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#4. Brandon Gormley | D | Moncton (QMJHL)

Date of Birth: February 18th, 1992
Height: 6.02
Weight: 190lbs.
Shoots: L
Season Statistics: Regular Season | 58GP 9G 34A 43P 54PIM
Playoffs | 17GP 2G 15A 17P 8PIM
TSR Midterm Rank: 5 | Position Rank: 2nd Defensemen
League Rank: 1st QMJHL | Country Rank: 4th Canada

Being in the spotlight is nothing new for Brandon.  After a successful minor hockey career in PEI, Brandon followed the path set out by Murray Harbour’s Brad Richards in heading to Wilcox, Saskatchewan as a 14 year old in order to attend the prestigious the Notre Dame Hounds hockey program.  After playing a couple seasons in Wilcox, Brandon returned to Atlantic Canada as the 1st Overall draft choice of the Moncton Wildcats in the 2008 QMJHL draft.  Gormley and his reloaded Moncton team were able to enjoy great success in the two years since he joined the team, topped off by competing for the Memorial Cup after winning the 2009/10 QMJHL league championship.

Despite the team’s disappointment of finishing the Memorial Cup 0-3, Brandon showcased the attributes that will make him a top pick in this year’s upcoming NHL draft.  The most important part of his game is the cerebral aspect.  He showed great poise in all situations.  Defensively he knew where to be and when to jump into the play to eliminate a passing lane.  He seldom made a move he didn’t have to make.  On the breakout, Brandon showed great vision and tremendous passing ability.  His passes were both hard and accurate and only carried the puck when he had no other options.  Brandon is the type of defenseman that can be leaned to play heavy minutes as his smart decision-making allows him to conserve energy.  He makes his game look simple and effortless.  He uses his stick effectively in order to deflect passes and shots.  Like most prospects, Gormley needs to gain some more strength, but he projects to be a great shutdown player with offensive upside at the NHL level.

It is not hard to see that offensive upside.  Along with his smarts and great passing ability, Gormley possesses a strong and accurate shot.  He needs to learn to create more opportunities for himself by opening shooting lanes and getting defenders moving laterally but that will come in time.  Brandon is not an aggressive attacker and prefers instead to play more of a supporting role in the offensive end.

During the Memorial Cup, Brandon showed that he would not back down to grittier opponents and that he could raise his game when it mattered.  He was also able to showcase the skills and attributes that will make him a high pick at the NHL Entry Draft.  With his outstanding all-around play, expect him to go anywhere between 3rd and 6th in the draft.

Pros: great awareness, very smart, poised, hard accurate shot, great passing skills, plays an effective and simple game that will allow him to log big minutes, well rounded skills, not intimidated by more physical players

Cons: When compared to the other top defensemen available, Gormley is not as physical as Gudbranson and not as good a skater as Fowler

Skillset Comparison: Marc Staal

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Tags: 2010 nhl draft prospects, Brandon Gormley, Scouting Report