It seems that with every passing year, there are more legacy players in the NHL draft. Oliver Bonk, son of former Montreal Canadiens centre Radek Bonk, is one such player. The younger Bonk, who unlike his father plays defence – and represents Canada internationally – is one of the top CHL blue-liners available this year.
He doesn’t have gaudy stats totals, but brings a projectable skill set that should give him an excellent chance of cracking an NHL roster in the future.
Birthplace: Ottawa, Ontario
Date of birth: January 9, 2005
Shoots: Right
Position: D
Height: 6’1.5″
Weight: 180 lbs.
Team: London Knights (OHL)
Bonk was born and grew up playing hockey in the Ottawa area by virtue of his father’s time with the Ottawa Senators. Selected by the OHL powerhouse London Knights in the second round of the 2021 priority selection, he had just a 10-game stint with the club that season, spending the bulk of his year as a standout player in the GOJHL.
He became an important contributor for the Knights this season, with 40 points putting him second behind Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux among the team’s defencemen. He added another 11 points for them in the playoffs, helping them reach the OHL final, where they fell to the Peterborough Petes.
For most of the year, Bonk played on the second pair with Jackson Edward, behind the offensive-minded top pair of Mailloux and Isaiah George. This wasn’t an easy task, as they often took more defensive-zone draws and had to battle their way uphill to make offensive opportunities.
One of the first things that really stood out when watching Bonk was how intelligently he’d pick his spots when joining the rush.
Oliver Bonk doing what he does best, late man joining the rush.
Bonk now has 10 goals and 30 points on the year, could rise a little on draft boards. pic.twitter.com/T3SfUkBHzh
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) February 7, 2023
He typically bides his time and pounces when he realizes his team has numbers, and that he has the support behind him to permit a venture up ice. His awareness in making sure those ventures count, and aren’t to the detriment of defending his own zone is solid. He doesn’t take unnecessary risks often, which is an encouraging quality to see from a CHL defenceman.
His skating is a bit lacking in straight-line speed, but he has good edgework and uses it to weave in and out of the opposition. As good as he is at jumping in the rush, he’s also fun to watch in transition, particularly carrying the puck, but is prone to the occasional turnover when doing so. If his puck-handling skills can catch up to his edgework, he’ll become a much more polished puck-mover.
Once in the offensive zone, he favours a quick wrister from the point, which he can sneak through some tight shooting lanes accurately. He doesn’t have the terrifying velocity of his teammate Mailloux, but he can zip it, and has a decent slapshot of his own.
While his skating is a plus tool in transition, there are some concerns when he’s facing the rush. He doesn’t pivot quickly enough, which can lead to him getting beaten wide more often than you’d like to see from a player who some project as a potential shutdown defender at the next level.
There are also some concerns when it comes to his zone exits, specifically those he tries to execute with passes. If the easy, obvious pass isn’t available, he’ll often send pucks off the glass, or dangerously up the middle. While he has excellent hockey sense and positioning away from the puck, it seems he struggles to know where to go with the puck on his stick. This is likely something that improves over time, and to be monitored by whichever team drafts him next week.
As it stands, he relies very heavily on his size, hockey sense, and positioning to defend. If he can improve his gap control, work on his pivots, and improve his outlet passes in breakouts, his overall projection could improve.
Good hockey sense, pro size, and edgework should make him a bona fide NHL defenceman, but where he slots into an NHL lineup is up for debate. If he can improve his puck-handling and aforementioned defensive skating, he projects as a capable top-four blue-liner.
If not, you’re likely still getting an NHL player in drafting him, but he’d probably be limited to bottom-pair duties, if not oscillating between the AHL and the show. The risk-to-reward ratio isn’t quite there for a first-round pick, and as a result, he’ll likely go somewhere in the second or third round.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #29
Elite Prospects: #56
FCHockey: #43
Hockey Prospect: #16
Hadi Kalakeche: #61
McKeen’s:#35
Bob McKenzie(TSN): #30
NHL Central Scouting: #20 (North American skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): #26
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #41
As a teammate of Mailloux in London, it stands to reason that the Montreal Canadiens’ scouting and development staff would have an excellent read on Bonk. The right side of their defensive corps also happens to be an area of need, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they had him a little higher on their own board than others.
Preliminary rankings have him anywhere from 16 to 86, with an average of 33. He’s a relatively high-floor pick for the second round, but I can only see the Habs looking his way with number 37 if there isn’t anyone with a higher ceiling. His availability at pick 69 is a lot less likely, so the Mailloux connection could end up being a moot point unless they like him enough to use the early second-rounder.
Bonk is a few years away from the NHL, giving him plenty of time to improve the things he needs to work on. Good hockey sense isn’t easy to find, and if you believe he can make the improvements, he’s a solid pick.
Matt Drake
