Ranking the top 31 prospects in the 2020 NHL Draft: 3. Quinton Byfield

The large, imposing centerman blends great skill with size and is a certain top three selection in this years draft

Quinton Byfield (C), Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

Byfield has been in the center of debate for the second overall pick along with Tim Stützle over the last few months with little indication of who is ahead.

Born in August, Byfield is on of the youngest players in this years draft, at just 17-years old the Sudbury phenom has the potential to be a bonafide superstar at the next level. He has the size at 6’4″ that all teams crave down the middle, which could make him the second overall pick to the Los Angeles Kings.

There are doubts about whether Byfield will be an NHL player next season, but even if he doesn’t, he will be just 19 years of age going into the 2021-2022 season. Patience will be a virtue with Byfield as he still has some raw skills that need to be developed unlike his draft counterpart Alexis Lafreniere, but if he develops at a consistent rate the benefits will be outstanding.

2019-2020 Season Recap

2019-2020 Stats

GP: 45 G: 32 A: 50 P: 82 +/-: 26

Byfield was viewed as the consensus second overall pick at the start of the season, before Tim Stützle jumped up draft boards as the year ran its course. The fall out of the second spot by some scouting services had nothing to do with Byfield’s play and more to do with Stützle’s.

While being great in the OHL, the centerman from Sudbury struggled in the world juniors while being demoted to the fourth line during the tournament, and only adding one assist in seven games.

While playing sparingly, its really tough for draft eligible players to thrive in their draft year, other than the Connor McDavid’s of the world.

While with Sudbury, Byfield was dominant in the OHL, finishing fourth among all skaters with 1.82 points per game, only trailing Marco Rossi, Connor McMichael and Nick Robertson. Behind only Rossi in terms of draft eligible players, with the 67’s center having a ton of help playing on the best team in the CHL.

His stats lined up similarly to Lafreniere this season and actually some of his stats are better on a per game basis than what the projected first overall pick did.

Some people value one tournament too much especially the world juniors, Byfield saw his value take a hit after that similar to that of Yaroslav Askarov after they both had underwhelming performances, which most could attest to age. One tournament shouldn’t define prospects, especially those as talented as Byfield.

Strengths

Size

The long rangy centerman standing at 6’4″ and 214 pounds has the size that all teams would covet at the center position.

While size isn’t the defining factor in determining if a player is great, the skill and skating ability that Byfield has at his disposal makes his toolkit as a whole that much more enticing.

While lacking in his willingness to be physical, Byfield can still use his size to his advantage, when he protects the puck it’s almost impossible to take it away. He regularly shields the puck and finds his teammates in front for great chances on net.

If he becomes more willing to be physical his size will become even more effective, being more assertive in his physicality he can become elite on both sides of the ice.

His length will make passing lanes tougher for opponents through the middle of the ice, with his great skating alongside of his size, teams will find it tough to navigate up the middle.

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Skating

Byfield does things on the ice that you don’t usually see from a guy his size, this has to do primarily with his exceptional skating ability.

If you watch any highlight tape of Byfield, you will notice that a large quantity of his scoring chances were created off of the rush. Quite often he can be seen gathering the puck in his own zone and skating it out for a chance on net.

Consistently leading odd man rushes, above he gathers the puck from his own blue line and brings it into the opponents zone, leading to a nice shot and goal for Byfield.

His top end speed is very impressive, when he gets to it he is a handful for anyone trying to defend him. His great acceleration allows him to get to his top speed quickly, where he can thrive with the puck and without it.

Byfield shows his great speed on this back check to disrupt a clear breakaway from the opposing team.

The size and speed combination of Byfield makes scouts drool over his untapped potential.

Shot

Byfield doesn’t have the most blistering shot in the draft, but is deadly accurate when he uses it, especially when he is in stride on the rush.

Byfield’s 0.71 goals per game rate trails only Yegor Sokolov (0.88),Jack Quinn (0.84), Seth Jarvis (0.73) and Pavel Gogolev (0.72) out of draft eligibles in the CHL, with only Quinn and Jarvis in their first year of eligibility.

Scoring at the rate Byfield does is impressive for a center, not differing to his wingers at often times to be a playmaker, but instead taking charge and creating his own chances.

In the play below the future top-three selection dances a Peterborough defender then takes the middle of the ice and snipes it over the hapless goaltender.

The big pivot holds a quick release, when the puck gets to his stick in tight quarters he has a fast release with good accuracy and power.

He can get the puck off his stick in a heartbeat and makes it nearly impossible for the opposing goalie to react in time.

Playmaking

While not one of the aspects Byfield is renowned as having, he does quite well at distributing the puck to his teammates, and does particularly well using his long reach to do so.

He really does a nice job of working around the goal line and getting passes through defenders for scoring chances. Also in being such a threat off of the rush, especially on odd man rushes, he can regularly find the open guy.

Here, Byfield leads a rush up the ice and has the patience to stop, read the ice, and hit the late man for the goal.

Byfield also possesses a “curl pass” that he uses when he is beating defenders wide, he can reach out wide where the defender can’t disrupt the pass and play it to his teammate usually for a high quality scoring chance.

Beating the Ottawa 67’s defenceman wide, Byfield then shields the puck and uses his long reach to throw it out front for the goal.

Ottawa Senators

How does Byfield fit in Ottawa?

Byfield would immediately jump in as Ottawa’s future number one center, and has a chance to be that as early as next season.

He would be Ottawa’s far and away best prospect and would add to some intriguing depth that’s forming down the middle for the Senators.

With the likes of Josh Norris, Logan Brown and Colin White all young centers that are all expected to be NHL caliber next season, Ottawa will be stacked at the position. With Chris Tierney still on the team, if Byfield makes the Senators roster, Pierre Dorion will have to be creative in how he handles the position.

Byfield has the potential to form a formidable duo with Brady Tkachuk, two big bodies that would wear down opposing teams with their imposing size and could capitalize on chances with their great skill.

If Byfield is selected by Ottawa at three, they would be inclined to select a winger or a defenceman, if they end up selecting one of Raymond, Perfetti or Holtz they could all play well off of the big center and add to an already promising forward group.

There are doubts about Byfield’s ability to play in the NHL next season, and if he doesn’t that won’t affect an Ottawa team who is most likely chasing a high pick again. In the 2021-2022 season is where Ottawa could have a fair amount more established NHL talent with an extra year of development, and it might be a great situation for Byfield to start his NHL career.