The second of back-to-back picks in the sixth round saw the Montreal Canadiens take OHL forward Wesley Royston with the 190th overall pick.
Birthplace: Oro-Medonte, ON, Canada
Date of birth: November 22, 2007
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 190 lbs.
Team: Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
Royston was in his first year of draft eligibility and just finished his third season in the OHL after being traded from the Erie Otters to the Owen Sound Attack. He had a small dip in production last season, going from 27 points in 63 games to 19 points in 59 games over the last two seasons.
The limited production when it comes to Royston is not down to a pure lack of offensive skill. He does have a shot that allows him to score and can be dangerous. The issue with him has been his consistency. On a good night, his combination of skating, size, and physicality mixed with skill would have him taken well ahead of the 190th pick.
The issue is that those nights are not consistent enough, and unlike other players who may fit his profile, on the bad nights even the physical play is something that is lacking.
The good parts of his scouting report sound like a player that should be taken in the top half of the draft. His skating is explosive and not a liability like it is for many players his size taken in this range. He can use his skating to get him in better position to unleash his shot, both with the ability to shoot in stride and creating lanes for himself.
Elite Prospects calls him a “hammer” when he’s on his game. He’s the player who is first to scrums and can often end them as well. His play away from the puck is also solid, he doesn’t overcommit and keeps it simple, not allowing himself to get trapped.
The issue is that there are too many games when he doesn’t impact the game at all. It provides a tantalizing mix where the question is not whether he can get things done, but why he doesn’t make them happen more often. There’s also the question of whether he can fine-tune his approach to not only be physical for the sake of physicality, but to use to win possession and impact the game positively.
The highlights look like a player who can make an impact at the professional level. His scouting reports read a lot like Florian Xhekaj and Tyler Thorpe, who both have earned their way to entry-level contracts after being drafted. Both of those players showed more consistent offence at the junior level than Royston has to this point, however.
The Canadiens clearly tried to focus on players who have a unique skill set mixed with size, and Royston has that. If he can find a way to combine his size, speed, and skill on more nights, he could see both a big bump in production and a pretty clear path to professional hockey.
Montreal has been a team that has trusted their development coaches to fine tune prospects, they aren’t necessarily looking for polish. It will be interesting to see whether they can find something to unlock something in Royston’s game.
