Jets Nation Prospect Profiles 2016: #17 Scott Kosmachuk

We are in the dregs of summer, so we take a critical look at the Winnipeg Jets organizational cupboards and highlight who we feel are the Jets’ “Top 20 Prospects” when looking at a combination of potential and probability of positive impact for the franchise.

We continue our prospect profile with tenacious goalscorer, Scott Kosmachuk.

While Kosmachuk has never been a dominant point scorer, the winger has always been efficient in scoring goals.

In his draft eligible season, Kosmachuk was the fourth-highest first-time draft eligible or younger goal scorer in the OHL. The three above him were all 2012 or 2013 first round selections: Nail Yakupov, Sean Monahan, and Kirby Rychel. The next season the only similar or younger players to score more goals in the OHL than Kosamchuk were Max Domi and, once again, Rychel. In his final OHL season, Kosmachuk sat third overall in goal scoring, with only Andreas Athanasiou being a similar age or younger and scoring more goals.

Kosmachuk, like nearly all rookies under Keith McCambridge, failed to meet the expectations in his freshman pro-level season set previously by his success in junior. The gritty winger improved his point production by about eight points in his sophomore year, with three games less played.

However, Kosmachuk was still an impressive goal scoring has seemed to translate over from major junior. Over his 67 games, Kosmachuk put up twelve even-strength goals, the highest of everyone on the Manitoba Moose. His even strength goal per game production was third only to Dan DeSalvo and Austen Brassard, who both likely experienced overly inflated personal shooting percentages.

The former Guelph Storm winger enters his final year of his entry level contract this season. There is still some NHL potential, as seen with pGPS model indicating that 20.4 percent of cohorts made the NHL for 200+ game careers and about 19 percent of these players peaked as third-line talents or higher.

Kosmachuk’s most likely place as a NHLer though resides on the fourth line, as a goal scoring winger who thrives going into the dirty areas of the ice. He has the drive, motor, and skates to pull off the role, the only question to answer is will he prove over his final ELC year worth enough to earn a legitimate shot at the NHL level. If Kosmachuk wants to prove that he is ready, he will need leader for the Moose and show just how many goals this forward can score.