist and snap shots that include quick releases that he can use to finish plays himself.
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With his great vision, agility, creativity, and passing Brisson has the ability to quarterback a power play from the half boards. He’s a quick thinker and can see and create plays that others can’t — and can make these plays with the ability to change passing angles with his stickhandling.
Brisson is also solid on defense. He supports his defensemen well with his back-check and uses his quick, active stick to break up passes and cause turnovers. Brisson also positions himself well and gets in passing and shooting lanes.
Weaknesses
Although Brisson has good lower-body strength, he lacks upper-body strength. Because of this, his shot lacks power.
Brisson tends to stay away from the more physical parts of the game like board play and going to the front of the net, as well. This, like his shot power, is due to his upper-body strength.
These two things aren’t major issues and can be fixed by bulking up a bit. As he and his game mature, I’m sure Brisson will get stronger and more physical.
San Jose Sharks Prediction
Brisson is ranked as low as No. 79 by Future Considerations but as high as No. 16 by eliteprospects.com. However, he’s mostly ranked in the teens and 20s, so he should be picked in the later first round.
He has the potential to be a top-six forward in the NHL. Although he’s mostly played center, he has experience at wing as well and is more likely to play wing in the NHL because of his skillset and size.
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If San Jose does draft him, don’t expect to see him in the AHL next season, as he’s committed to playing Division-I college hockey with the University of Michigan and will likely play there for a year or two.