What better way to start your Monday than with another AAtJ Draft Prospect Profile?! We continue to look at players that the New Jersey Devils might have their eyes on as we march ever closer to the 2018 NHL Draft. Today we look at USNTDP player Gavin Hain.
Who is Gavin Hain?
Hain was born on April 3, 2000 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota; already a good sized prospect after just turning 18, he stands 6 feet tall and weights 194 pounds. He’s a Minnesota product through and through, starting with their bantam program, then playing for Grand Rapids High School before moving on to the USHL and the US National Team Development Program. All of his stats to date are view-able at this link courtesy of Elite Prospects.
Statistically, the most encouraging thing about Hain is that each time he stays with any program for more than one year, his totals increase. In his time at Grand Rapids High, he went from 29 points in 25 games his first year to 48 points in 24 games the next. He may not be as highly touted as some other prospects in this draft, but from an initial stat viewing, I’m encouraged by what I see.
Where is he Ranked?
NHL Central Scouting: #104 (North American Skaters - a fairly large drop from #85 at the midterm rankings)
Dobber Prospects: #111
The Draft Analyst: #126 (as of January - down from #121 in September 2017)
All information considered, Hain seems like a safe bet to be drafted, but not until around the latter stages of Round 4, or possibly an early choice in Round 5.
What Others Say About Gavin Hain
Information about Hain is pretty scant at the moment; he appears to be someone who is flying a bit under the radar due to his positioning. We do however have a blurb, again from one of our own, Chris Dilks over at SBNation College Hockey:
Gavin Hain-F-Grand Rapids-A hard-working two-way forward that is always in the middle of the play and wins a lot of battles.
Literally a blurb to work with; having a lot of hard working two-way forwards is never a bad thing, and unlike my previous prospect profile (Nathan Dunkley) there is no mention of speed being an issue. Maybe I’m wrong, but I do feel as though if Hain’s speed were a problem, it would have been brought up.
A Little Video
First today, we have a clip of Hain and K’Andre Miller (profiled by John on Friday) as a quick way of getting to know both players
Additionally, we have his first goal from the USNTDP Juniors where he played prior to this past season:
It’s not the prettiest goal, but it does show that Hain has some awareness, ability to correct mistakes, and a good, quick shot.
An Opinion of Sorts
It’s hard to really formulate an opinion of a player when all your search of that player yields is statistics, a USNTDP article that does not detail the player, one tiny blurb and a couple of video highlights. Based on what we have, however, I think Hain could be someone that could develop into a good player should New Jersey take him. Is he the biggest or someone who is guaranteed to become a top line player? Absolutely not, but who in the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh rounds is? Late picks are always gambles because you never know how they’ll pan out; however, there are some visible positives to Hain’s game and foot speed does not seem to be an issue. If the Devils believe he’s the BPA when they take the podium, I see no reason to be hesitant on this choice.
Your Take
To conclude as we do for these profiles, I’d like your thoughts on Hain; do you see him as someone who should be on New Jersey’s radar? What do you like about Hain from what you’ve seen or heard about him? Anything to beware of? Leave any and all comments below and thank you as always for reading!