Ranking the top 31 Prospects in the 2020 NHL Draft: 29. Justin Sourdif

The competitive, gritty forward has more offensive upside than his numbers would suggest

Justin Sourdif (C/RW), Vancouver (WHL)

H: 5’11” W: 165 lbs

Highly thought of coming into junior, Sourdif was the 3rd overall pick in the 2017 WHL draft and while his production with the Vancouver Giants has been good he was expected to be a little more dominant. All in all, though, Sourdif has been a key contributor on some strong Giant’s teams and has molded himself into a player that doesn’t have to be a top producer on his team to be effective.

2019-2020 Recap

GP: 57 G: 26 A: 28 P: 54 +/-: 30

Starting off the season with a bang at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, Sourdif had 5 points in 5 games for a very strong Canadian team, he brought that momentum with him into WHL play.

After the international showcase, Sourdif was rising up draft boards and was getting some first-round conversation but these talks dissipated during the regular season in Vancouver. While Sourdif didn’t play poorly, he left plenty of observers wanting more and rightfully so, people were expecting Sourdif to go at least over a point/game. While he didn’t quite accomplish that mark he still finished second in team scoring so he was an essential producer for his team’s success.

Like many prospects I’ve praised before, Sourdif finished the season very strong, with 12 goals and 23 points in his final 16 games, he proved that he could be that elite offensive presence he was expected to be. If you take a deeper look into the numbers Sourdif was more impressive, his 0.6316 p1/60 (primary points/60) was third among all draft-eligibles in the WHL, tied with the productive Connor Zary. Sourdif was great at creating scoring chances off his passes and didn’t rely on secondary assists to boost his point totals. The Vancouver Giant centreman also registered 47 points at even-strength and along with his +30 rating, it’s evident how effective he was at 5v5.

Play Style

A player who does many things well but doesn’t excel at any one aspect of the game and while he may not be a great two-way player now, with his intelligence and competitive nature he could be a very reliable 200-foot player in the NHL.

The Hockey Writers view Sourdif as one of the better two-way players in the WHL:

"“Sourdif has proven that hard work and tenacity pay off, as he’s become one of the WHL’s top two-way players. He has great awareness in the offensive zone along with a laser-quick shot, impressive playmaking abilities, and strong puck control under pressure, while also having the same high-end awareness in the defensive zone as well”"

Combine that with his good playmaking and goal scoring instincts and you see why some scouts fall in love with Sourdif.