The highest-ranked college prospect in the draft, Holloway is a safe bet
Dylan Holloway (C/LW), Wisconsin (NCAA)
H: 6’1″ W: 203 lbs
One of the oldest players in the draft, Holloway brings a lot to the table and has all the makeup of a future NHL player. The Wisconsin forward has one the more NHL-ready frames in the whole draft, sitting at over 200 pounds once his skillset catches up with his body he should be a force in the pros.
2019-2020 Recap
GP: 35 G: 8 A: 9 P: 17 +/-: -3
Fresh out of two-years with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers, Holloway because of his late birthday was able to make his way to the college ranks in his draft year. He didn’t put up outstanding numbers but playing behind prized prospects Cole Caufield and Alex Turcotte, it was tough to make a great impact.
Holloway still finished 8th in team scoring an integral part of the team, his lack of production could be more due to a rebuilding team around him as they didn’t score a lot of goals as only one player was over a point/game (Cole Caufield), they finished 14-20-2.
Holloway struggled in the first half of the season while he was adjusting to the college game, in a recent article with TSN’s Mark Masters, Holloway described the learning curve:
"“The first half of the year was a big change for me, especially getting used to school and the college lifestyle so there was a lot to learn,” Holloway admits. “I learned quite a bit and tried to apply that in the second half of the year and it seemed to pay off.”"
The Wisconsin freshman scored 5 goals in his last 10 games, his progression throughout the season was great to see and there’s no reason he won’t come out even stronger this season.
Play Style
If Holloway reaches his true potential he could be a reliable two-way centre that can contribute to both the power-play and the penalty kill. The two-way centreman is one of the most powerful skaters in the whole draft, with his size, once he gets to top speed he’s hard to stop.
He always keeps his feet moving and always seems to be engaged in the play, whether physically or with effort. In transition is where Holloway shows his skill, once he gets to full speed he can fly up the ice and few players can stop him. At top speed in the clip below Holloway makes a toe-drag and results in a great shot on net:
Dylan Holloway showing some strength, speed and soft hands on this sequence. He collects the pass in the neutral zone, gets past one defender then toe drags around another before firing a heavy wrister. #Badgers pic.twitter.com/KpCvDk5NX9
— Stars n’ Stripes Hockey (@StarsStripesHKY) November 16, 2019
Despite not putting up gaudy scoring totals in college, he is more of a goal-scorer than a playmaker, Holloway has heavy shot which he can utilize to beat goalie’s clean. He also doesn’t shy away from the physical game and this makes him way more imposing on the defensive end.
No-Mans Land
Another player out of reach for the Senators at 28, Holloway could be had if the team falls in love with him and is willing to trade-up. This is definitely not out of the question as the Senators are notorious for liking centreman who are responsible on both ends of the ice, so if they value Holloway enough they should consider trading up.