JEREMIE POIRIER

2024-05-12

Scout: Jeremy Vercillo

Skating:

Smooth skater, both in a straight line and in small spaces. He should be a nice piece in transition offensively.

Passing/Handling:

He miscued on a few stretch passes, but he's comfortable skating with the puck and consistent with the in-zone passes. I think this is one of his better skills.

Shooting:

Doesn't have a booming shot, but a nice wrister that can find its way through traffic. I don't see 15-20 goal talent here or anything. He had 4 goals this year and three of them were bad/lucky goals, and the last was a 5-on-3 one timer.

IQ (Vision, Anticipation, Panic/Poise):

His vision with the puck is very good. He's patient and always knows where his teammates are. His "danger meter" could use some fine-tuning though as I think he makes risky plays in the zone at times.

Forechecking:

N/A

Defense:

Defense is where Poirier struggles -he seemed much more lost than when I watched him last year. Maybe the long injury hurt his development, but he was out of position a number of times, overly aggressive leading to 2-on-1s, and got outmuscled along the boards.

Best Asset:

PUckhandling and passing.

Biggest Concern:

Defense

Top Tier/Role Potential:

Sheltered offensive Dman.

Justification for Top Tier Assessment:

His tools are there, and I could see him making waves on a PP1, but I just don't see the defense hitting top-4 NHLer level.

50th Percentile Tier/Role:

D5/6 with PP2.

Justification for 50th Percentile Tier Assessment:

If he doesn't hit the offensive upside, he may struggle to see more than 15 minutes a night. If he's not the PP1 choice for a team that will cost him a lot of his minutes.

Stylistic Comparable:

Tony DeAngelo (without the behavioral problems)

Scouts Final Thoughts and Additional Stats/Info:

I really think the injury that cost him the first half of this season did him no favors. He suffered a skate laceration October 21st that required surgery, and didn't play again until March 3rd. In 4 games pre-injury he had 7 points. Will be keeping an eye on him early next year. If he bounces back with a full training camp instead of joining the team mid-playoff push I'm intrigued, especially with the openings in Calgary, but if he continues the downward trend I'm out.

Games Scouted:

Playoff games vs Coachella Valley

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2023-08-14

Scout: Jeremy

MAIN REPORT

Skating:

Above Average. Not all-world speed, but the footwork is very very good.

Passing/Handling:

Elite. One of the best skating/handling combos I've seen in a young defenseman.

Shooting:

Average. I don't think he's a lethal shooter, but as a D he just needs to get pucks on net and create chaos.

IQ (Vision, off/def anticipation, panic meter):

Above Average. Makes some beautiful passes on offense, but can panic a bit in the defensive zone. Also can get drawn away from his netfront during sustained pressure.

Forechecking:

n/a

Defense (Rush and in-zone):

Below Average. His rush defense is fine – (well when he isn't giving up two-on-ones). He gaps up well and has the footwork to handle top-line forwards. I may be overcritical here given that he's a 20 year old in the AHL playing big minutes.

Best Asset:

Puck handling

Biggest Concern:

Defense. He gets pulled towards the puck in his own zone, and too aggressive on the pinch at times. I think he's just a bit overeager.

Top Tier/Role Potential:

Smooth-skating offensive D who's too good to keep off the ice. Think Erik Karlsson-lite.

50th percentile Tier/Role:

Tweener/bust -- I think the odds-on outcome here are a guy who can't defend well enough to stick. Maybe the offense is good enough to keep giving him chances ala Gostisbehere, or maybe it's not and he's a tweener like Cholowski.

I will say, while this isn't something I can tell from a few viewings, everything I've read from other scouts/writers say his attitude is top-tier too. Which is a must for a player who needs to improve at the less flashy side of the game. He's got a MASSIVE range of outcomes, but I do think he's going to be obnoxiously persistent.

Stylistic Comparable:

Mike Green or a much smaller Dustin Byfuglien... He's basically a 4th forward

GAME REPORTS

Game Date: 2023-05-03

Teams and Score: Abbotsford 3 - Calgary 2

Notable Stats: 1 G, 6 SOG, 21:40 TOI, 76% xGF

Skating:

He's a good skater but not a standout

Passing/Handling:

He's got good handles. He throws some hospital passes though, but the idea is definitely there.

Shooting:

Good shooter, both quick release and slapshot

IQ:

Not particularly defensively aware – often leaves his guy or is caught puckwatching. The vision on offense is great though.

Forechecking:

n/a

Defense:

Really likes to drop to a knee to try to defend passes. This is a BAD habit. On the bright side the effort is there, and he's definitely willing to engage physically. Especially in his first year against men that vies hope.

Standout skill today:

Puckhandling/protection

What was missing today?:

I had heard stories of improved defense, but I'm not seeing it here.

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Game Date: 2023-05-12

Teams and Score: Calgary 3 – Coachella Valey 2

Notable Stats: 2 A, 1 SOG, 15:29 TOI, 74% xGF

Skating:

Good. Able to recover form mistakes, which may be saving his defense a bit

Passing/Handling:

Has a bit of a panic to him coming out of the zone. Very patient on the PP though.

Shooting:

Didn't see much today

IQ:

Better than last game, but still a bit sketch to me

Forechecking:

n/a

Defense:

Better, but often pinches at bad times

Standout skill today:

Passing/vision

What was missing today?:

Defense again