Nation Network Prospect Profiles: #39 Noah Juulsen

an engaging two-way blueliner for the Everett Silvertips…would not consider him to be an elite skater but he gets around well for his size, age and role…keeps his feet low as he uses his edges to push around the ice…has good speed but it will only improve as his base gets stronger…footwork is quite good and it allows him to have good east-west mobility when defending against the rush…above-average stride and skating allows him to manage his gaps well against the rush, too…possesses very good balance on his skates and that aids him greatly in the physical game…don’t see him being a major puck-rushing blueliner going forward so his skating shouldn’t need to get to an elite level for him to find pro success…handles an outlet pass well consistently…viewings showed some inconsistency with the completion of the tougher breakout passes but I don’t see it as a major area of concern overall…shows a willingness to delay and take a hit in order to execute an outlet while facing a forecheck…have also seen him use creative bounce passes off the walls to execute an outlet against pressure…was a regular powerplay contributor all season but I’m not sure I see him as a guy who will carve up the opposition with his passing game at that next level…receives a puck fairly well but his hands overall will need to be an area he shows improvement in…shoots the puck extremely hard and does a good job at getting it off…his shot is definitely the best aspect of his offensive game…has the potential to be a good trigger man on an NHL powerplay…his shot is heavy and the rebounds it creates generate 2nd and 3rd shot opportunities…is a physically mean player away from the puck…plays an aggressive style and has a willingness to lower the shoulder and make hits…doesn’t run around to lay the body but is a calculated body checker…really drives his shoulder through the opposition when hitting…isn’t an overly chippy or nasty player, aside from his willingness to throw powerful hits regularly…with that in mind he will be a scary piece of work once he gets up over 200 pounds…despite being listed at only 174 pounds he already strikes me as being a big and thick kid, obviously aided by his elite-level balance on his skates…his strong gap control and physical edge offer good compliments to his stick work, which is also an area of strength…does a good job taking away time and space in the defensive zone…does tend to go to his knees and stomach a bit much for my liking when defending around his crease, but he’s not alone in that regarding the entire Silvertips defensive group…competes hard away from the puck and doesn’t seem to take many shifts off…makes very good decisions both with and without the puck and projects well as a two-way defender given his fairly raw body and on-ice skillset…along with being a regular on the powerplay he was also a consistent penalty killer…played on the Silvertips top defensive pairing all season

Noah is a strong competitor who wants to make a difference in the defensive and offensive zones. He is good with the puck and with improvement in his agility and quickness, his game will become that much stronger. He has a good feel for situations and makes solid plays. Not spectacular in any sense of the word but has that ‘can do, will do’ approach to winning.