San Jose Sharks 2020 NHL Draft Profile: D Lukas Cormier

The San Jose Sharks could take Lukas Cormier in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

With their first-round pick in this year’s draft the San Jose Sharks could go with 18-year-old defenseman Lukas Cormier.

This season, in 44 games for the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, Cormier put up 36 points (six goals, 30 assists). This was a slight improvement from his work 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 63 games last season.

Strengths

The New Brunswick native is a fantastic skater. Cormier pivots very well, which allows him to have a very good transition game. His speed, first step and acceleration, and edge work and agility are all also very good which allows him to cover a lot of ice in both directions very quickly.

His acceleration and speed also allow him to control his gaps extremely well. With the likes of his quick, active stick, and skating it’s very tough to beat Cormier one-on-one.

Cormier is also very good at skating backward. His ability to do this makes it difficult to beat him on the rush.

With a low center of gravity Cormier has great balance, which makes it hard to check him off the puck and knock him off balance in general. This trait also allows him to be victorious in many board battles and makes up for his small stature of just 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds.

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When it comes to retrieving dump-ins, Cormier is very quick at it. Once he retrieves the dump-in, he can then make a quick and accurate first/breakout pass.

With his skating ability, Cormier has the ability to skate the puck out of danger and then make a pass, join the rush as the last option, or even lead the rush.

In addition to his phenomenal skating, Cormier also has very good vision and passing. These traits allow him to quarterback a powerplay unit from the point by making quick, accurate passes that few could see and make.

With the addition of his stickhandling ability, Cormier can change angles and make tape-to-tape passes — even through tight spaces.

Another strong part of Cormier’s game is his slap shot. It’s hard and he has the wherewithal to keep it low and on net so his teammates can deflect it or smack home a juicy rebound.

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Cormier also has a good wrist shot — which he usually unloads after sneaking his way to the face-off circles.

Cormier’s hockey IQ is another strong point. As I previously mentioned, he knows to keep his slap shot down. In addition, Cormier picks his spots nicely, as he knows when to pinch, hang back, and join the rush.

Cormier isn’t afraid to get aggressive, as well. Although he’s on the smaller side, he doesn’t shy away from the physical aspect of the game and will put his body on the line to make a play.

Weaknesses

Cormier’s biggest weakness is his smaller size and lack of upper-body strength. Because of this, he often finds difficulty in defending the cycle and clearing the front of the net.

San Jose Sharks Prediction

Cormier is currently ranked No. 20 by Future Considerations, No. 58 by McKeen’s Hockey, No. 32 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters), and No. 60 by elite prospects.com so he should go between the end of the first round and the middle of the second round.

No matter where he goes, the young defenseman will have to spend some time in the AHL so he can bulk up and grow some more into his 5-foot-10 frame.

With that being said, I could see the Sharks taking Cormier with their first-round pick or even their first second-rounder if he’s still there.

Cormier is a very talented prospect, however, I think there are better options at defense in this year’s draft — like Braden Schneider and Ronan Seeley.